The Time Out London blog team

Plans for Beam Park station have been ongoing since 2002. In that time, the UK has gone through seven prime ministers, Facebook was born and grew into a megacorporation and London gained hundreds and hundreds of shiny new skyscrapers. Yet, the east London station has only just been granted permission to be built.  Last week, the housing secretary has now confirmed that ‘a new Beam Park rail station could be accommodated within the existing rail network’ to help speed up house building. The decision comes five years after the government refused to grant the station approval, despite plans being in their advanced stages.  Beam Park station will sit on the c2c line between Dagenham Dock and Rainham. From there, the train will take just 20 minutes to get to London Fenchurch Street.  The station is being built as part of a huge redevelopment in the area. So far, more than 1,100 homes have been completed and a further 1,200 are currently under construction. The first residents of Beam Park moved in back in 2020, but they’ve had to rely on local buses in order to get to other parts of the city. The addition of the station is expected to unlock potential for a whopping 20,000 more homes in the wider area. Now that it has been given the green light, the Greater London Authority, London Borough of Havering, Transport for London and partners are working to secure the funds needed to make the station reality.  In a statement, leader of Havering Council Ray Morgon said: ‘We have...

A free artist-led festival is coming to south London next month. WePresent, a celebration of creativity from the people behind WeTransfer, is taking over Peckham’s Copeland Gallery from May 8-10.  The three-day fest takes in panel talks from artists and directors, as well as showing work from the arts platform’s commissions and collaborations.  Centrepieces of the event include an exhibition called ‘On Belonging’, showcasing work ‘themed around belonging and identity’, and a library room featuring work like NOUR, a poetry book made in collaboration with the artist Mustafa. There’s also a cinema showing short films. It should be a must-attend event for students and creative Londoners looking for inspiration and connection.  And because creativity is thirsty work, there’ll be complimentary cocktails from Peckham Social from 5-7pm each day. Sela Rose will be providing free brunch each morning and Happy Endings’ ice-cream sandwiches will be on offer too.  WePresent has helped cultivate the talents of filmmakers like Akinola Davies Jr. (My Father’s Shadow) and Amrou Al-Kadhi (Layla), and commissioned The Long Goodbye, an Oscar-winning short film starring and co-written by Riz Ahmed (below). Follow WePresent on Insta for more info. ‘It’s outrageous to be mentioned alongside Moonlight’: Akinola Davies Jr on My Father’s Shadow. The future of this beloved south London lido has been saved.

A new list of the very best bakeries in Britain has been published, and three London-based bakehouses have made the list. The Telegraph’s ranking spans England, Scotland and Wales, and focuses on independent and artisan bakeries. ‘Some are noteworthy for their ethical practices and imaginative flavours, others for their unexpected locations,’ says the piece. ‘... they are all friendly and welcoming, imparting a genuine passion for their craft.’ The trio of London bakeries are made up of one in central London and two in south London. The central London spot is Miel on Warren Street in Fitzrovia. The bakery is run by pastry chef Shaheen Peerbhai. Most of Miel’s ingredients are sourced with care from France (Normandy flour, Charentes butter, Valrhona chocolate), and all the pastries and breads are baked small-batch throughout the day. The newspaper praised the bakery’s striped hazelnut gianduja croissant.  View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miel Bakery (@mielbakery) In south London, the ‘sleek’ Mahali & Co on Battersea Park Road was included. Opened in 2024 by Ru-Yan Foong and Miguel Jocson, The Telegraph explained that here ‘Viennoiserie takes its cues from the owners’ Chinese and Filipino heritage’, with the writer recommending getting your hands on their miso and white chocolate cookies, and pineapple and lime Danish pastry.    View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mahali & Co (@mahaliandco) The other south London spot...