Demolition of Dagenham Heathway shopping centre and housing proposed

A shopping centre and housing in Dagenham and looks set for demolition with the matter before a council cabinet meeting next week.

The site is situated beside Dagenham Heathway tube station on the District line, with the shopping centre purchased by Barking and Dagenham council back in 2020 using £13.12m in Levelling Up and match funding.

Housing at Millard Terrace would be knocked down and redeveloped if approved. Council tenants would be moved to other social homes in the borough.

Overall the area set for redevelopment includes the 1970s shopping centre, 156 flats at Millard Terrace (132 held under secure tenancies and 24 by private leaseholders) and a 256‑space multi-storey car park.

A report recommends that the council move towards “obtaining vacant possession of Millard Terrace, The Heathway Mall Shopping Centre and the former British Legion site”.

It continues: “£65.242m (£25.992m HRA borrowing on the assumption of receipt of £39.250m GLA grant) to be funded by the HRA, for development and ownership of approximately 157 new build replacement social rented units at Jervis Court, the former Royal British Legion and Brockelbank Lodge sites to enable the decant of Millard Terrace”.

Plans to demolish the shopping centre follow a number of others across London in recent years including Lewisham and the Elephant and Castle. Other sites with proposals include Surrey Quays and Peckham.

Dagenham’s redevelopment would be along the lines of this government’s favoured “partnership” between the council and a private developer rather than the council develop themselves.

Let’s hope that doesn’t lead to years of stagnation after shops and residents are evicted, with neglected sites blighting the area as seen at so many other public-private partnerships over the past 20+ years.