A planning application by Crossrail to temporarily change taxi arrangements at London City Airport has been welcomed by residents.

The plans, which have been submitted to Newham Council, involve creating a taxi holding area along Hartmann Road to ease congestion caused by the one-way system currently in use.

Taxis queue on Hartmann Road to get to the taxi rank at the airport terminal, making it difficult for buses.

As a result of Crossrail works in Silvertown and North Woolwich, Albert Road is currently one-way eastbound only. Buses operating westbound run along Royal Albert Way.

After discussions with Transport for London, the airport and Newham Council, Crossrail is proposing to run westbound buses through the airport along Hartmann Road from Woolwich Manor Way until December 2014.

It says this will allow residents in North Woolwich and Silvertown to move around the area more easily while Crossrail works are underway.

Although the plans have been welcomed by Verycrossrail, taxi drivers have expressed concerns saying they fear they would lose access to passengers coming straight out of the terminal.

Laura Grainger, from Verycrossrail, said the group which is concerned at the disruption caused by Crossrail, is “wholeheartedly” behind the plans which will reduce bus journey times by 10-15 minutes.

She praised Crossrail for listening to the group and consulting with other agencies before submitting the plans for the proposed change

Ken Flemwell, a taxi driver, said: “That would be ridiculous because a lot of passengers use taxis from the airport. This needs a lot of consultation.”

In March Crossrail introduced a free shuttle bus to help residents get around North Woolwich and reduce the impact caused by tunnelling work.

A one way system came into effect in April and meant that traffic was only be able to travel east along Albert Road.