New bridge over river Roding ‘would create a vibrant Barking riviera’

A new bridge across the river Roding could help create a “buzzing” East End riviera, town hall chiefs said today.

Barking and Dagenham council has proposed a crossing where the Roding meets the Thames, linking Barking Riverside and Royal Docks, two of Eur-ope’s largest regeneration hotspots.

The masterplan envisages leisure facilities, bars and restaurants along the tributary.

The council’s Be First regeneration company plans to develop a stretch of the riverside to create about 5,500 homes and 1,000 jobs.

A new bridge would also give residents better access to the docks and Canary Wharf via the DLR, Crossrail and Jubilee line, linking it with the City and beyond.

Barking and Dagenham council leader Darren Rodwell said: “I urge Sadiq Khan to consider our proposals. Our area is at the epicentre of London’s eastward shift.

"We already have a creative community along the river and with a bridge we can build on this. We can make it a buzzing embankment with bars, leisure attractions and quality affordable homes — a kind of Roding Riviera.”

Barking already has a larger vision of transforming its waterways, with a new town for 26,000 people on 350 acres of brownfield land including a promenade, marina and wildlife reserves.