6. The Policies of the Area Action Plan

In order that Barking can better perform its Major Centre role, the Council will encourage the provision of additional shopping within the town centre (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map).

In line with the conclusions of the Barking Town Centre Retail Study Update 2009, the Council considers that up to 9,000 sq. m. (net) of additional shopping floorspace should be provided in the town centre in the period up to 2016.

Within the town centre, schemes which help to maintain a balance between Barking’s local distinctiveness and the larger national multiple retailers currently missing will be particularly encouraged.

In addition, the Council will be prepared to allow the relocation of the existing Tesco store at the junction of London Road and the A406 to a larger store on the Abbey Retail Park. This replacement store on the Abbey Retail Park will only be acceptable as part of housing- led mixed use development (see BTCSSA7), the cessation of retail use on the present site and its use for housing, and subject to the Council being satisfied that it would not adversely impact on the planned town centre retail development proposed by this policy.

All schemes proposing additional retail floorspace will need to demonstrate that they comply with the environmental and transport policies of the Local Development Framework and do not prejudice the achievement of other proposals contained in the Area Action Plan.

The Council will continue to keep the need and capacity for additional retail floorspace in Barking Town Centre under review.

The primary and secondary shopping areas, and the constituent frontages, are set out below and defined on the Inset Proposals Map:

Primary shopping frontages

Secondary shopping frontages

No restriction will be placed on changes of use to non-retail uses in the following frontages within and on the fringe of the town centre:

Ripple Road: 25-55, 32-58, 62-82,107-119

Longbridge Road: 13-41, 14-62a, 69-99, 64-102

London Road: 14-34

The existing parade of shops at the Triangle, in Fanshawe Avenue and in the Gascoigne Estate (or any replacement shopping for it which is provided as part of creating a new neighbourhood) are defined as Neighbourhood Centres.

The retail status of the frontages to the new Market Square will be decided when more detail is known as to the form of the London Road/North Street redevelopment scheme (see BTCSSA1).

The Council will support and encourage the provision of additional commercial offices within the town centre (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) and expects that such offices will generally be provided as part of mixed use schemes and regards the Barking Station Interchange Masterplan area (see BTCSSA3) as particularly appropriate.

Where offices are proposed on sites within the primary shopping areas, the Council will expect offices to be at upper floors with retailing at street level. Proposals for change of use from either retail or residential to offices will only be acceptable where they conform with the relevant policies of the Borough Wide Development Policies.

The Council will encourage the provision of hotels within the town centre (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) and regards the inclusion of a hotel in the mixed use development for the transport interchange site at Barking Station (see BTCSSA3) as particularly appropriate.

Proposals for new hotels outside the town centre will be resisted although the Council will view favourably the expansion of the existing cluster of hotels fronting onto the A406 (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) subject to proposals conforming with the relevant policies of the Borough Wide Development Policies and having no unacceptably adverse traffic effects on local roads, the A406 and the Strategic Road Network. Proposals must also be of a high quality of design, improve the current frontages to the A406 and include measures to provide better pedestrian links with the town centre.

The Council will encourage the provision of commercial leisure uses within the town centre (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) and regards their inclusion as part of a mixed use development around Barking Station (see BTCSSA3) and the Broadway Theatre as particularly appropriate.

The Council will also regard small scale commercial leisure uses as appropriate in the area around Town Quay provided proposals demonstrate improved public transport access to the area, improved pedestrian and cycling links with the town centre and the protection/enhancement of the character of the Abbey Road Riverside Conservation Area and of the various listed buildings in the area.

The Council will encourage the provision of leisure uses that will stimulate and sustain a vibrant evening economy. The Council will welcome restaurants (not hot food takeaways) and family oriented developments and will wish to avoid any over-representation of the vertical drinking bars and late night entertainment venues that can be the cause of noise, disturbance and anti-social behaviour.

To help stimulate the evening economy and provide more activity that will help reduce fear of crime, the Council will, between 7.30 pm and 1.00 am, open East Street (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) to vehicular traffic and provide a number of on-street parking bays.

The Council will seek improvements to the public transport network serving Barking Town Centre and the rest of the Plan area and land will be safeguarded for transport infrastructure schemes that could be implemented in the lifetime of the Plan.

