Mayor Sadiq Khan approves to build at least 10,000 homes in Barking.
Developers will now submit detailed planning applications to Barking and Dagenham council for different areas of the site, to be built in phases.
Mr Khan has set a target of 50 per cent of the homes being affordable, including properties to rent and those for first-time buyers.
Boris Johnson agreed to 28 per cent affordable homes on the site, which is owned by the Greater London Authority and housing association L&Q.
His Labour successor has allocated an extra £75 million to bring this up to at least 35 per cent — with an extra £50 million in the pipeline to take it higher.
The 180-hectare brownfield site on the northern bank of the Thames will include a new railway station and transport interchange.
Under the earlier masterplan, 734 homes have already been built, with another 414 under construction. Work on the new homes will begin next year.
Mr Khan said: “Barking Riverside has enormous potential to deliver thousands of the much-needed homes Londoners so urgently need. I’ve made it clear that tackling London’s housing crisis is my number-one priority. Fixing this problem will be a marathon, not a sprint, but developments like this one will play a huge part in our efforts to provide genuinely affordable homes.
“Our next task is to ensure this development includes the facilities and infrastructure which will make this a fantastic place to live and to visit, rather than simply a housing development.”
Barking council leader Darren Rodwell said it will “make an enormous contribution to solving part of the capital’s housing crisis”. Last month, he said: “Barcelona and other cities around the world have developed under-used wharves and harbours into vibrant waterfront attractions. I see no reason why Barking Riverside cannot draw on the best of these developments.”
David Montague, chief executive of L&Q, said potential for the site, previously home to three power stations and a large landfill site, was “enormous”.
0 comments: