As the capital expands ever eastwards, the borough is increasingly the focus of attention for developers and investors, attracted by the most affordable and accessible opportunities in the whole of the Southeast region.

More than 400 hectares of land is available for development and we have ambitious plans to provide more than 50,000 top quality new homes and 20,000 new jobs within the next 20 years, concentrated in seven growth hubs.

These hubs have become a magnet for businesses in sectors ranging from the creative arts to bio-sciences, and from high-tech and green industries to award-winning construction and manufacturing.

Well-established brands and start-up enterprises alike are attracted by the proud history, great value and excellent transport networks which link them to major markets in London, the Southeast and Europe.

The council has a clear vision and an ambitious strategy, focused on developing and harnessing the talent of its young, entrepreneurial and increasingly skilled population.

Our specialised regeneration team can offer advice and support about the emerging opportunities in London’s growth borough.

Our growth prospectus

https://youtu.be/ALY1y1l1vSM

London's Growth Opportunity 2016 (PDF, 2.24 MB)

Barking town centre and Artist Enterprise Zone

Barking Town Centre is changing fast with a record number of cranes building thousands of new homes.

A new Barking Town Centre Strategy (2020-2030) was adopted by Cabinet in October 2020 setting out a clear vision and how it will be delivered unlocking Barking’s full potential.

Visit the BeFirst website to find out more, read the strategy and post your ideas for improving Barking town centre.

Why move to Berlin when you can move to Barking?

See what local artists think:

https://youtu.be/Vo-9OCFXB18

Artist Enterprise Zone

Barking is rapidly becoming one of hottest spots for London’s burgeoning creative sector.

Clustered around the town centre and the Ice House Quarter on the River Roding, artists, makers and designers are increasingly drawn by the expanding facilities and attractive rates.

Over the next three years we aim to support these growing industries by providing innovative affordable workspace and living accommodation with enhanced facilities and improved support networks.

Working with an array of impressive partners and backed to the tune of £250,000 by the Mayor of London, our proposal for the capital’s first Artist Enterprise Zone will retain artists in London and provide new outlets and opportunities for their talents.

It will help to bolster London’s creative sector and unlock Barking’s potential.

In April 2016, the IceHouse Court studios opened for business, providing 4400 sq ft of much needed affordable workspace for around 20 individual creative practices.

It is the latest hub in an area that already boasts a range of inspiring arts venues and commissions, including:

• the stunning new Abbey Leisure Centre with dance studios
• the Broadway Theatre and School for Performing Arts
• the Galleon Centre – a gallery, performance space, music studio and more, hosting Studio3 Arts’ productions plus a selection of received works
• Creative Barking and Dagenham – a six year Arts Council funded festivals and activity commission, and
• coming soon, a new three screen cinema

Working with our partners – who have an excellent track record of getting good things done – we’ll ensure the Artist Enterprise Zone provides support for creative industries to grow and prosper.

Find out more

Our strategy documents have detailed information about future development:

Barking Town Centre Strategy 

Barking Artist Enterprise Zone brochure (PDF, 1.61 MB)

Barking Artist Enterprise Zone (PDF, 779.83 KB)

Vicarage Field and Surrounding land Compulsory Purchase Order 2021

On 14 June 2021 the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham made the above Order. The effect of the Order, if confirmed, will be to authorise the council to compulsorily purchase land and rights described in the Order.

For any further information on the Order and to view electronic copies of the documents please visit the HWA website.

Barking Riverside

Barking Riverside is one of the UK’s largest regeneration sites, delivering a staggering 10,800 new homes.

This is equivalent to the town of Windsor.

Set in natural landscaped grounds along two kilometres of Thames riverside.

From 2020, a new London Overground train line will connect the anticipated 29,000 residents with London’s rail and tube services giving a huge boost to the development of the area and excellent links to central London.

More than 600 homes have already been built alongside:

• a new community hub
• schools
• places of worship
• community, retail and sports facilities

Strong environmental principles and mixed styles are evident, catering to every lifestyle:

• smart apartments with river views
• family-sized properties close to open spaces
• housing for older people a short walk away from community facilities and services

Successive phases have earned critical approval including recognition at the prestigious Housing Design Awards in 2010 and 2013.

The latest phase includes an ‘all-through’ nursery to sixth-form school campus which will be complete by September 2017.

The Barking Riverside Community Interest Company is a public-private partnership with representatives from the local community.

It manages the public space and ensures the estate is maintained to the highest possible standards.

Barking Riverside will also feature 65,500 square metres of commercial, retail and sports and leisure facilities which will create around 6,000 new jobs.

More information

Healthy New Towns

Barking Riverside website

Beam Park and the former Ford stamping plant

Countryside and London and Quadrant (L&Q) Housing Trust were selected in January 2016 to redevelop Beam Park – the site of a former Ford factory in South Dagenham.

