Barking Riverside is a

mixed-use development Mixed use is a type of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions ...

in the

area Area is the measure of a region's size on a 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 open surface or the boundary of a three-di ...

of Barking, east

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England, within the

London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham () is a London boroughs, London borough in East London. The borough was created in 1965 as the London Borough of Barking; the name was changed in 1980. It is an Outer London borough and the south is wi ...

. It is being built on land formerly occupied by Barking Power Station, adjacent to the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, and is 10.5 miles (16.9 km) east of

Charing Cross Charing Cross ( ) is a junction in Westminster, London, England, where six routes meet. Since the early 19th century, Charing Cross has been the notional "centre of London" and became the point from which distances from London are measured. ...

. The 440 acre

brownfield Brownfield is previously-developed land that has been abandoned or underused, and which may carry pollution, or a risk of pollution, from industrial use. The specific definition of brownfield land varies and is decided by policy makers and l ...

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 Urban rail in the United Kingdom, suburban rail network serving London and its environs. Established in 2007 to take over Silverlink Metro routes, it now serves a large part of Greate ...

Gospel Oak to Barking line has been extended to Barking Riverside to allow the development to be completed as planned and the new

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

opened on 18 July 2022. Between 1995 and 2000, Bellway Homes built 900 homes and since 2004 the development has been managed by Barking Riverside Ltd, a partnership between GLA Land and Property 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 Brownfield is previously-developed land that has been abandoned or underused, and which may carry pollution, or a risk of pollution, from industrial use. The specific definition of brownfield land varies and is decided by policy makers and l ...

that was formerly occupied by Barking Power Station. 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 The Greater London Authority (GLA), colloquially known by the Metonymy, metonym City Hall, is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved Regions of England, regional governance body of Greater London, England. It consists of two political ...

English Partnerships English Partnerships (EP) was the national urban renewal, regeneration agency for England, performing a similar role on a national level to that fulfilled by regional development agency, regional development agencies on a regions of England, region ...

and developer Bellway Homes.

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. The area was identified as a zone of change following the introduction of the Thames Gateway policy in 1995. Proposals for improvements i ...

section of the

and was within the area of the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (LTGDC), established in 2004. In 2004 Barking Riverside Ltd was formed as a joint venture of Bellway Homes 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 GLA Land and Property (GLAP), a subsidiary of the

(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 ...

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 Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

, secondary and special needs students - all located on one campus on Renwick Road.

Toponymy

Barking 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 at the behest of William the Conqueror. The manuscript was originally known by ...

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 Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council, also known as Barking and Dagenham Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of 32 in the United Ki ...

. Since 2022, most of the development is within the Barking Riverside ward, which returns three councillors. Some western sections of Barking Riverside are in the Thames View ward, which returns two 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 Barking 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 and to the west is Creekmouth. 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 c ...

Culture and community

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

community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...

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, coöperative, 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 democr ...

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

Bus

Barking Riverside is connected to Barking, Goodmayes,

Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...

and Dagenham Dock and other places by the East London Transit 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 medium-capacity rail system, light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped London Docklands, Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financi ...

, 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 services

On 22 April 2022 the river bus company

Thames Clippers Uber Boat by Thames Clippers is a set of river bus services on the River Thames in London, England. The company operates both commuter services between eastern and Central London and tourist services under licence from London River Services. ...

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, 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 a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...

and piers in central London.

References

External links

* {{LB Barking & Dagenham Areas of London Barking, London Redevelopment projects in London