WEA Planning are Barking and Dagenham planning consultants offering advice on all levels of planning application from small-scale house conversions up to large commercial projects.
We can help you gain the planning permission you need, regardless of the type of proposal:
Confirmation that a development can be built using permitted development rights.
Prior notification - an express application scheme for smaller projects.
Development in Barking and Dagenham conservation areas or where you need listed building consent.
Change of use in Barking and Dagenham- for applications where no structural changes take place, but the building is used for a different purpose.
Residential extensions, basements or loft conversions in Barking and Dagenham.
Commercial developments, including new build and change of use.
Our experience working on planning projects in across London covers all the different stages of the planning process.
We can help you with:
Initial consultations and pre-application submissions.
Making a full planning application to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
Applications to remove or vary a planning condition.
Negotiating Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions.
Obtaining Certificates of lawful use.
Planning appeals and public inquiries.
Making representations at Barking and Dagenham planning committee meetings. Most applications will not need to go this go through this process, but even a smaller planning application can be called before the committee if there are a sufficient number of unsatisfied objections.
With experience across many different sectors, WEA Planning can help with your scheme, whatever the nature and type of building proposal it is. We have worked on all of the following types of scheme across London:
Residential schemes, including securing planning permission for large garden outbuildings, extensions, home offices and conversions from offices to flats.
Commercial planning applications.
Educational buildings, health centres and similar such public sector planning applications.
Other usage types (sui generis). This planning application type covers any kind of building which does not already have its own usage class.
The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is estimated to have a population of 218,900, with around 95,862 of the residents living in the Becontree Estate.
The estate, covering a vast 4 square miles, it is the largest public estate in the world. The vast estate was established as a solution to rehouse residents who were displaced due to the slum clearance happening in London's East End. The estate fuelled the demand for employment opportunities, leading to the creation of industrial areas in the borough. The estate has undergone significant regeneration since it was first opened in 1935.
One of the most well known industries in the borough was the Ford motor plant. The 1968 labour strike at the plant was dramatised in the film and theatre production Made in Dagenham.
The arrival of the Elizabeth line has improved connectivity in the borough, the borough is also site of a key cycling route in the city, with plans for further expansion. However, there are still issues in the transport infrastructure with increasing demand from development in the area.
The borough faces significant opportunities for change and development as part of the The Thames Gateway. Europe’s largest regeneration project, stretching 40 miles along the Thames estuary from Canary Wharf in London to Essex and Kent. The project was first coined in 1997, and it is anticipated that by 2050 the area will create 1.3 million new jobs and at least 1 million new homes, alongside improvements for biodiversity and culture.
The borough also has significant planning challenges and constraints. The south of the borough has a high number of identified flood risk zones due to the proximity to the river Thames. The northern and eastern areas of the borough are impacted by green belt land, which protects open space and restricts development in these areas.
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WEA Planning have a successful track record of gaining planning approvals across London. We are Barking and Dagenham planning consultants who can make representations to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham planning team on your behalf.
The Local Plan informs the policies which guide development across the borough, this includes residential, commercial, parks and other public infrastructure. These policies are important to decide whether to approve planning applications.
The Local Plan 2020-2037 was recently adopted in September 2024.
Barking and Dagenham have a small number of conservation areas. These mostly comprise of historic town centres or sites of industry with particular connection to the borough's heritage and character.
These include:
Abbey and Barking Town Centre Conservation Area
Abbey Road Riverside Conservation Area
Chadwell Heath Anti-aircraft Gun Site Conservation Area
Dagenham Village Conservation Area
Heritage Assets
Details of the locally listed and statutory listed heritage assets in the borough can be found online.
There is one Scheduled Ancient Monument in the borough, which is the ruin and gardens of Barking Abbey.
Article 4 Directions
Article 4 Directions enable a local authority to remove certain permitted development rights. This means that for the specified development a planning application will need to be submitted.
The borough has an article 4 in place for changes in use from dwelling house to HMO across the whole of Barking and Dagenham. There is also an article 4 in place for additional storeys in most of the borough. There is more detail on the borough's website.
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Are you looking for Barking and Dagenham planning consultants who can advise you on all stages of the planning process? Contact us today to see how we can help!