London’s largest regeneration scheme, Barking is something of a work-in-progress. For instance, project milestones include a brand-new town centre completed in 2007, as well as an ongoing riverside neighbourhood that’ll be packed with restaurants and shops when complete. But where are the best places to live in Barking? Discover the top rated developments to buy or rent in Barking in our area guide.
HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area
Barking is a suburb in East London. Ilford is to the north, the River Thames to the south, Dagenham to the east and Wall End to the west. The postcode for Barking is IG11.
Barking Station is in Zone 4, with tubes on the District and Hammersmith & City lines. Likewise there are also London Overground and National Rail services.
The plans for Barking are ambitious to say the least, with BeFirst now dedicated to the regenerations. There are 50,000 new homes and 20,000 new jobs in the pipeline in the coming years. The biggest of the scheme’s many projects, Barking Riverside, is a huge, purpose-built suburb that stretches down to the banks of the Thames in place of an old power station. Building began on the site in the mid-90s and continues today. Bellway Homes’ City East at Barking Riverside is one of many developments here, offering studios, apartments and houses with a waterfront view.
“The house is very spacious and modern. A very good quality. The facilities are great. The neighbourhood is very nice and safe. There’s parking around. There are some restaurants around 5min walk. Dedicated management is helpful if there are any issues.” – John, verified resident at City East at Barking Riverside
Additionally, Weavers Quarter has more than 400 modern apartments in a central location. The development is a joint project from L&Q and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
“The summer has been loud with kids which I don’t mind (it reminds me of my own youth) but the windows are triple glazed so noise can blocked out. All the flats come with outdoor space, either a private balcony or terrace. It’s big enough for table chairs and a small cheeky bbq…The Landlord looks after the building well; if there are any issues with the flat it is usually resolved within a few days.” – Chi, verified resident at Weavers Quarter
HomeViews reviewers have rated their top developments in Barking. One of the best places to live in Barking is the handily located Abbeville Apartments, a Grainger property near Barking Station with an onsite Asda supermarket.
“I enjoy living here, my apartment is very spacious, clean and large.” – Alice, verified resident at Abbeville Apartments
Furthermore, a brand-new town centre was introduced in the last decade. Its collection of neon-hued buildings include the award-winning apartments of Barking Central. Another highly rated development in Barking, this development is a project by Galliard Homes and RedrowHomes. It includes a library and a gallery, and The Broadway Theatre, whose packed events programme spans comedy acts, theatre and Latin dance classes. At the centre of it all is Barking Square.
“Both the area outside the apartment block and inside the building are clean and well maintained. The quality of the apartment is also good. There is great broadband connectivity for both lined based broadband and fibre optic.” – Anonymous, verified resident at Barking Central
The Rivermill Lofts is a chic development from Weston Homes, nestled on the banks of River Roding. Close by is the Discover Apartments, a colourful development with its own canoe club.
“The apartment is nice, spacious modern and well built. Good quality materials were used in the apartment. Great floor design with a lot of natural light flooding through.” – Anonymous, verified resident at Rivermill Lofts
“I’ve been living here for about six months now and I really like it. I love that is a quiet location however it’s close to the station and shopping centre.” – JJ, verified resident at Discover Apartments
Barking Park is a massive space with tennis courts, a skate park and a lake to hire pedal boats. It’s also home to The Big Friendly Coffee, which stocks delicious cakes and pastries.
Get to know the locals at Barking Street Market, which spills over three town centre roads. Find the market open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
In addition, Abbey Green is a parkland area showcasing the ancient ruins of Barking Abbey and a 12th-century church called St Margaret’s. It’s the setting for open-air events like the annual classical music concert.
Want to find out more? Read reviews from residents by clicking on the developments below.
Next to park and supermarket and local market, Starbucks near station, good bus routes into central or out to Essex
Lots of families and kids in the building so depending on if that’s you’re thing or not could be good or bad. Every flat has a balcony which is great in the summer. Can’t smoke though. No pets allowed either though so that’s not ideal. Might move soon, other buildings across the park allow for pets I think
Not much I didn’t expect, it’s a standard apartment so not sure what else to say
My niece bike was stolen from the bike storage but they found it through security footage later
The BEST thing about this apartment complex is that it’s right above an ASDA supermarket, so you can literally take an elevator down to the parking garage and walk into a large supermarket. Local market has everything you might need that you can’t get in the supermarket. Lovely park just outside the building as well.
Parking in the garage that sits directly beneath the apartment isn’t available to tenants, which is quite frustrating. I’m planning to move flats at the end of my agreement because there are nicer flats being built in the immediate area that would provide better value.
Make sure you look at the nooks and crannies of the flat you’re viewing to see the quality of it.
Haven’t needed to raise too many issues but I imagine they’d be helpful in the event one does arise.
Bin room is usually overflowing so that’s not great. The area is nice, there’s a large park and school next to the building. Grocery attached to the building is also nice. Short walk to the station so transport is good. Overall it’s a good area for families, very multicultural area.
It’s okay in terms of value, could do with refurbishing of the flats themself. Have updated media room recently and there’s also a gym and your flat comes with free Wifi (although it’s quite slow and you’ll likely want to upgrade). Otherwise you get what you pay for, it’s a mid-range apartment for the area. Seems expensive compared to others from what I’ve seen though.
I didn’t realise there would be as much development in the area, it seems like there is construction everywhere which isn’t great for views and noise levels
Pretty good responding to requests, not sure if it’s the same for other apartments
The area is quite noisy lately because of all the recent construction of new buildings. Lots of activity in the local market though which can be nice if you want it. Great transport links at Barking station, also near Ilford and Stratford.
They are spending money on new signage in the building, but not on the actual apartments themselves. I think they care more about the outside appearances than the flats themselves. Most people from my floor have been here less than two years which speaks to the transient nature of the apartment.
Wish someone had told me more about the local area because there’s so much to discover but if you don’t know where to look, you won’t.
Smoking and noise complaints are usually dealt with in a timely fashion.
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