A new, mixed-use employment and residential building, delivered by Be First, the regeneration arm of Barking and Dagenham Council, reached the top floor of its construction, on Thames Road in Barking this week.
To mark the occasion a topping out event was held up on the roof with Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, was joined by Tim Porter, Director of Delivery at Be First and Darren Gill, McLaren Construction’s managing director for London, the contractors on this project.
12 Thames Road is a £58m development of 156 affordable built-to-rent homes across four multi-level residential blocks ranging from seven to 16 storeys. There is also 5,000 sq. metres of light industrial units for new and expanding businesses with an additional commercial unit which will house the Brothers Café which was previously on that site.
Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council said: “The building process has involved local businesses from start to finish, with locally made concrete being used to build the development, it keeps wealth in the local economy by employing local companies to create homes and new businesses.”
Tim Porter, Director of Delivery at Be First said: “We’re passionate about delivering regeneration for Barking and Dagenham and making sure that the borough is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Thames Road is a great example of partnership showing Be First, the Council and the local community, coming together and making a difference.”
Darren Gill, Mclaren Constructions managing director for London said: “Now the structure is in place we can see how significant a landmark this is. It’s one of Barking’s new gateway buildings, marking where a mixed neighbourhood of industrial and residential meets Barking Riverside. We would like to pay credit to the work of local contractors like Corbyn Construction and many skilled tradespeople from the local area who can all feel very proud of what is taking shape on the Barking skyline.”
The development also includes a series of landscaped podiums and terraces accessed from the individual residential cores. These aim to be multi-functional landscapes which include play areas for a range of ages, informal recreation spaces, and opportunity for biodiversity and growing areas for residents. The scheme will deliver BREEAM ‘Very good’ certification and is due for completion in early 2024.
The development at 12 Thames Road will include 156 homes consisting of one, two and three bedroom units. All units are priced affordably, with 50% at Affordable Rent and 50% at London Affordable Rent.
