Whilst we are in the middle of another huge national political moment, I am pleased to be able to give you an update about more local matters - the future of the former plant nursery beside West Ham Park.

Although plans are still in the early stages, I'm happy to say that the City of London Corporation has agreed in principle to develop the vacant site into a mixture of different developments that will benefit the local community and area.

We aim to build up to 100 new homes for local residents and will of course consult the views of the local authority and residents. We want to play our part in easing the chronic shortage of housing in the area.

The City Corporation takes its role as a housing provider very seriously and this is a great opportunity which we must not miss - having committed to building another 3,700 homes for Londoners as soon as possible.

We also plan to create completely new parkland and sports facilities for the much-loved West Ham Park. The current facilities are very popular.

About half of the nursery site has been earmarked for this part of the project.

We also wish to build new community facilities such as disabled parking and a public café for the community to come together. Getting new people into the park and having new projects will bring real benefits to the work of the charity, local supporters of the park and residents.

The next steps are to put together a more detailed project plan, settle the funding and engage with interested parties including residents, park users and sports groups.

We hope that work on the site will begin as early as Spring 2021. We are determined that this site shall be developed in a way which fits the needs of the community we serve, without in any way detracting from the peace and quiet of this much loved park.

As the project develops, there will be opportunities for the local community and users near and far to share their views with me and my colleagues.

I hope that you will continue to follow the progress of this exciting project.