News from Barking & Dagenham – January 2024
Nowhere so many children
Barking and Dagenham Borough Council has now announced the latest official population figures. According to the figures, the Borough now has almost 200,000 inhabitants, namely 219,992. And: nowhere in England and Wales is there a place with such a large proportion of young people, 57,144 are under 16. The proportion of the “non-white British” population, 69.1%, is not a record for London, however, only 10th place. But the average price of buying a house is the lowest in London at £380,000.
Garden for everyone
The public garden was designed jointly by pupils, parents, teachers and municipal planners. Much of it is already functional, from the vegetable and flower beds to the paved paths. 22 trees have been planted and there are tables and benches for events. In the next few weeks, plans will be developed to collect rainwater, toilets will be built and a baby changing room, and later a pavilion as a general meeting place.
Studying for better architecture
For urban regeneration, Barking and Dagenham has the company “Be First”, which has a whole series of major projects to tackle. The aim is to bring more variety to the new development areas. One approach is to train experts from among the residents.
This is the background to the call for applications for a scholarship. Anisha Shibly’s architecture studies at Saint Martin’s University of the Arts will be supported with £15,000. Apparently, architecture and planning companies don’t mind looking for young talent from groups that have nothing to do with their profession so far. This is because some of the money comes from companies that work with Be First.