In particular, it welcomes and will promote the development of East 33 London Transit and the Barking to Royal Docks Bus Corridor through the town centre and the wider AAP area on the alignments shown on the Inset Proposals Map, subject to:

• Design and layout of the initial bus based systems not precluding subsequent upgrading to a tram based system.
• The provision of appropriate associated public realm improvements undertaken in line with the Barking Code.
• Acceptable interchange arrangements as part of the creation of a major transport interchange at Barking Station (see BTCSSA3).
• It not causing unacceptable environmental impacts on areas within the Plan area through which the transit schemes pass.
• Ensuring that the detailed design provides fully for pedestrian safety in the town centre, including for those with physical or visual impairment.

Whilst the bus-based systems are likely to be implemented within existing highway boundaries, the Council acknowledges that the acquisition of some small areas of land, the precise extent of which it is not possible for TfL to identify at this stage, may be required. If the upgrade to a tram based system is implemented, it is likely that larger areas of land could be required. In either case, the Council will support such future acquisition provided it will not prejudice the attainment of other AAP policies and proposals.

The Council wish to encourage through traffic to remain on the primary road network and thereby reduce the levels of traffic using the roads in the Plan area as a short cut to avoid delay at the A13/A406 junction. Accordingly, the Council will implement traffic management measures in Abbey Road, St Paul’s Road and Gascoigne Road designed to reduce their attractiveness as a through route.

Abbey Road between the Lighted Lady roundabout and its junction with St Paul’s Road (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) will become a Home Zone with physical measures such as carriageway width reductions, enhanced pedestrian crossings and a 20mph speed limit.

The Council’s long term aim is to completely close Abbey Road, grass it over and integrate it into the improved Abbey Green open space.

All traffic calming measures will be assessed to ensure that there is no adverse impact for other road users including buses.

The Council will seek to improve the pedestrian environment by ensuring that pedestrian routes and pavements are well lit, well maintained, safe and accessible to all. It will improving pedestrian signage to and within the town centre and will ensure that pedestrian crossings include dropped kerbs and tactile paving. Links into and through the town centre will be improved by:

• Seeking two additional pedestrian crossings of the River Roding , one on the bridge that will carry the Barking to Royal Docks Bus Corridor and one further north (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) linking the Fresh Wharf Estate (see BTCSSA2) and Cultural Industries Quarter (see BTCSSA9).
• A third bridge across the River Roding linking the existing Tesco site and the existing Abbey Retail Park if a single or linked scheme comes forward for the redevelopment of the two sites (see BTCSSA7).
• Encouraging rail and underground operators to improve the pedestrian footbridges in the Plan area including adaptation to make them usable by the mobility impaired.
• Making significant improvements to the materials and lighting of the Lintons subway under the Northern Relief Road (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) in order to improve the pedestrian environment and reduce people’s personal safety concerns about using it.
• Improving the pedestrian routes across Abbey Green and implementing the Home Zone approach to Abbey Road (see Policy BTC8) in order to improve links between the town centre and the historic waterfront
• Improving the currently very difficult pedestrian access at the Longbridge Road roundabout.
• Seeking to introduce traffic calming on St Pauls Road (including the possible conversion of the existing roundabout to a traffic light junction) in order to reduce severance between the town centre and a new neighbourhood where the Gascoigne Estate currently is. Any such calming measure will only be permitted where there is no negative impact on the existing bus network.
• Improving currently confusing and disjointed pedestrian routes as part of creating a new Gascoigne neighbourhood (see BTCSSA6).
• Implementing the Barking Park-Greatfields Park-Roding Valley Loop Greenway Trail (dual use with cyclists).
• Reducing the adverse impacts on the pedestrian environment of loading and unloading in the town centre, particularly on market days.
• Ensuring that the detailed design of East London Transit and the Barking to Royal Docks Bus Corridor provides fully for pedestrian safety in the town centre, including for those with physical or visual impairment (see Policy BTC7).
• Implementing a town centre pedestrian signage project
• Improving the connectivity and quality of the riverside pedestrian route (see Policy BTC21).
• Improving pedestrian access across the A406 as part of the proposals for the Fresh Wharf Estate (see BTCSSA2).
• Exploring with Transport for London the scope to provide additional and better pedestrian crossing facilities over the A13 into the area.

The Council will primarily implement these measures through Transport for London funding and developers’ contributions.

