In London, Maxwan has designed an Urban Design Framework for a new community of approximately 25000 people on one of the largest underdeveloped sites in Greater London: the Barking Riverside development in the Thames Gateway. Through a thorough selection process, Maxwan, in collaboration with landscape architects Karres and Brands were chosen to deliver a “high density, good-quality, innovative” scheme of at least 10000 houses on a 210 hectare former industrial site overlooking the river Thames. The clients English Partnerships and housing developers Bellway Homes have chosen Maxwan as high profile European urban designers with whom together they aim to bring the most important flagship project within the London Riverside Development to the forefront of the urban design agenda.
The magnificent Barking Riverside site lies at the heart of the Thames Gateway, close not only to Barking Town Centre but to the City of London, Canary Wharf and the Lower Lea Valley. It is designed to become far more than a large new housing development. Central to the plan are generous community facilities, tailored to all needs including those of families, young people and the elderly. Ranging from local shops to a wide variety of healthcare facilities and leisure spaces, as well as three brand new schools, their introduction will be phased so that, from the beginning, new residents will find the key amenities in place. The plan also promotes local employment and business opportunities. With its superb park and waterfront, full of light reflected from sky and water, it will be an inspired new place for 21st century London. A new development of this size needs clarity – a simple urban structure with lively focal points that is easy to find your way round. Equally, it needs residential neighbourhoods that are individual in character and set in tranquil surroundings, so people will feel at home.
From early on, people will be able to enjoy the riverfront, a feature that plays a central role in the Barking Riverside phasing and growth strategy. Activating such inspiring parts of the site before their final development will help enhance its image, benefiting both new residents and people in surrounding areas. The full Urban Design Framework describes in detail the geometry and content of the urban plan, and shows the way ahead for its successful implementation. It aims to demonstrate the exciting mix of high density and wide-open space that will make Barking Riverside a unique new living environment.
