Redrow Regeneration gets go ahead for phase two of Barking Central

Sat, Jun 30th 2007, 10:00

Redrow Regeneration has received approval from the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation for the second phase of their Barking Central scheme comprising 272 new homes, including three bedroom family affordable housing, 21,000 sq ft of commercial space and 18,500 sq ft of retail space. The plans also include a new public open space larger than the area of Trafalgar Square and one of the Mayor of London’s 100 Public Spaces, an initiative which aims to create a better quality of environment for Londoners. The £100 million Barking Central development will completely regenerate Barking town centre and is one of the first major schemes actually to emerge in the Thames Gateway region.

The consented plans comprise five new buildings of varying height designed by award-winning architects AHMM (Allford Hall Monaghan Morris), including an 18 storey tower. The design integrates modern, innovative architecture alongside the traditional facade of Barking Town Hall, which together flank the new town square. The bold use of colour in the earlier phase is carried through as a strong motif of the new buildings – the choice of bright yellow being partly inspired by the fact this was the former site of a Whites lemonade factory.

This adds to the first phase of Barking Central, which is now complete, consisting of 246 new residential apartments and a state-of-the-art public library and learning centre for Barking and Dagenham Council. All of the residential units in the first phase have already been sold, demonstrating the confidence investors have in the area. The new library and learning centre which opens to the public on 18 June will become a focal point for education for local people, providing lecture rooms, IT facilities, a gallery, a café and conference rooms. The facility also includes a new ‘one-stop-shop’, giving users access to a range of a council services.

John Ireland, Managing Director of Redrow Regeneration said: “We are delighted to be moving forward with the second phase of the scheme, now that the first phase has been completed ahead of schedule. Through this scheme we really have learnt the meaning of partnership – both with Barking and Dagenham Council and with our contractor Ardmore, who have performed superbly. This scheme is setting a completely new standard for the area and we are extremely proud that we are one of the few schemes in the Thames Gateway actually delivering a quality product. We strongly believe in the improvements the scheme will bring both to the local community in the form of the learning centre and public space and also the knock-on effects of regeneration of the wider area.”

The new public open space will cover over three acres in area and has been designed by top public realm landscape architect MUF. It will include an arboretum of mature trees, granite paving and seating areas, which will create an attractive environment for people to meet. A particular feature of the development will be the provision of cycle storage in a purpose built facility. Cycles are stored at first floor level, with enough cycle parking for all residents on site. The scheme also includes the latest sustainable technologies including biomass energy, a link into the Borough’s proposed CHP network and systems  for  efficient waste management as part of their renewables strategy.

Redrow Regeneration and their contractor Ardmore will start on site for the new phase at the end of July. The sales launch for homes in the new phase will take place later this year.

The concept for the Barking Central development was originally put together by Ken Dytor of Urban Catalyst and was taken over by Redrow Regeneration in January 2006.

Log on to www.redrow.co.uk/developments/view/189 for more details.