News from Barking & Dagenham – February 2024
28 parks and green spaces
Our twin city is one of the greenest boroughs in London: 28 parks and green spaces with a total area of 463 hectares are available. That’s as much as 1000 soccer pitches. Now the city is asking all citizens which parks they use and how they like them. And above all, it is asking for suggestions on what can be improved, what should be done for safety and whether accessibility can be improved. The survey will run until March 31, when it will be the turn of the administration and planners to put the suggestions into action.
What to do with the YMCA house?
In the early days of the town twinning, there were only a few places to stay in East London, and the YMCA with its house in Romford was the solution, especially for youth and sports groups. The building has been standing since 1969, so it is getting on in years. The building should continue to have a function for the public, but can no longer be run according to the old concept. New offers for young people in Havering and Barking and Dagenham are to be developed.
Public anger in Chadwell Heath
When we hear of “additions” to the development, we think of a few houses, maybe a dozen. On the Little Heath road in Redbridge near the Dagenham town boundary, 150 homes are to be built initially, but 1300 in total in the long term. Neighbors on both sides of the city boundary are protesting against the project. From the loss of natural areas to pollutants in the soil, everything that can still stop the project is being put in place. The construction company, on the other hand, argues that it is doing good for the neighborhood with playgrounds and newly planted trees.
