Barking Riverside

Barking Riverside is a mixed-use development in the area of Barking, east London, England, within the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It is being built on land formerly occupied by Barking Power Station, adjacent to the River Thames, and is 10.5 miles (16.9km) east of Charing Cross. The 440 acre brownfield site has planning permission for 10,800 homes.[1]

Barking Riverside
Rivergate Centre
Barking Riverside is located in Greater London
Barking Riverside
Barking Riverside
Location within Greater London
OS grid referenceTQ466825
• Charing Cross10.5 mi (16.9 km) W
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBARKING
Postcode districtIG11
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly

As planning restrictions prevented more than 1,200 homes without adequate transport links,[2] the London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking line has been extended to Barking Riverside to allow the development to be completed as planned[3] and the new station 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.[4] 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.[1]

History
Housing under construction, Fielders Crescent, Barking Riverside

The development is taking place on brownfield land 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 sought brownfield sites in the Thames Gateway area for development. The Barking project started as a public-private venture between the Greater London Authority, English Partnerships and developer Bellway Homes.[3] National Power sold the land to Bellway Homes in 1994.[5] 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 section of the Thames Gateway 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.[6] Work started in 2010, and the first homes following the establishment of Barking Riverside Ltd were completed and occupied in 2012.[7]

The development corporation was abolished in 2013 and responsibility passed to GLA Land and Property (GLAP), a subsidiary of the Greater London Authority (GLA). The project was jointly managed by the Homes and Communities Agency until its London operations were folded into the GLA in April 2012.[8]

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.[4]

In 2017, the first three schools - Riverside School - opened in the area, serving primary, secondary and special needs students - all located on one campus on Renwick Road.[9]

Toponymy

Barking is an ancient parish name, found in the Domesday Book of 1086. The appellation 'Barking Riverside' refers to the location adjacent to the River Thames. Initially the name Barking Reach was selected for the area.[5]

Governance

The local authority is Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council. 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.

As of 2015, the two roads giving access to the development are still privately owned by the developers.[3]

Geography

The 443 acres (1.79 km2) site has planning permission for 10,800 homes and is expected to have a population of approximately 26,000 people.[10][11] It is located between the A13 road and Barking–Rainham railway line to the north and the River Thames to the south.[12] It has 1.2 miles (1.9 km) 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.

Culture and community

The Rivergate Centre, between Minter Road and Handley Page Road, is a community centre that houses halls for hire, the George Carey Primary School, the Rivergate Church and the Riverside School (secondary).[13]

There is also a cafe, a pharmacy, and a beauty salon. The local grocery shop on Minter Road was taken over by Co-Op in 2020, re-opening in July 2020 after a refurbishment.[14]

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.[15][16]

Transport
Barking Riverside station

Bus

Barking Riverside is connected to Barking, Goodmayes, Ilford and Dagenham Dock and other places by the East London Transit bus rapid transit services EL1, EL2 and EL3.

Overground extension
Main article: Barking Riverside railway station

As planning restrictions prevent more than 1,200 new homes being built before adequate transport links are in place,[2] the area was to be served by an extension of the Docklands Light Railway, but this was cancelled in 2008.[17] In 2014, it was announced that the London Overground Gospel Oak to Barking Line would be extended to Barking Riverside to allow the development to be completed as planned.[3] The new station opened on 18 July 2022.[18]

River services
Barking Riverside Pier

On 22 April 2022 the river bus company Thames Clippers began serving an existing pier newly added to the London River Services 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 and piers in central London.

References
  1. "New Build Homes in East London". Barking Riverside. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  2. "Boris Johnson calls for creation of new 'garden suburb' in Barking and Dagenham". Evening Standard. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  3. Tim Burrows (17 August 2015). "No cafe, no pub, no doctor in London's most isolated suburb". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  4. "L&Q buys out Bellway at 11,000-home Barking Riverside".
  5. National Audit Office (2007). "The Thames Gateway: Laying the Foundations" (PDF). London: The Stationery Office. pp. 51–54. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  6. "Barking Riverside Ltd: Continuation of Support and Statutory Accounts" (PDF). Greater London Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
  7. Barking Riverside | Greater London Authority Archived 20 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  8. London | Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) Archived 3 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  9. Shaw, Alex (11 September 2017). "Three-in-one free school campus opens in Barking Riverside". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  10. Our story | Barking Riverside Barking Riverside
  11. Barking Riverside Archived 12 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 2014-03-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. "Rivergate Centre - Who is at the Centre". Rivergate Centre. Archived from the original on 23 March 2014. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
  14. Brookes, Andrew (3 August 2020). "Hospitals charity receives £2k donation as Co-op Food store at Barking Riverside launched". Barking and Dagenham Post. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  15. Leigh@spinachbranding. com. "What's coming to Barking Riverside". Barking Riverside. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  16. "DC/04/01230/OUT Report" (PDF). Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  17. "TfL scraps projects and cuts jobs". BBC News. 6 November 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  18. "Barking Riverside extension". Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
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