Barking Riverside

BRL is preparing a new Outline Planning Application for Barking Riverside. This is due to be submitted in Summer 2024 and will involve revising the masterplan for the area.

The new Outline Planning Application will propose additional homes at Barking Riverside, taking the overall size of the neighbourhood to 20,000 homes. This supports the Council’s emerging Local Plan.

As well as additional homes, the new Outline Planning Application has the potential to deliver a range of important public benefits:

• Enhanced green spaces, including new green “connections” to the river.
• Improved opportunities for sport, recreation & play.
• Ensuring that each neighbourhood has a distinct identity.
• Better responding to our unique riverfront – improving access, providing new amenities, enhancing ecology and creating new flood defences.
• Providing two additional primary schools, maintaining high standards of education.
• Enhancing our ecology and environment, with at least a 10% improvement in biodiversity.
• Improving connectivity in and around Barking Riverside, including some revised bus, car and pedestrian routes.
• Creating a greener and more sustainable future, with the decarbonisation of the district heating network.

The new Outline Planning Application and the revised masterplan seek to sensibly evolve our existing plans. Indeed, when you compare the two, you may be surprised that the foundations of the revised masterplan are not too dissimilar from our existing masterplan.

A masterplan is an overarching layout, which sets the template for future land use and development. Put more simply, it is an illustrative drawing that demonstrates how the development of Barking Riverside will be developed once fully complete.

Masterplans are not meant to be static – they need to evolve over time to help retain their vitality, viability and sustainability.

Barking Riverside Limited (BRL) has invested over £400 million in the early delivery of public transport, schools and community centres at Barking Riverside.

With this strong foundation in place, it is now time to revisit our original masterplan – some elements of which are now 16 years old. Evolving the masterplan, which is possible via a new Outline Planning Application, gives us the best opportunity to grow the vibrancy and vitality of Barking Riverside for generations to come.

A new Outline Planning Application is also necessary to ensure we make the best use of all the land at Barking Riverside. The original Outline Planning Consent is time limited, and we need to update our planning permission to enable development to continue.

The existing and planned development around Northgate, Station Quarter and along the Boulevard, will mean that the original Outline Planning Consent (for 10,800 homes) will be built out before areas like the Riverfront and the Wharf have been developed.

Furthermore, London has a well-publicised housing crisis, with both local and central government prioritising the building of more homes on brownfield land. The number of homes that we are proposing (20,000 homes in total) is in conformity with the Council’s emerging Local Plan.

Also, the way we live, work and play has greatly changed in the last 16 years – we must respond to these changes to ensure that Barking Riverside has a sustainable future.

By increasing the population of the neighbourhood, the the revised masterplan will help deliver the vibrancy and vitality that we all want to see at Barking Riverside, particularly in relation to public amenities.

The new homes would be built in areas of Barking Riverside that are not yet in construction. This is shown in blue on the below plan:

We currently have planning permission to build 10,800 homes, of which 2,400 are already built. Based on the original Outline Planning Consent, the last of these homes will be completed in the mid 2030’s.

We are working on a new Outline Planning Application for Barking Riverside that will increase the number of homes at Barking Riverside to 20,000. If this application is successful, this will extend construction works to the late 2040’s.

As part of the original Outline Planning Permission (OPP), works are required to the foreshore to raise the level of the flood defence line. Alongside this, BRL will undertake works to enhance the landscape along the foreshore, improving biodiversity and ecology. BRL will also improve the quality of the footpaths along the foreshore to ensure this unique environment can be enjoyed by everybody.

During the construction works, BRL will need to temporarily divert the route of Footpath 47 away from the river. To mitigate the impact of this diversion for residents, works to the foreshore will be phased. This will enable BRL to provide safe, temporary routes to the undisturbed areas of the riverfront whilst construction is undertaken in other areas. This will ensure that residents can continue to enjoy the riverfront environment whilst theses important flood and ecological works are undertaken.

BRL has invested over £400m in the early delivery of infrastructure, including the opening of the Barking Riverside Overground Station and Pier.

This investment has been made to help reverse historic car dependency in this area of the Borough and supports the ambitions of BRL’s joint venture partners (L&Q and the Greater London Authority) to create a sustainable neighbourhood.

In conformity with both GLA and Council planning policy, the new Outline Planning Application will continue to focus on providing a variety of transport options, prioritising active travel (walking and cycling) and public transport (train, bus, boat). This will be supplemented by on-site car parking provision, including accessible parking and car club spaces.

The application will maintain the overall number of parking spaces across Barking Riverside as permitted under the original Outline Planning Permission (OPP), with a focus on prioritising parking provision in locations further from the station.

BRL has heard and understood resident sentiment in relation to parking, particularly visitor parking. This is why BRL has and is exploring the creation of temporary parking hubs, which aim to support residents whilst behaviours change. The Project Road car park is an example of this. This is open and available for residents to use.