Policy information sourced from the Barking & Dagenham Local Plan

SP5 Promoting inclusive economic growth

1.

The Council will focus on growing a thriving and productive enterprise and small business economy, alongside new business investment, and ensuring the delivery of around 20,000 new jobs and a wider employment base.

2.

The Council will protect office floor space in accordance with London Plan 2021 Policy E1: Offices.

3.

The Council will meet its identified additional demand of circa 203,000sqm. of industrial floor space over the Plan period (as identified in the Industrial Land Strategy) and protect, strengthen and intensify land within the designated Strategic Industrial Location (SIL) and Locally Significant Industrial Sites (LSIS) boundaries through:

  • retention of suitable locations (see illustrative Figure 17 within the policy justification text) to accommodate future growth including supply of suitable industrial capacity to meet identified need
  • promoting efficient use of industrial land to support economic growth sectors through managed renewal and intensification of industrial sites, alongside plan-led managed release and reprovision, and within LSIS co-location of existing industrial land with other sympathetic and appropriate uses
  • promoting efficient use of industrial land to support strategic sectors, including: Transport & Logistics, Advanced Manufacturing, Green Technology and Digital Cultural Creative Industries etc.

4.

Over the Plan period, the Council is de-designating 14ha of land on Thames Road from SIL to LSIS to allow colocation to come forward and releasing 7.6ha of SIL on Thames Road for residential use. The resultant loss of SIL industrial floor space will be re-provided nearby in the borough. The new designations are reflected on the Policies Map.

5.

All safeguarded wharves and maritime infrastructure will be protected and retained in line with Ministerial Safeguarding Directions, supported by Mayoral policy and the Marine Management Organisation. The locations are set out on the Policies Map and shown for illustrative purposes in Figure 16. Opportunities for intensification of wharf use, or rationalisation of wharves and infrastructure, will require consultation with the Mayor (in line with the Safeguarding Directions), with the Port of London Authority and the Marine Management Organisation at an early stage. Proposals that come forward on sites adjacent to wharves must recognise the importance of the agent of change policy in accordance with London Plan 2021 Policy D13 so that future development is designed to ensure that there are no conflicts of use and freight capacity is not reduced. Existing rail freight sites including those at Ripple Lane Stora, Ripple Lane West, Renwick Road Rail Terminal and Eurohub, Box Lane will be safeguarded for rail related uses in line with National and Mayoral policy. These locations are shown on the Policies Map. Opportunities for intensification of rail uses, or rationalisation of rail sites and infrastructure, will require discussions with Network Rail and the rail freight operator DB Cargo at an early stage. Proposals that come forwardon sites adjacent to rail freight sites must accord with the agent of change principle in line with London Plan 2021 Policy D13 so that future development is designed to ensure that there are no conflicts of use and freight capacity is not reduced.

6.

The Council will support a new town centre hierarchy for the borough. There is an expectation that office development should generally be directed towards Barking town centre (as shown on the Policies Map), before office provision in District Centres, and following that, neighbourhood centres (both shown on the Policies Map) are considered. Developer s will be expected to demonstrate need for major office proposals outside of these areas. Barking Town Centre and the borough’s District Centres are set out on the Policies Map.

7.

The Council will encourage the provision of affordable workspace within developments for new employment in accordance with Policy DME 2: providing flexible, affordable workspace, alongside London Plan 2021 Policy E3: affordable workspace.

8.

The Council will support businesses who seek to evolve, diversify, and contribute to a more thriving and more inclusive local economy through:

  • supporting a range of appropriate town centre uses, not limited to traditional retail, which could include residential uses above existing commercial, social infrastructure and transport infrastructure uses, temporary or ‘meanwhile’ uses (In London, meanwhile use sector ranges from property guardianship, housing (e.g. manufactured homes) small community gardens to large workspaces (Centre for London, 2018)) of vacant properties, affordable workspace and educational facilities
  • supporting new development and redevelopment that stimulates the evening economy, contributing to the vitality of district centres and supporting a balanced and socially inclusive evening and night-time economy
  • supporting the provision of flexible, affordable, modern employment spaces in suitable locations; ensuring the design of employment space is flexible and adaptable to the changing needs of different types of potential user
  • avoiding vacant or under-utilised buildings and spaces by encouraging better utilisation of industrial sites, and where appropriate and in line with London Plan 2021 Policy E7 suppor ting the re-use of surplus industrial land and floorspace for other uses
  • providing new high-quality employment and training opportunities for local people, and procurement opportunities for local businesses, focusing on investment in physical improvement, but also in the long-term social infrastructure and education required for producing talented, entrepreneurial individuals locally

For more information please see the Barking & Dagenham Local Plan