651 new homes at Barking Riverside given the green light

L&Q’s plans for the next stage of development at Barking Riverside have been given the go-ahead by Barking & Dagenham Council earlier this week.

The site, which sits to the east of the future District Centre, will deliver a total of 651 new homes, 58% affordable, after receiving a unanimous planning permission from the Council’s Planning Committee.

The plans consist of 12 blocks ranging from four to 15 storeys in height, as well as associated landscaping, amenity space, car parking, tertiary roads, cycle storage, and residents’ facilities.

A significant number of social rented homes (30%) will be provided, as well as London Living Rent (28%) , a government-backed scheme offering prospective buyers a genuinely affordable way to save for a deposit on a new home. This is particularly important at Barking Riverside, where more than 90% of L&Q customers have been first-time buyers.

Notably, almost 70% of the new homes will be built for families, split between two-bedroom (43%) and three-bedroom (25%) flats

This newly approved scheme is part of the wider Barking Riverside masterplan, delivered in partnership by L&Q and the Mayor of London, through an innovative joint venture, Barking Riverside Limited (BRL).

Already one of Europe’s most ambitious residential developments, Barking Riverside currently has a newly proposed masterplan for the delivery of up to 20,000 homes. If approved, this could see up to 50,000 Londoners calling Barking Riverside home.

Alongside the new homes, the landscaping strategy for this new phase of also sought to enhance the ecological value of the area. As a result, the approved plans include over 2,000sqm of communal amenity space, together with play space, street furniture, rain gardens and food growing facilities for residents. Extensive green roofs are also provided across the scheme.

Jacqueline Esimaje-Heath, Director for Growth and Sales at L&Q, said:

“At L&Q, we believe that homes matter to everyone and our mission is to create homes and neighbourhoods everyone can be proud of. This is why we are very pleased to receive planning permission for this next stage of development at Barking Riverside, a phase that will be delivering much needed high quality homes in this growing, thriving community.

“Barking Riverside is an exemplar, transformative new neighbourhood, and this phase reinforces our commitment to tackling the housing crisis and delivering genuinely affordable homes that give people the chance to live a better life.”

Anna Bolsin, Head of Land and Development at Barking Riverside Limited, said:

“BRL is committed to the ongoing delivery of vitally needed new homes for Londoners, and this planning approval means we’re set to welcome hundreds of new residents at a pivotal moment for the project.

"Backed by £124 million of infrastructure funding from Homes England, BRL is driving forward a major programme of works to deliver the essential infrastructure needed for this growing community, unlocking thousands of new homes for East London.”

Construction on this new phase is set to commence in 2026, with the first residents moving into the affordable homes in 2028. Works on site will be delivered by L&Q’s in-house construction team, which has already completed 709 new homes at Barking Riverside.

The plans were designed by GRID Architects and planning was handled by Savills.