4. Managing Growth

The Council will plan for a minimum annual housing growth of 1,190 additional homes in the ten year period to 2024/25. This equates to at least 17,850 new homes in Barking and Dagenham between 2010/11 and 2024/25. The target will be met through:

• Residential development in the three Key Regeneration Areas:
• Major development at Barking Riverside.
• Delivering 6000 new homes in Barking Town Centre through redevelopment in line with the Barking Town Centre Area Action Plan.
• Developing a mixed urban community at South Dagenham.
• Identifying further housing and mixed use development site in the Site Specific Allocations DPD.
• Releasing surplus employment land from safeguarding to enable other types of development including housing.
• Encouraging the development of other underused previously developed land and properties within existing urban areas with high PTAL levels (levels 4-6).
• Where necessary pursuing land acquisition and assembly to support the above measures.
• Maximising the density of new developments, taking into account local context and other factors, in line with the guidance set out in the Urban Design Framework SPD, Barking Town Centre Area Action Plan Urban Design Guidelines SPD and the London Plan.
• Working to ensure that empty homes are brought back into use.

Additional housing will result in increased pressure on existing physical and social infrastructure. The need for additional infrastructure must therefore be met alongside new housing. The release and development of land allocated for residential development will be phased in order to ensure this happens. For larger schemes conditions or Section 106 agreements will be used to ensure physical and social infrastructure is delivered in step with the overall development and not left until the end.

The Council will ensure that important areas of public open space are identified and protected from development, that public open space is created and improved in areas of deficiency, and support the implementation of the East London Green Grid, the Blue Ribbon Network, and the Barking and Dagenham Landscape Framework Plan.

Barking and Dagenham’s Green Belt will be protected and maintained in accordance with national policy.

Barking Park, Parsloes Park and Mayesbrook Park have been designated as Metropolitan Open Land and will therefore be safeguarded from inappropriate development and afforded the same level of protection as the Green Belt. Within these areas essential facilities for appropriate uses may be considered where this would not have an adverse impact on:

• The openness of the land.
• The historic and cultural environment.
• The quality and character value of the open space.
• Habitats and species of biodiversity value.

In addition to the Borough’s Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land, a number of local public open spaces have also been identified for protection. These are indicated on the Proposals Map. The Site Specific Allocations DPD will review these designations and confirm what local public open spaces are to be designated as District Parks, Local Parks and Open Spaces and Small Open Spaces in accordance with the London Plan’s public open space hierarchy.

In very exceptional cases it may be appropriate to allow local public open spaces to be developed provided that a new equivalent or better type or quality of public open space is provided in an area of open space deficiency. Where any such development is proposed, particular consideration should be given to whether the development will improve access to and quality of open space, to enhancing biodiversity, and to whether open space provision in the ‘donor’ area will remain at an acceptable level.

Where appropriate, new development will be expected to provide on site provision of public open space, or developer contributions towards off-site provision of public open space and/or improvement of existing spaces.

Land will be safeguarded for transport infrastructure schemes that could be implemented within the lifetime of the Plan.

New transport infrastructure, as identified in the Local Implementation Plan (LIP), will be encouraged. Additional transport infrastructure improvements may also be encouraged where they will:

• Contribute to and facilitate the regeneration of the Borough.
• Promote alternatives to the car and to the transport of goods and waste by road.
• Serve development in a sustainable way that is commensurate with the land use and densities envisaged.
• Provide links to regional facilities, attractions and opportunities.
• Not have significant negative environmental impacts which cannot be mitigated or compensated for.
• Make use of safeguarded wharves.
• Promote social inclusion and economic opportunities.
• Improve transport links in areas of low accessibility.

The Council will continue to press for and support the transport infrastructure improvement projects which are critical to delivering the growth set out in the Core Strategy and will improve overall accessibility to, from and within the Borough. These include:

• Crossrail Line 1.
• Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension.
• Thames Gateway Bridge.
• East London Transit.
• Barking to Royal Docks Bus Corridor.
• Improvements to the c2c service.
• Dagenham Dock Transport Interchange.

Other measures that would improve north-south transport links (for example a high quality bus route connecting Marks Gate to Dagenham Dock Station) will also be encouraged and proposals will be expected to demonstrate how new areas of development are linked to key facilities.

Changes of use from transport and transport support functions will only be approved if those facilities are no longer required and are unlikely to be required in the future for this purpose, or if equally good alternative provision is put in place.

Encouragement will be given to development and services that will help maintain and enhance the vitality and viability of the following centres:

Major Centre

• Barking Town Centre

District Centres

• Chadwell Heath
• Dagenham Heathway
• Green Lane
• Barking Riverside (Future) Neighbourhood Centres
• The Merry Fiddlers
• Andrews Corner
• Martin’s Corner
• Gale Street, Becontree
• The Round House
• Oxlow Lane / Hunters
• Hall Road
• Goresbrook Road /Chequers Parade
• Chequers Parade
• Royal Parade / Church Street
• Street
• Farr Avenue
• Faircross Parade
• Broad Street
• Dagenham East (South)
• Dagenham East (North)
• Rush Green
• Eastbury
• Robin Hood
• Marks Gate Shops
• Tolworth Parade
• Whalebone Lane South
• Matapan Shops
• Althorne Way
• Stansgate Road
• Princess Parade, New Road
• The Triangle
• Fanshawe Avenue
• Edgefield Court
• Gibbards Cottages
• Reede Road
• Westbury
• Gascoigne
• Eastbrook
• Movers Lane
• Five Elms
• Lodge Avenue
• Barking Riverside (Future)