Enhancements to riverfront access, ecology and green spaces now confirmed – by Sarah Coutts, Head of Planning at BRL
On 8 July 2025, Barking Riverside Limited (BRL) received planning consent for a series of proposals regarding the foreshore at Barking Riverside.
The proposals – which seek to increase green space, public seating and play opportunities at the riverfront, whilst also and enhancing access to the Thames – were unanimously approved by the Council’s Planning Committee.
As well as considering how the foreshore is experienced by residents and visitors, importantly, the proposals also enhance the habitats already found on the foreshore. The placement of the pathway will deepen the coastal grassland on the foreshore – not just protecting the existing habitat but enhancing it to create improved conditions for nesting birds and other wildlife. At certain points, the pathway will also take a meandering route, offering an immersive grassland experience. The placement of the routes responds to ecology considerations, ensuring the buffer between pedestrians and the wildlife is increased in the most appropriate areas.
The proposals are also required to enhance flood defences and drainage on the foreshore, which have been sensitively incorporated into the landscape. BRL has engaged extensively with the Environment Agency, the Port of London Authority and the Government’s Marine Management Organisation on this issue. This ensures the development complies with key legislation such as the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan and the Environment Agency’s Flood Defence Strategy.
The planning consent follows three separate rounds of resident engagement, which BRL led in October and December 2024, as well as June 2025. At these sessions, residents were asked whether the proposals adequately:
- Conserved the ecology;
- Celebrated the River Thames; and
- Created new spaces for people.
The majority of the responses were positive, with residents indicating that ecology conservation was particularly well addressed in the design work.
With the planning consent now confirmed, BRL is planning for the works to begin in Autumn 2025. To accommodate the first phase of works, access to Footpath 47 will need to temporarily change – but is not at risk in the long-term. BRL is purposely completing the works in zones, ensuring large areas of the foreshore will remain available whilst each phase is completed. BRL will also apply for a formal diversion during the works that will be fully DDA-compliant, ensuring access for those with mobility issues.
Further, BRL has publicly committed to delivering an additional and more direct diversion around the contractor’s compound, providing the most convenient route back onto the foreshore. All these works will commence under ecological supervision, ensuring that local wildlife is managed and supported during the construction phase.
BRL is committed to keeping residents up to date over the coming months – if you’d like to find out more information, please visit: www.barkingriverside-planning.london/foreshore/
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