The masterplan sets out distinctive districts and major routes: a Marina district and waterfront square will provide an area of high density and focus in the area around the London Overground Station, a second area of higher density will be created inland in a tightly knit area with the character of an historic walled town and will be enclosed by a ring of taller buildings which give onto a suburb of low rise housing.
Landscape plays a major role in the designs, with major routes kept away from the river in order to preserve the wild character of the water’s edge. Pedestrians and cyclists have been given traffic-free paths throughout the masterplan and the walled town district features a central boulevard and busway modelled on Helsinki’s Esplanade – one of Europe’s most admired urban spaces.
Barking Riverside is a key site in the GLA’s London Riverside Opportunity Area. The masterplan was approved by the Mayor of London in 2017 with a target of 50% affordable housing, and the London Overground extension into the heart of the site opened in 2022. The first neighbourhoods are now complete and occupied, including the award-winning Parklands scheme, and the masterplan was shortlisted in the Masterplan category at the Architects’ Journal Awards 2022.
