Planning Success at Abbey Retail Park South, Barking

We are delighted to have supported be:here (part of Willmott Dixon Residential delivery Private Rented units) to planning success for the redevelopment of the Abbey Retail Park South in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. The site is situated within the Barking Town Centre Area Action Plan. The development comprises 597 new residential dwellings (studios, one beds and two beds) and ancillary spaces including a residents lounge / exhibition space, a resident’s gym and other supporting commercial spaces.

Working closely with be:here and Broadway Malyan Architects, we were able to provide integrated energy and environmental planning consultancy through the production of the following reports:

• Energy Statement: A carefully prepared energy strategy proposed advanced energy efficiency measures to exceed Part L 2013 standards. A site-wide heat network with CHP sized to meet at least 70% of the site-wide heat demand and 84kWp solar PV was subsequently able to meet the shortfall to a 35% CO₂ emissions reduction over Part L 2013. The possibility for connecting to an existing or proposed DHN were explored, which included discussions with the Barking & Dagenham Energy Officer.
• Sustainability Statement: Despite the withdrawal of the Code for Sustainable Homes, a robust sustainability strategy was proposed, covering water efficiency, recycling, sustainable transport, Lifetime Homes, pollution, security, ecology and consideration of responsibly sourced materials.
• Overheating Assessment: The risk of overheating to homes was minimised through appropriate design of balcony shading, solar control glazing, thermal mass, blinds, mechanical and natural ventilation.
• Sunlight and Daylight Report: Our analysis was able to demonstrate that new dwellings within the proposed development will receive good levels of daylight, as defined by BRE guidance and relevant British Standards. It showed that the proposed development will have no adverse impact on the sunlight received by neighbouring residential dwellings.