What you need to know about Barking & Dagenham
With most of the houses built during the interwar period of 1921-1939 by the London County Council, Barking & Dagenham intends to drive its future with a major regeneration plan. The largest development is at Barking Riverside where it will build more than ten thousand new houses and a 65,000sq ft area that will bring many restaurants, bars, shops, new schools and open space. The area located between the A13 and the Thames, which once was a power station. There will also be a new overground station in the Gospel Oak to Barking line, adding 4.5km to get to Barking Riverside.
Becontree, Dagenham, Chadwell Heath and Barking are the main districts of the borough, which borders Newham to the west, Redbridge to the north, Havering to the east and Bexley and Greenwich to the south of the Thames. Although most of the houses were built in the thirties, you can find plenty of Victorian and Edwardian houses, as well modern homes from the fifties onwards. Barking and Dagenham is a traditional London working-class borough and it is an excellent choice for those looking for affordable homes with potential to extend.
If you are looking for green parks and open spaces in this part of the city, you may enjoy spending some time in Barking Park, Castle Green or Central Park. Greatfields Park is another popular space in the region, offering a wide range of facilities, including football and other games. With shops and transport links nearby, the park has held the Green Flag award for several years. The borough has good air quality, and if you enjoy cycling, you may be interested to know there is a new 8km cycling route planned to connect Ilford to Barking Riverside. The region is not inside the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ).
London Underground and National Rail networks both operate in this region, and the Elizabeth Line will be soon connected to Chadwell Heath railway station. There are approximately 89 primary schools and 28 secondary schools in the borough, of which 16 are considered Outstanding by Ofsted. Barking Hospital and King George Hospital are some of the main hospitals in the region. The crime rate in Barking and Dagenham is somewhat higher than the average in London.
Dagenham, Barking and Chadwell Heath are some places in which people search for houses for sale in Barking & Dagenham, while Dagenham, Barking and Becontree are the most common locations in which tenants look to rent. According to Housing in London 2019, there are 211,998 people living in this borough, with 2.83 people per dwelling. The housing stock in the area has grown 6.2% from 2008 to 2018, with 22,910 affordable homes, and houses are 68% of total stock. The average private rent is £1,200 and the average house price is £295,765, according to the same report.
The borough has 21.77% of owned outright properties, 28.57% owned with a mortgage or loan, 20.46% private rent and 29.2% social housing, according to the Office of National Statistics. If you would like to rent a house in Barking and Dagenham, it is estimated that you will need a total annual income of £36,000, according to the rent affordability formula.