New homes at Woodward Road

The Woodward Road project will deliver 56 new affordable flats and houses, as well as refurbing the former Barking Public Library in to community use space. Our contractor Mullaley & Co are currently on site and have completed installing the piled foundation, they will now prepare the ground to install the concrete slab base upon which the building will be constructed. Be First are targeting the completion of the new homes for the end of 2022.

Planning permission for the Woodward Road scheme was granted in July 2020. Be First has now procured the main contractor to deliver the scheme, Mullaley Construction Ltd.

In August 2020, the final phase of demolition was carried out by Mullaley Construction and the site is now clear, ready for main works to being. We anticipate the main construction works will begin in September 2020, and Mullaley Construction will be issuing regular updates and notices to keep local residents up to date on progress and forthcoming works. The scheme is scheduled for completion at the end of summer 2022. Further to the main works on the site, the refurbishment works to the former Barking Public Library will also take place concurrently.

As a reminder of the plans approved by the Council, Be First aim to deliver 56 affordable homes, including 13 family houses, as well as the refurbished former library building for community use.

The proposals to build 56 affordable new homes at Woodward Road have been agreed by Barking and Dagenham’s planning committee.

The plans to build the homes in Dagenham, include redeveloping a locally listed former library, which is currently being used as a furniture workshop.

Councillor Cameron Geddes, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing, said: “This decision gives the go-ahead for 56 much needed affordable homes for local people in the heart of Becontree and brings a glorious old library back into community use.”

The 56 new homes include 32 one-bedroom, 10 two-bedroom, 1 three-bedroom apartments and 13 three-bedroom houses, with rents starting at £168 per week.

The plans also feature car parking and 108 cycle spaces.

A range of different options are possible for the library and talks are underway with a number of organisations about the potential to put it to community use. Further details will be available in Summer 2020.

Thank you to those who contributed to the development of our proposals by attending our public consultation event and completing feedback forms. We have taken on board your comments and have now submitted our planning application to the local planning authority!

You can view our plans and make comments on Barking and Dagenham's website here. Search for the application using reference number 20/00097/FUL.

We hope that the application will be considered by the committee on 28 April, but this may change depending on the Coronavirus restrictions.

Demolition work is now underway on the Woodward Road site, carried out by our demolition contractor, Randall Contracting Ltd. We expect Woodward Hall and Greig Hall to be fully demolished by 20 December 2019.

Over the Christmas period the site will have an actively monitored security system linked to the police and will have a fully secured boundary.

• The site will be closed from 20 December
• It will reopen on 6 January 2020

We are preparing a planning application for the site on behalf of the council which we expect to submit in January 2020.

The council's planning team will then carry out further public consultation before presenting the application to the Planning Committee in April 2020. If planning permission is granted, the works could start in Spring 2020 and the new homes could be let by Spring 2022.

Thank you to everyone who has responded to our survey. The survey has now closed.

We will be reviewing all the responses we received and using them to inform our design development moving forward.

We will be publishing further updates on this website in due course.

Thank you to everyone who attended our drop-in consultation held at Woodward Hall on 24 September.

We will be considering all the feedback before we formally submit a planning application in December 2019.

There's still time to find out more and submit your feedback. A copy of the information we presented at the drop-in event is available in the 'Useful information' tab of this website and the survey is available in the 'What do you think: Take our survey' tab.

Local residents are invited to a special drop-in session at Woodward Hall, between 3pm-7.30pm on Tuesday 24 September to view the proposals for more than 50 new homes on Woodward Road, near Becontree station.

Architects and project staff from Be First, the Council’s regeneration company, will be attending to gather residents views on their plans for 56 affordable homes, which could be built on the site of the vacant Woodward Hall and Greig Hall church, behind the library and the Julia Engwell health centre.

In addition, the plans also aim to:

• renovate the former library building to provide new flexible space for community services; and,
• carry out landscaping and improvements to the external spaces around the site.

Matthew Westwood, Senior Development Manager for Be First, explains: “We are very keen to hear residents’ views on the proposals, before we submit a planning application.”

“If the plan is approved, construction work could start in Spring 2020.

“The aim would be to complete the new homes by Spring 2022."