The Gascoigne estate statistical profile provides stark evidence of the gaps between Gascoigne residents and others in terms of skills, incomes, health, crime and housing conditions.  Undoubtedly these factors are interlinked and are related to the physical form, quality and image of the estate, creating a social environment that allows antisocial behaviour to take place.
Lichfield Planning participated in a team led by Architects Levitt Bernstein and commissioned by Barking and Dagenham Council to prepare a Development Framework as a guiding tool for long term regeneration of the Gascoigne Estate.

The Council’s objectives were to create a livable area which provides a good quality residential environment and promotes the creation of a sustainable community, making the Estate an integral part of Barking and thus elevate the standing of the Borough generally.

The project faced several challenges that required an integrative approach:  how to reconcile the implications of further intensification of residential development and affordable housing - as required by the London Plan – with the house types and recreational space that could enhance social and community objectives, how to attract more diverse population, matching the standard of homes, facilities and services with household profiles, incomes and expectations. Equally important was the need for an integrated approach to the provision of services by the various Borough Council departments that serve or affect the area.

Lichfield Planning’s role in the team was to provide the background of local, national and regional planning policies and assist the team and the Council to develop an integrated development strategy, using Lichfield Planning’s special techniques of Dynamic Planning.