Plans to construct a 65-home development in Barking have been given the green light, representing the latest stage of the town centre’s regeneration.
Reaching to a maximum height of eight storeys, the East Street scheme will be built just across the road from the town hall, sitting on the site of the former Capitol Cinema and Marks and Spencer buildings.
Estimated to cost a total of £16 million, the plans are also set to include over 1,600sqm for shops and officers.
The approval comes at the second time of asking by applicant RUFF Architects.
Rejected in 2020 for reasons including blocking sunlight and poor design, the revised plans have included amendments such as reducing the number of homes from 79 to 65, and a review of the development's aesthetic.
Paul Ruff, practice director at RUFF Architects, told Architects’ Journal: “With careful redesign of the proposal to respond to the council’s latest thoughts on massing, we are able to still deliver much-needed family accommodation and new homes in this constrained urban site while ensuring town-centre commercial can prosper and support the wider cultural initiatives the council is implementing.”
A construction timetable has not yet been announced.
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