Thousands of homes are planned over the coming years at the former Ford Dagenham plant, which employed 40,000 workers at its peak in the 1950s
The first new homes designated as affordable housing have been completed at a Dagenham regeneration site.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held last week for 68 new rental homes at the Dagenham Green site, with Barking and Dagenham Council leader Dominic Twomey and City Hall’s deputy mayor for housing Tom Copley doing the honours.
The first phase of Dagenham Green, which includes part of the former Ford Dagenham complex, will provide 935 homes, including 328 affordable homes, which are discounted from market rates. These include 135 homes available at ‘London affordable rent’ levels and 193 for shared ownership.
The 68 homes represent the first affordable housing to be completed at the former Ford site so far. A further 67 are due to be finished later this spring. The project is a joint venture between Peabody and The Hill Group.
Residents have already started moving into the privately-owned homes in the neighbourhood.
The Ford Dagenham plant opened in 1931 and employed 40,000 workers at its peak in the 1950s. The site was reduced to only making engines, rather than vehicles, in 2002 and now employs around 2,000 people. A group of striking female workers in 1968 famously led to the first equal pay legislation in the UK.
Dagenham Green is an 18-hectare site at the western end of the former Ford site, close to Dagenham Dock Station.
The eastern end is a larger area known as Beam Park – but that redevelopment has struggled amid wrangling over funding for a new railway station.
At Dagenham Green, alongside the new homes, new green and community spaces are taking shape. Inspired by the surrounding marshland, the first part of a new urban park will open later this year. It will include a large pond, children’s play areas and open space for residents and the wider community to enjoy.
Phase one of Dagenham Green is expected to completed by 2029, with more than 3,500 homes planned in total.
James McMylor, a managing director at Peabody, said: “Completing the first affordable homes at Dagenham Green is a really important milestone for us and our partners. Dagenham Green has a strong history, both as an industrial site that supported the community for generations and as a place where people stood up for fairness and change.
“Delivering affordable, family-sized homes here, alongside new green and community spaces, allows the site to continue serving local people in a new way. We look forward to welcoming new residents and wish them well as they settle into their new homes.”
There will also be 1,600 square metres of commercial space. This includes a new Sainsbury’s supermarket, serving both residents and neighbours.
The legacy of the women’s rights movement at Ford is reflected in the street names at Dagenham Green. Vera Sime Street is named after one of the key strikers from the 1968 equal pay campaign, while other streets are named after women involved in the protests. Building names draw on the Thames-side landscape, linking the area’s natural setting with its industrial past.
Later this year, the first section of a new heritage trail will launch to recognise the contribution of the Dagenham women who championed equal pay rights in the 1960s and 1980s. The trail will feature artwork by renowned contemporary artist Ruth Ewan.
The Dagenham Green scheme has been supported by funding from the Mayor of London’s Affordable Housing Programme.
Tom Copley, Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan’s deputy mayor for housing, said: “Dagenham Green is a great example of how former industrial land can be transformed to deliver the affordable homes Londoners need, including much needed four-bed homes for families.
“Sadiq and I are proud that support from the Mayor of London’s Affordable Housing Programme has helped unlock this site, bringing forward homes for the local community, while creating a sustainable new neighbourhood, as we work to build a fairer, more prosperous London for everyone.”
Cllr Twomey added: “Great to be at the completion of more high-quality affordable homes in the borough, at the site of the historic Ford plant. But it’s not just more housing that is needed. That’s why I’m so pleased that this development includes a park for its residents and the community to enjoy.”
