Countryside Partnerships and L&Q have secured planning approval for nearly 4,000 homes at the £1bn Beam Park regeneration scheme in Rainham, Essex.
The revised plans for the site include an additional 947 homes, which when added to the two phases already completed, will see 3,947 homes created in total – 50% affordable.
In addition to extensive community facilities, including a new nursery, medical centre, retail spaces and primary school, the new plans for the site include a 2.5-hectare public park.
Stephen Teagle, CEO of Countryside Partnership, which is part of Vistry Group, said: “Together with our partners L&Q we are delighted to have received approval for our revised plans for the final phases of Beam Park, which will build on the incredible transformation that has taken place so far on the first two phases of development.
“Our revised plans for Beam Park will optimise the site’s capacity for housing delivery, and with 50% of all homes being affordable, will make a significant contribution to meeting local housing needs and towards Barking & Dagenham’s housing targets. We are committed to playing our part in improving housing affordability in the area.
“Importantly the planning consent means that we can bring forward the early delivery of 500 quality new homes at Beam Park, with a variety of designs and we will also be providing community facilities for the use of local people as part of our commitment to placemaking.”
Darren Parker, director of development and regeneration at L&Q, added: “We are delighted to have been given the green light for this crucial stage of development at Beam Park. At L&Q, our mission is to create homes and neighbourhoods everyone can be proud of and this is exactly what we’ve been able to deliver at Beam Park together with our partners at Countryside.
“As well as this important planning milestone, our placemaking efforts have led to recent opening of a new Sainsbury’s store in the new neighbourhood, a multi-use games area and the completion of a new medical centre – which will open soon.”
Caroline Harper, deputy managing director at Be First, said: “Be First’s statutory planning service is pleased to have worked with Countryside in securing planning permission for 3,119 new homes as part of this new development. This includes an uplift of 947 homes. Half of these will be affordable homes and many large enough to be family homes, which we know are needed in the borough. The site will also include a large amount of green space, improved bus routes and a new school. It’s homes supported by infrastructure and therefore good place-making. We’re proud to have helped make this happen, and it underlines our commitment to making Barking & Dagenham a great place in which to live and work.”
Andrew Taylor, from the scheme’s architect Patel Taylor, added: “Beam Park sits at the centre of a regeneration framework, it’s at the heart of a vast area undergoing significant change. Unlike most opportunity areas there was little context and the masterplan therefore needed to reconnect to create new settings and character areas where none existed. A successful masterplan needs to consider how the place may transform and evolve; it is based on principles of design starting with people, public realm, and finally buildings.”
