Councillors have approved plans to build over 500 homes on a new look eco-friendly Gascoigne estate at a Barking and Dagenham Council planning committee.
The development, in the heart of Barking town centre, will feature eleven new buildings and 526 flats, of which 65% will be affordable rent or shared ownership, and 35% for private sale.
Be First, the Council’s regeneration company, expects to set new environmental standards, by embracing designs by Scandinavian architects White Arkitekter, making the new look Gascoigne among the greenest residential areas of the town centre.
Councillor Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said: “These plans for the new look Gascoigne Estate set a new gold standard for green living in the borough.
“They will also provide hundreds of much needed affordable homes for local people in a sustainable design which will make it among the greenest estates in the borough, and also reduce residents fuel bills dramatically.”
The plans include tree-lined public spaces, including an entirely new park, and energy supplied by an array of rooftop photo-voltaic cells, connected to the district heating system. Energy savings are expected to be 40% of CO2 emissions against the Building Regulations.
Pedal power could also have a big part to play as Be First plans to install over 1,000 cycle parking spaces, recognising both the low car ownership levels in the area, the convenience of nearby public transport and an ambition to encourage active travel in the borough.
Jennie Coombs, Head of Affordable Housing at Be First, commented: “This latest phase of this exciting project will deliver vastly improved homes for new and existing tenants. And we’ve taken the design to the next level, to make sure the quality of the public spaces matches the quality of the flats themselves.
“This landmark development will be the borough’s most ambitious and greenest ever and will be a template for environmentally-friendly living for the 21st century.”
