Barking and Dagenham Overview

Route through the Borough of Barking and Dagenham

My initial impressions of the borough are that significant amounts of land in the borough are becoming areas of development, with various Strategic Industrial Land (SIL) being and Opportunity Area Planning Frameworks (OAPF) used for the financial sector developments and business park. This imbalance in the borough has shown a divide where the existing infrastructure and aesthetics in the borough seems bleak in comparison. These developments neither aid nor enhance the existing infrastructure.

The route that I took with various students such as Anjali and Jess focused on the strip of industrial warehouses along Creekmouth and following onto the Barking Riverside Development. Initially starting from Barking station, through the market and then walking alongside the A13 and cutting to Creekmouth and then ending at Barking riverside. I wanted to understand how pedestrian circulation and transport routes enables the public to walk to the development. In my investigation, the route took us 30 minutes to walk to the Riverside development, and majority of industrial estates are private and physical infrastructure, such as; pavements are poorly managed, with numerous obstruction through flooding, smells and large freighters entering and existing those estates.

Furthermore, I wanted to see how different Barking is to Dagenham, thereby following a trip with Anjali and Sorough to Eastbrook Country Park. From my investigation Barking and Dagenham are completely different identities, as Essex almost feels like a colonial superpower engaging the boundaries between the once upon a time two boroughs. Furthermore, the open green spaces and public lands are used for public engagement opportunities, whereas Barking is densely populated with blocks of flats and industrial lands.

This booklet visualises the significant forms of divide either through infrastructure or developments.