Baymoore Investing Ltd is bringing forward the comprehensive regeneration of the Wickes and Bridge House site on Hertford Road, transforming an under-used retail and commercial area into a residential-led mixed-use neighbourhood with 880 new homes and 1,335 sqm of supporting community and commercial floorspace.
The site lies just west of Barking Town Centre in a highly sustainable location, with excellent access to Underground, Overground, c2c rail and frequent bus services. Despite that strong transport context, the scheme still presented a number of strategic challenges. The application needed to demonstrate that a car-free development could work in practice within a dense urban setting, while also showing safe and suitable access for all modes and a clear commitment to improved active travel connections.
A key part of the planning context was the need to respond to pre-application feedback from BeFirst, the GLA and TfL. This included requests relating to bus stop provision, an Active Travel Zone assessment, London Road Bridge improvements and parking strategy. The client’s objective was to secure support for a high-density regeneration scheme with a transport case that reduced risk, provided certainty and aligned closely with local and London-wide policy.
iTransport led the transport and highways strategy from pre-application through submission and post-submission clarification, helping shape the scheme in response to stakeholder feedback and evolving design requirements.
Early engagement with BeFirst, TfL and the GLA played an important role in that process. Those discussions helped confirm support for a car-lite approach, identified the need for an Active Travel Zone assessment, and opened up conversations around a potential eastbound bus stop, improvements to London Road Bridge and the project’s cycle parking strategy.
We prepared the full Transport Assessment and supporting transport material for the application. This included an Active Travel Zone audit, mapping walking and cycling catchments and reviewing routes to Barking Town Centre, Barking Station and nearby schools. We also undertook a detailed review of walking, cycling and bus infrastructure to demonstrate the site’s strong sustainable transport credentials.
Alongside this, we prepared a robust multi-modal trip generation assessment using a decide-and-provide methodology, supported by local Census data, LTDS evidence and TfL guidance. This was used to demonstrate very high future public transport mode share and low car demand. We also prepared a Parking Design and Management Plan, together with a Delivery & Servicing Plan and a Framework Construction Logistics Plan to manage both operational and construction-stage impacts.
Following submission, we provided targeted clarification to TfL and the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham on areas including multi-modal trip generation, night-time Active Travel Zone findings, construction traffic and bus stop optimisation, helping ensure the transport story remained clear, robust and policy-aligned throughout.
The transport strategy demonstrated that the proposal could be accommodated safely and sustainably, while delivering clear public benefits and meeting the relevant transport tests in planning policy.
The assessment showed that the redevelopment would generate significantly fewer vehicle trips than the existing retail uses, with the majority of future movements made by walking, cycling and public transport. This gave a strong policy-aligned justification for the proposed car-free approach.
The scheme also delivered wider placemaking and active travel benefits, including improvements to the River Roding Walkway, removal of pinch points, wider paths, better lighting and landscaping, and a redesigned plaza to create a more welcoming gateway into the site. In addition, two options were developed for London Road Bridge improvements to improve pedestrian comfort and reallocate space more effectively.
Overall, the work reduced transport risk, supported a clear and credible planning case, and helped secure planning approval in 2025 for one of the largest residential applications approved in a London borough that year.
We provide the full range of specialist transport planning services needed to take schemes from early concept through to consent and delivery
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