The suburban town of Barking in east London houses more than 100,000. It is 14.2 km east of Charing Cross and is amongst the 35 significant centres named in the London Plan. Historically, it had been a fishing settlement in Essex and an ancient parish. After that it moved to market gardening and industrial development towards the south, next to the River Thames.
Barking quickly developed into a larger town and its rail station opened in 1854. It has been served by the London Underground since 1908. During the 20th century, when there was considerable suburban growth of London, Barking expanded and increased in population. This was mainly as a result of the development of the London County Council estate at Becontree in the 1920s. Barking became a municipal borough in 1931 and part of Greater London in 1965.
The town centre is a significant retail and commercial district which is at present in plans for regeneration. You can find former industrial lands towards the south which are currently being redeveloped as Barking Riverside, which aims to regenerate the Thames riverside region of East London by means of new properties, jobs and services. It consists of 350 acres of brownfield land, and improvement started in 2008. It is expected to be finished by around 2025. 10,000 residences will be built, which are anticipated to house 25,000 individuals. The developers will also supply new transport links, such as East London Transit with an extension of the Docklands Light Railway at Barking Riverside DLR station.