More than 380 newly completed homes will soon be available to people in Barking and Dagenham, marking another major milestone in the borough’s ambitious programme to deliver thousands of high-quality homes for local people.
The 386 new homes, directly delivered by the Council through its regeneration company Be First, comprise 334 affordable homes at Gascoigne East and 52 affordable homes at Beam Park. The Gascoigne development was built by Wates Residential, while the Beam Park scheme is being developed as a collaboration between Vistry and L&Q.
Understanding the need for family homes, the scheme at Gascoigne incorporates 85 three- and four-bedroom homes, including 46 terraced houses.
The latest completions mean Be First has managed the delivery of over 2,900 of the 3,600 homes commissioned by Barking and Dagenham Council, with the remaining homes due to be finished over the next two years.
Created by the Council to accelerate regeneration and housebuilding, Be First is one of London’s most active public-sector development companies. Barking and Dagenham is a leading provider of new affordable homes in London.
All of the new homes will be managed by B&D Reside, the Council’s wholly owned housing company, ensuring residents benefit from high-quality homes and a strong, locally focused approach to housing services.
The new homes form part of a long-term programme to create thriving neighbourhoods across the borough. At Gascoigne, more than 2,700 new homes are transforming a former post-war estate into a modern, sustainable community. At Beam Park, a £1 billion regeneration programme is creating around 4,000 homes in total, new green spaces, schools and a planned railway station on the site of the former Ford Dagenham plant.
Earlier this year, local school children designed two murals for new substations on the Gascoigne estate, with the themes of identity and imagination. Working with artist Angry Dan and Creative Barking and Dagenham, the murals brighten the neighbourhood and celebrate its story.
Cllr Dominic Twomey, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for People, Place and Partnerships, said:
“Bringing more affordable homes to Barking and Dagenham has been a longstanding priority of ours and I’m pleased to see over 380 completed in the borough recently.
“There’s a real lack of housing across the capital and it’s great that Barking and Dagenham is leading the way in completing the high-quality, affordable homes that people need.”
Caroline Harper, Managing Director of Be First, said:
“Every home completed represents a family with a secure place to live and a stake in the future of Barking and Dagenham. Be First was established to help the borough tackle the housing crisis and create opportunities for local people, that’s exactly what we’re doing.
“These developments demonstrate that ambitious public-sector housebuilding can still be delivered at scale. Barking and Dagenham is one of the UK’s best-performing planning authorities, it has a substantial bank of development-ready land, and through Be First it is working innovatively with investors and developers to drive the future delivery pipeline. We are building on these advantages to create homes and neighbourhoods that will serve local communities here for generations.”
Paul Nicholls, Regional Managing Director at Wates Residential, said:
“The transformation of Gascoigne is one of London’s most ambitious regeneration success stories and we’re proud to have played a key role in bringing that vision to life. This achievement reflects years of commitment, collaboration and shared ambition between Wates, Be First and Barking and Dagenham Council. Looking at the neighbourhood today, you can see the impact of that partnership in every corner of the development and the positive change it has helped deliver.”
Kevin Delve, Managing Director for Vistry East London, said:
“Handing over these 52 affordable homes at Beam Park marks another important milestone in our partnership to deliver 520 new homes for Be First, and reflects the scale and pace at which we are working together to address local housing need. We look forward to continuing this momentum, with the remaining 468 homes to be delivered to Be First over the coming year as we help create a thriving new community.”