The Beam Valley neighbourhood within Dagenham has been notoriously run down and overlooked for years. However, this is all beginning to change. The quiet streets packed with modest post-war terraced houses will soon be joined by a new rail station, and thousands of new flats built by the council. While new schools will be arriving in the area, there are already some old but fantastic options - like the William Ford School. What’s more - already having seen the revitalisation of a good portion of the neighbourhood through the now beloved Beam Valley Country Park - residents are spoiled by the plethora of local green space. Aside from this new park, there’s also the popular Old Dagenham Park which even has tennis courts. While the area might not boast a flourishing food scene, there are still plenty of residents who love grabbing a bite at Mazee’s Kitchen or Orange. For families looking for affordable options in a community-oriented area of East London, Beam Valley is worth a look.

This neighbourhood is anchored around the beautiful Beam Parklands. Before this park was constructed, it was a site that was not only in the floodplain of the River Beam but also at the border with the famous Ford factory. Throughout a good portion of the 20th century, this site surrounded a smallpox isolation hospital. Because of this, the land, and diverse habitats that exist there, were left untouched. It wasn’t until 2011 that the Land Trust took the site over and opened it up as a park. Since then, the park has also successfully protected many of the homes, schools and businesses in the area from flooding.

Local pub, The Cross Keys, is actually a grade II-listed building. Dating back to the 18th century, this pub is one of the few buildings in the area that wasn’t replaced with housing in the 20th century.

While the neighbouring areas of Dagenham offer convenient tube stations, this part unfortunately does not have the best transport connections. To head into central London, residents have to get to the nearby District line stations or hop on a local bus. Still, locals don’t find this to be an inconvenience, and don’t mind the short walk or drive to the stations.

In 2018, the mayor approved a proposal to build a 3,000-home development by Beam Park. The development will involve constructing several towers, some going up as high as 16 storeys. It was estimated that this project could take up to 12 years. Since 2019, construction has been underway with the delivery of over 1,000 new homes, a medical center, a nursery, multifaith centre and a primary school within phases 1 and 2 of Beam Park. These first stages also include a proposal for a new rail station. Beam Park welcomed its first residents in 2020 and the new 2.5 hectare central park is due to complete in Summer 2024. The designs of phases 3-8 are currently being revised but are still expected to deliver over 2,000 homes. These proposals will maintain 50% affordable housing across the development and provide 25% family sized homes (3 bed and 4 bed homes) for Barking and Dagenham.