Nick Williams

Construction of a ‘garden style’ industrial development got underway by the Thames this week. Once completed, ‘Industria’ will be the first multi-storey light industrial development to be built in the UK and it will also feature two ‘living walls’, helping create a more sustainable space for industry to grow and develop. Leader of Barking and […]

The latest milestone in the redevelopment of Barking’s Gascoigne neighbourhood was marked by a topping out ceremony last week. The £56 million development alongside Ripple Road will provide 159 top quality affordable homes for local people, with rents as low as £159 a week for a one-bedroom flat at today’s prices. Councillor Saima Ashraf, Deputy

Barking’s stunning new heritage mural – on the wall of McDonalds on Short Blue Place – was brought to life in a magical light show on the evening of Wednesday 24 November. Bertie Sampson, Creative Technologist at Immersive-me, animated the mural using lights, giving the appearance that the elements of Jake Attewell’s work are moving.

Residents have got ten days to take one last look at its final draft of the Local Plan this autumn, as public consultation on 28 November. The Local Plan is a vitally important planning tool that sets out where and what kind of development will be encouraged in Barking and Dagenham between now and 2037.

Local school pupils’ artwork, celebrating the past, present and future of the Gascoigne neighbourhood in Barking, is being displayed on hoardings surrounding redevelopment sites. The art by students from Gascoigne Primary School was created as part of the ‘Gascoigne Your Place’ competition run by Be First during the first lockdown in 2020. This week local

Artwork with a powerful message adorns hoardings surrounding an affordable development in Becontree thanks to local young people. The message – “Bricks make houses – People make homes” – is emblazoned across a stretch of hoardings at the new Woodward Road development, which will deliver 56 quality, new homes. The artwork was designed and made

Householder planning applications are going digital as part of a drive by Be First to make the planning process more accessible and transparent. Thanks to a successful bid to the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities PropTech Engagement Fund, over £100,000 will be ploughed into digital tools to improve public engagement in the planning

A stunning piece of street art celebrating Barking’s rich heritage has been completed, bolstering the area’s reputation as London’s latest creative hotspot. This mural design, chosen by residents, incorporates East Street, Bascule Bridge, Curfew Tower, Wellington Windmill and the River Roding, all key parts of Barking’s history. Jake Attewell, the artist behind the mural, said,

A Guinness World Record holder was given a heartfelt east end welcome from the Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council and local cyclists as he visited the east London borough today (18 October) on the last leg of his attempt to break another record and highlight the scourge of modern-day slavery. Gordon Miller’s Guinness World

The Council is calling on local residents to take one last look at its final draft of the Local Plan this autumn. The Local Plan is a vitally important planning tool that sets out where and what kind of development will be encouraged in Barking and Dagenham between now and 2037. Consultation started at the