Plans for 300 homes were given the green light to be built in the latest stage of the Gascoigne Estate redevelopment.

A Barking and Dagenham Council planning meeting unanimously approved the plans on April 25.

The scheme is the part of the third phase of the council’s ambitious plan to build more than 1,500 homes to improve and replace Barking’s Gascoigne Estate.

The new section of the massive estate will see new public squares and parks built, as well as footpaths and cycleways for residents.

There will also be 334 homes built, many of which will be affordably priced for east London residents.

Barking and Dagenham Council said that 53 per cent of the flats – 166 in total – will be affordable, helping to provide more housing for locals. The plans will replace the 211 old flats currently on the site, which are set to be demolished.

Most of the flats available for “affordable” rent prices will be three and four-bedroom homes, which the council said would cater to the many families living in Barking and Dagenham in need of new homes. Council officials also said that at least 25 per cent of the workers needed to build the flats would be locals from the borough.

The new flats will be spread across three blocks, each with its own central garden surrounded by town houses and flat towers between two and seven storeys tall.

The council said the newly-approved plans for the Gascoigne Estate would be a boost for the area. Council officers said the focus of the scheme: “Speaks to the policies which highlight a need for more affordable homes and family homes within the borough.

“Noting the scheme will contribute to providing high quality modern homes, which are family sized and affordable, as well as contribute to providing wider landscaping improvements.”

By 2024, the council aims to complete more than 1,500 homes on the estate, with residents benefitting from facilities including a medical centre, a community centre, schools for both primary and secondary aged children, retail space and play areas.