The 29-hectare scheme will establish a thriving new community with 3,000 homes, a new train station on the C2C line, and a range of community facilities.

The homes will be mixed tenure, with over 35 per cent affordable and a significant proportion available for shared ownership.

The new train station at Beam Park will be open by 2020 and will enable people to reach central London in just 20 minutes.

Improved pedestrian and cycling routes and an attractive public park along the River Beam will be developed.

Two energy centres will supply power to the new residents and to neighbouring communities.

We’re keen to ensure that any development proposals coming forward for the adjacent site – the former Ford Stamping Plant – will complement the Beam Park development.

Castle Green

Castle Green will be an entirely new neighbourhood built on top of the A13 – London’s vital eastern link to the M25 motorway.

The plan is to build a tunnel for a 1.3km stretch of the A13 between the Lodge Avenue and Goresbrook interchanges.

This tunnel would act as a catalyst for regeneration, releasing land for 5,000 homes and creating space for parks and high quality industrial and commercial uses including a new London Overground station.

Local industrial land could be rezoned to pave the way for the mixed use development.

It is estimated that the plan could create a net additional Gross Value Added of £800 million over 60 years.

By eliminating bottlenecks at the Lodge Avenue and Renwick Road junctions, the plan would ease congestion and reduce noise and pollution while also reducing journey times for the users of the busy road.

It would join up communities divided by the road and new bus routes, walkways and cycle paths are all planned to improve north-south travel across the A13.

The tunnel will have considerable benefits to the capital and the Thames Gateway region and the proposal enjoys widespread support from business and political figures across east London.

A blueprint for this ambitious project, which has been costed and developed with Transport for London, is now being actively considered by central government, whose support is required before the scheme can go ahead.

We expect to hear the outcome in spring 2016.

The A13 Riverside Tunnel prospectus

A13 Riverside Tunnel - Road to Regeneration Booklet (PDF, 1.38 MB)

Chadwell Heath

Crossrail services will include Chadwell Heath. 

Twelve fast trains an hour will travel through Central London to Reading and Heathrow in the West, and Shenfield in the East.

Journey times to these destinations will be slashed and the new levels of accessibility will accelerate the pace of development in the surrounding area.

The impact has already been felt and residential capital values around the station are expected to rise at some 20 per cent above the rising baseline projection in the period.

We’ve earmarked money to improve the environment around the station and work is already underway to ensure that the station itself provides comfortable, step-free access to the new services.

We’ll also be looking for opportunities to boost the retail sector and expand employment, looking at the best use of the available land in this popular neighbourhood.

Crossrail website

londoneast-uk

londoneast-uk is the centrepiece of a 108-acre complex catering to existing businesses looking to expand or for start-up companies engaged in scientific research, innovation and development.

The Business & Technical Park is set within a 17 acre campus style environment and has approximately 450,000 sq ft (41,800 sq m) of quality business space available to let.

The facilities are available for immediate occupancy as they stand but also have the flexibility for bespoke redesign – with the capability to meet requirements from a wide range of industry sectors including:

• health/medical
• scientific R&D
• forensic
• IT
• medical devices
• test laboratories
• sterile or scientific manufacturing and distribution

The flexibility of the buildings and facilities support a wide number of innovative companies.

londoneast-uk is ideal for those seeking start up R&D laboratory space or growing space for expansion with:

• bioscience
• chemistry
• microbiology
• sterile laboratories

available together with sterile manufacturing facilities and associated support space.

londoneast-uk website

London Sustainable Industries Park

The London Sustainable Industries Park in Dagenham Dock is at the heart of an exciting new public-private venture spanning the boroughs of Newham, Barking and Dagenham, and Havering

Backed by the three local authorities, the Mayor of London and SEGRO plc have formed a partnership known as East Plus to regenerate 86 acres of industrial land in the largest deal of its kind between the public sector and a private land developer in the capital.

East Plus has the potential to create up to 6,500 new jobs in east London.

The sites can support approximately 1.4 million sq ft of new logistics and light industrial space, and are suitable for occupiers ranging from blue-chip companies to start-up firms including green industries.

The London Sustainable Industries Park will be the UK’s largest concentration of environmental industries and recent investment in new roads, green infrastructure and over 800 trees mean that it is ready for business now.

It’s already home to a number of unique companies including London’s first anaerobic digestion and composting plant.

Specialised research facilities close by will support the growth of these green businesses.

SEGRO expects to develop their east London portfolio land over 10 years, investing about £180 million and has appointed Knight Frank, Glenny and Lambert Smith Hampton as the agents.

East Plus website

More space to grow

While our primary focus is on our seven growth hubs, there are a wealth of smaller and future opportunities in the borough.

If you’d like to know more about opportunities in our borough please contact us.

Contact us

If you’d like to know more about opportunities in our borough, please contact us:

regeneration@lbbd.gov.uk