Barking Riverside is a mixed-use development in the

area Area is the quantity that expresses the extent of a region on the plane or on a curved surface. The area of a plane region or ''plane area'' refers to the area of a shape or planar lamina, while '' surface area'' refers to the area of an ope ...

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking ** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...

, east

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, within the

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London borough in East London. It lies around 9 miles (14.4 km) east of Central London. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames ...

. It is being built on land formerly occupied by

Barking Power Station Barking Power Station refers to a series of power stations at various sites within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in east London. The original power station site, of the coal-fired A, B and C stations, was at River Road, Creekmouth, o ...

, adjacent to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, and is 10.5 miles (16.9km) east of Charing Cross. The 440 acre

brownfield In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

site has planning permission for 10,800 homes. As planning restrictions prevented more than 1,200 homes without adequate transport links, the

London Overground London Overground (also known simply as the Overground) is a suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, (via archive.org). it now serves a large part of Greater London as w ...

Gospel Oak to Barking line has been extended to Barking Riverside to allow the development to be completed as planned and the new station opened on 18 July 2022. Between 1995 and 2000,

Bellway Homes Bellway plc is a residential property developer and housebuilder based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History The company was founded in 1946 by ...

built 900 homes and since 2004 the development has been managed by Barking Riverside Ltd, a partnership between

GLA Land and Property GLA Land and Property (GLAP) is a subsidiary company of the Greater London Authority. It was formed on 1 April 2012 as a replacement for the London Development Agency (LDA) as an arms length corporate body to take on the assets of the LDA and ot ...

and Bellway. Building work under this partnership commenced in 2010 and the first homes were occupied in 2012. In 2016, housing association L&Q bought out Bellway's stake in Barking Riverside Ltd, entering into a joint venture with the GLA to deliver the remaining new homes. There will be three neighbourhood centres and when complete in the 2030s, the development as a whole will have a population of approximately 26,000.

History

The development is taking place on

brownfield land In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...

that was formerly occupied by

. Prior to being drained for industrial use, it was tidal marshland. The power station closed in 1981, with a concentration of National Grid pylons, overhead lines, cables and sub stations remaining. In the early 1990s, the

Department of Environment An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment, ...

sought brownfield sites in the

Thames Gateway Thames Gateway is a term applied to an area around the Thames Estuary in the context of discourse around regeneration and further urbanisation. The term was first coined by the UK government and applies to an area of land stretching east from ...

area for development. The Barking project started as a public-private venture between the Greater London Authority,

English Partnerships English Partnerships (EP) was the national regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by regional development agencies on a regional level. On 1 December 2008 its powers passed to a successor ...

and developer

National Power National power is defined as the sum of all resources available to a nation in the pursuit of national objectives. Assessing the national power of political entities was already a matter of relevance during the classical antiquity, the middle ages ...

sold the land to Bellway Homes in 1994. The site has low land value, but the cost of converting it from industrial use caused Bellway to be concerned about profitability. Initially Bellway constructed 900 homes on the site between 1995 and 2000. Barking Riverside Ltd provided essential infrastructure such as roads, utilities and community facilities. The site is in the

London Riverside The London Riverside is a redevelopment area on the north side of the River Thames in East London, England and part of the larger Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The London Riverside area forms part of the Green Enterprise District, a project ...

section of the

and was within the area of the

London Thames Gateway Development Corporation The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC) was a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, with directors appointed by the Secretary of State, including some democratically elect ...

(LTGDC), established in 2004. In 2004 Barking Riverside Ltd was formed as a joint venture of

and the Homes and Communities Agency (later replaced by GLAP) to deliver the project. Outline planning permission was granted in August 2007, with detailed consent for the first phases given in June 2009. Work started in 2010, and the first homes following the establishment of Barking Riverside Ltd were completed and occupied in 2012. The development corporation was abolished in 2013 and responsibility passed to

(GLAP), a subsidiary of the Greater London Authority (GLA). The project was jointly managed by the

Homes and Communities Agency Homes England is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was founded on 1 January 2018 to replace the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). HCA in turn was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act 2 ...

until its London operations were folded into the GLA in April 2012. In 2016, L&Q bought Bellway's 51% stake in the scheme. It will deliver the new homes and infrastructure with the existing joint venture partner the GLA. In 2017, the first three schools - Riverside School - opened in the area, serving primary, secondary and

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in b ...

students - all located on one campus on Renwick Road.

