Royal Docks is a ward in the London Borough of Newham. It is named after three docks – the Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Victoria Dock and the King George V Dock. They collectively formed the largest enclosed docks in the world, with a water area of nearly 1.0 km and an overall land size of 4.5 km2.

The ward is on the southernmost part of the Borough, a strip of land about 4 km long on the Thames and its connections with the rest of Newham is via the Sir Steve Redgrave bridge – I called it the Island. It has about 10,000 residents.

Royal Docks is home to the University of East London, ExCel Exhibition Centre, London City Airport, the Emirates Air Line (cable car) that links the Royal Victoria Dock with North Greenwich, the Crystal – soon to be home of the London Assembly – Thames Barrier Park, Lyle park, Royal Victoria Garden and the Thames Barriers. It has three primary schools and one secondary school under construction.

It is well served by road connec- tions. An extension of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) provides direct links to the City, London City Airport, Canary Wharf and Woolwich Arsenal in the south east. Crossrail will con- nect Royal Docks Custom House with Liverpool Street in just 10 minutes.

In its heyday, the docks drew people and produce from all over the world before its closure to commercial activities in 1981. However, it is reviving to become a hive of activities as most of the water area still exists.

The docks’ principal use is now water sports, but they do see occasional visits by naval and merchant vessels. Management of the water areas, including locks and bridges, is now the responsibility of Royal Docks Management Authority Limited (RoDMA).

The ExCel hosted seven events in the 2012 Olympics as well as Paralympics.

The Royal Docks is London’s only Enterprise Zone – a special area of opportunity where business rates are reinvested back into the area to sup- port economic growth. Investment in the Royal Docks is likely to reach more than £8bn by 2038.

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