The Council will seek to improve facilities for cyclists within the Plan area by:

• Investigating the opportunities to create more dedicated cycle routes through and into the town centre.
• Seeking additional crossings of the River Roding, including the provision of a cycle path on the bridge that will carry the Barking to Royal Docks Bus Corridor and one further north (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) linking the Fresh Wharf Estate (see BTCSSA2) and the Cultural Industries Quarter (see BTCSSA 9) and a possible third linking the existing Tesco site and the Abbey Retail Park (see BTCSSA7).
• Encouraging rail and underground operators to consider the adaptation of the pedestrian footbridges in the Plan area to make them usable by cyclists.
• Securing the provision of additional covered and secure bicycle parking facilities, in line with TfL’s minimum cycle parking 40 standards at Barking Station, in the town centre and as part of major new developments.
• Improving the cycling routes across Abbey Green in order to improve links between the town centre and the historic waterfront.
• Making the London Cycle Network Route (LCN+) route which links the London Boroughs of Redbridge and Newham more effective by overcoming the barrier currently posed by the Northern Relief Road.
• Extending the existing cycle route which runs along the River Roding between London Road and Cowbridge Lane northwards to the Borough boundary where it can cross into the London Borough of Newham.
• Implementing the Barking Park-Greatfields Park-Roding Valley Loop Greenway Trail (dual use with pedestrians).
• Securing the implementation of TfL’s Cycle Super Highway to improve links between Outer and Central London.

The Council will primarily implement these measures through Transport for London funding and developers’ contributions.

The Council will implement public realm improvement schemes in Abbey Road south (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map as ‘Abbey Road Public Realm Improvement’).

In undertaking these and all other public realm improvement schemes, the Council will consistently use the materials and methods specified in the Barking Code, include artists within design teams, seek to raise the profile of historic street and spaces and include, wherever possible, high quality public art.

The Council will require the same approach from developers undertaking work to the public realm as part of their scheme or as off site works required by a Section 106 Agreement.

The Council will protect and enhance the Abbey Road Riverside and the Abbey and Barking Town Centre Conservation Areas (both as defined on the Inset Proposals Map). The Council will also protect and enhance listed buildings in the Plan area and, with English Heritage, keep under review whether any additional buildings within the Plan area should become statutorily listed or be added to the list of buildings of local importance.

The Council will require developers to take the character and appearance of the Conservation Areas into account as well as the regeneration potential of buildings of historical and/or architectural interest including the their possible re-use, where appropriate.

Developments in a Conservation Area or involving a building of historical and/or architectural interest (statutory listed and locally listed) or affecting their setting will be required to conform with Policy CP2 of the Core Strategy and take full account of the relevant Conservation Area Appraisal.

In order to improve the provision and quality of local parks and open spaces and ensure that all residents live within an acceptable distance of one, the Council will:

• Undertake significant improvements to Abbey Green In order to transform it into a prestigious and vibrant town centre park (see BTCSSA8).
• Undertake work to the Quaker Burial Ground (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) which, whilst sympathetic to its heritage value, will make it into a small local park.
• Ensure that well designed and located local parks/ open spaces and children’s play areas are provided as part of creating a new Gascoigne neighbourhood (see BTCSSA6).
• Improve the Victoria Gardens open space (as defined on the Inset Proposals Map) in order that it functions as part of the play space provision for Northbury Primary School, the Abbey Children’s Centre and the King William Street Quarter development (see BTCSSA4).
• Include a communal open space and children’s play areas within the King William Street Quarter development (see BTCSSA4).
• Require other major housing developments, where appropriate, to provide adequate on-site open spaces and play areas or developer contributions towards off-site provision of public open space and/or improvement of existing spaces (see Core Strategy CM3).
• Encourage, as part of Section 106 Agreements, other new developments, and particularly those in areas of open space deficiency to provide or contribute to the provision of a well designed small local park and/or children’s play area.
• Seek to involve the community in the design of new open spaces or improvements to existing ones.

To improve the linkages between the parks and open spaces in the AAP area, the Council will wish to see extensive tree planting along some streets to form a network of ‘green streets’ which as well as linking parks and open spaces also softens the environment, and provides pleasant routes for pedestrians and cyclists.

The key routes which the Council wishes to develop as tree lined streets radiate out from Abbey Green to Barking Park, Greatfields Park, Essex Road Gardens, the Quaker Burial Ground and the River Roding.

Where appropriate, the Council will expect developers to contribute towards programmes of tree planting in the town centre.