A total of 227 houses will be developed during this stage of the project, which is one of the largest brownfield site developments in Europe.
The Barking Riverside joint venture (JV), being delivered between the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and housing association L&Q, will create a brand new neighbourhood along 2km of Thames river frontage.
Covering 443 acres, the development will deliver a total of 10,800 new homes, with nearly 4,000 being made 'affordable' either through shared ownership or social rent.
Other features include new healthcare facilities, open space, public squares, parkland, and up to 65,000sq.m. commercial floor space including restaurant, shopping, community and leisure facilities.
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In September, the UK's largest free school campus - Riverside Campus – opened at the site, providing spaces for 2,600 children across three independent free schools. This was preceded by the announcement in August that the green light had been given for the new Barking Riverside London station – part of a £263million extension to the existing Gospel Oak to Barking Overground line.
Speaking after the ground-breaking ceremony today, 11 October, James Murray, Deputy Mayor of Housing and Residential Development, said: "Work on the Barking Riverside development is well underway, and I'm pleased to see the next phase moving ahead with hundreds of much-needed affordable homes. With London in the midst of a housing crisis, it is vital we make the most of opportunities like this, by building thousands of new and genuinely affordable homes for Londoners alongside investment in new transport infrastructure."
David Montague, Chief Executive of L&Q, added: "We're delighted to be working with the Mayor of London to deliver this highly ambitious regeneration scheme at Barking Riverside. Today marks the latest step in our journey towards creating a brand new neighbourhood in the borough which, as well as nearly 11,000 much-needed new homes, will also include extensive new transport links, schools, commercial space, and open public spaces.
"L&Q is committed to tackling the housing crisis and we have a plan to deliver 100,000 quality new homes over the next ten years as well as working with communities to ensure the necessary infrastructure needed to support new development is also provided."
(LM/MH)