Toponymy

is an ancient parish name, found in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

of 1086. The appellation 'Barking Riverside' refers to the location adjacent to the

. Initially the name Barking Reach was selected for the area.

Governance

The local authority is Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. The development is within the Thames ward, which returns three councillors. For elections to the London Assembly it is part of the City and East constituency. For elections to the UK Parliament it is within the

constituency. , the two roads giving access to the development are still privately owned by the developers.

Geography

The site has planning permission for 10,800 homes and is expected to have a population of approximately 26,000 people.Our story , Barking Riverside Barking Riverside
/ref> It is located between the A13 road and Barking–Rainham railway line to the north and the

to the south. It has of riverside frontage. The intention is to create three neighbourhood centres. To the north is the

Thames View Estate Thames View Estate is a large housing estate in Barking and Dagenham in East London, England. History Constructed between 1954 and 1960 by Barking Borough Council, it features 2,000 homes rendering it the largest development constructed by th ...

and to the west is

Creekmouth Creekmouth is an area of Barking in east London, England. It is best known for its large industrial estate. The industrial area around River Road and Thames Road is one of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham's largest employment areas. Cr ...

. To the south of Barking Riverside and over the River Thames is the large housing development of

Thamesmead Thamesmead is an area of south-east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross, north-east of Woolwich and west of Erith. It mainly con ...

Culture and community

The Rivergate Centre, between Minter Road and Handley Page Road, is a

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

that houses halls for hire, the George Carey Primary School, the Rivergate Church and the Riverside School (secondary). There is also a cafe, a pharmacy, and a beauty salon. The local grocery shop on Minter Road was taken over by

Co-Op A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

in 2020, re-opening in July 2020 after a refurbishment. In phases 2 and 3 of the development, there is a provision for a new Health and Leisure Hub including a large family-friendly swimming pool and 150-station gym. This will also incorporate a GP surgery, leisure centre and various community spaces.

Transport

Barking Riverside station, under construction

Bus

Barking Riverside is connected to

Goodmayes Goodmayes is a district of Ilford in the London Borough of Redbridge, England. It is situated eleven miles north-east of Charing Cross, and forms part of both the Romford and Ilford post towns. Historically part of Essex, it was part of the Muni ...

, Ilford and

Dagenham Dock Dagenham Dock is a place in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in London, England. It is located to the south of Dagenham and on the River Thames. It was once the site of a large coaling port and continues to be the location of a small t ...

and other places by the

East London Transit East London Transit (ELT) is a part-segregated bus rapid transit, operated as part of the London Buses network. The East London Transit opened in phases between 2010 and 2013. The scheme for this system was developed by Transport for London ...

bus rapid transit services EL1, EL2 and EL3.

Overground extension

As planning restrictions prevent more than 1,200 new homes being built before adequate transport links are in place, the area was to be served by an extension of the

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Lo ...

, but this was cancelled in 2008. In 2014, it was announced that the

Gospel Oak to Barking Line would be extended to Barking Riverside to allow the development to be completed as planned. The new station opened on 18 July 2022.

River Bus

On 22 April 2022 the river bus company

Thames Clippers Thames Clippers (since July 2020 branded as Uber Boat by Thames Clippers for sponsorship purposes with Uber) is a river bus service on the Thames in London, England. The company operates both commuter services between eastern and Central Lon ...

began serving an existing pier newly added to the

London River Services London River Services Limited is a division of Transport for London (TfL), which manages passenger transport—leisure-oriented tourist services and commuter services—on the River Thames in London. It does not own or operate any boats itself ...

network. Now called

Barking Riverside Pier Barking Riverside Pier is a Thames Clippers commuter service pier located on the River Thames at Barking Riverside. Passenger services began on 26 April 2022. The pier provides interchange with Barking Riverside railway station and local bus ro ...

, it is situated on the north bank of the Thames in what will eventually become the district centre, a short distance from the new London Overground station. During the morning and evening peaks, and at weekends, Thames Clippers provides passenger river bus services on the RB1 route to Woolwich Arsenal,

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lon ...

and piers in central London.

References

External links

* {{LB Barking & Dagenham Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Redevelopment projects in London