The £26.7m project will deliver 87 new affordable homes, better links Newlands Park and enhanced external areas.
Be First, Barking and Dagenham Council’s regeneration and development arm, celebrated the ‘topping out’ of the new, affordable residential development in Barking.
Roxwell Road will welcome 87 new homes, which includes 80 apartments across three blocks and seven townhouses. Nine homes across the development can be adapted to cater for residents with limited mobility. The works involved the demolition of the existing buildings and a complete redesign and build to deliver new quality homes for local people.
Be First involved existing residents from the offset – undergoing an in-depth consultation to design quality homes people want and need. Residents were guaranteed a right to return and supported in their move to alternative housing. Each resident was granted a different home at the end of 2021 and Be First has covered all the costs involved in their relocation.
To support the borough’s drive to a sustainable future, all of the properties will include solar PV panels, air source heat pumps (ASHP) and mechanical ventilation heat recovery units (MVHR) that will contribute towards net 0% homes. They will also include a sustainable urban drainage system and rainwater harvesting to limit water waste and encourage natural drainage. The eco-friendly measures are expected to reduce costs for residents too.
Tim Porter, Director of Delivery at Be First said:
“We want to ensure everyone in Barking and Dagenham has access to a quality home, that includes the people who already living in the borough. The works we’re doing at Roxwell Road will improve the quality of life for many families, and will ensure their property is fit for the future. We’ve taken the residents on a journey with us, so we can be certain the homes offer the want and needs of those living in them.”
“All of us at Be First are looking forward to continuing our work in Barking and Dagenham as we strive to make it a great place to live and work.”
Cllr Darren Rodwell, Leader of Barking and Dagenham Council, said:
“I am extremely proud of Barking and Dagenham, and the journey we continue to go on together as a borough. Roxwell Road aligns with our vision – to provide quality new homes to people living locally – and ultimately a great quality of life in a vibrant area.
“In the last five years, we’ve attracted more than £4bn worth of investment to Barking and Dagenham – which is testament to the borough’s promise and potential. We’re delighted to be topping out at Roxwell Road, and I look forward to hearing more from the community as we continue to move our plans forward.”
Jonathan Jerram, Managing Director of Jerram Falkus Construction said:
“Jerram Falkus believes that local people have a right to environmentally sustainable homes and we are immensely proud to be delivering the scheme at Roxwell Road. We built quality housing in this area in the 1960s and these homes are still lived in and much loved by their residents.
“Our engagement and knowledgement within the Thames Ward is exemplary through supporting residents as well as ongoing and meaningful engagement with schools and community groups. We have employed marginalised individuals from the borough and continue to support local young people into the industry, giving them the opportunity to experience work on a ‘live’ building site.”
Jerram Falkus are the Main Contractor appointed to deliver the project. Works commenced on site in August 2022 and are expected to complete in May 2025.
