Weston Homes is delighted to launch the first phase of commercial space at Abbey Quay, a new £350 million (GDV) 6-acre riverside urban village in Barking which is undergoing significant and rapid regeneration. This first phase includes a 2,559 sq ft (238 sq m) ground floor unit which seeks an exciting commercial operator, either independent or established, to form part of a brand-new riverside community in this thriving East London borough. Six additional units will be released across three future phases.
The Class E unit is situated on the corner of London Road and Abbey Road, accessed just two minutes’ drive from the North Circular Road. The unit is ready for occupancy, is currently a blank canvas and is open to a wide range of commercial opportunities. The premises are ideal for a new retail, hospitality or health and fitness operator to provide quality facilities for the new residents at Abbey Quay and the surrounding community.
The borough of Barking and Dagenham is one of East London’s most up-and-coming areas, making it an exciting place to invest. Due to the £2 billion regeneration project, there have been 25,000 new jobs created in the local area with 50,000 new homes planned over the next 20 years. Barking and Dagenham has a current population of 218,000, with a projected population growth of 13% over the next 10 years. Between 2015 and 2019 there was a 17% increase in people moving to Barking, with around 20% of those people aged between 25 and 29.
Abbey Quay is a new mixed-use development located on the River Roding in Barking (Zone 4). This ambitious scheme forms part of one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects and when completed, it will provide 1,118 luxurious apartments, expansive public amenity space and 41,000 sq ft of commercial retail and leisure opportunities, which is planned to include a new pavilion restaurant, local shops, cafés, gymnasium and community hub.
Abbey Quay is an expansive new community with pedestrian promenades, tree-lined avenues, magnificent vistas, public artwork and extensive landscaped open space.
The development is well connected with Barking station, the ninth busiest station in the UK, only a seven-minute walk away, which serves approximately 7 million passengers a year (source: Office of Rail and Road). There are also a total of 3,300 students only a 10-minute walk away at both the London College of Business and Waltham International College.
Loxford Plaza, a large new public square overlooking the river, is the centre of the urban village with a pavilion restaurant, outdoor seating and river views. Central to life at Abbey Quay is the village Community Hub and the Resident’s Hub, with their concierge service, comfy seating areas and flexible leisure spaces. This is where residents can work on their laptops, join in with a yoga class or wine tasting event or meet with friends and colleagues. Maker’s Yard is a second public square, bordered at ground level by employment space for creatives and business start-ups, complete with cafes and space for outside exhibitions and market/deli stalls.
Phase two of the commercial offering at Abbey Quay is set to consist of three further units, including a three-floor 8,710 sq ft premises, a two-floor 3,508 sq ft premises and a two-floor 5,065 sq ft premises. Phase three will see a two-floor, 6,049 sq ft unit, whilst phase four will deliver two more ground floor units, both providing 2,422 sq ft of commercial space.
Suzanne Aplin, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Weston Homes says: “Abbey Quay is a new waterfront urban village adjacent to Barking Town Centre which forms part of one of the largest and most exciting London regeneration projects in recent years. The new commercial operator will bring much needed quality facilities to what is becoming a thriving area, benefitting from large numbers of new and existing local residents, as well as passing traffic at this busy location just two minutes from the North Circular”.
