Doubledecker houses in Barking

Or rather, the return of the maisonette. Tres retro.

In one of the most debated development sites in the London Thames Gateway, Barking Riverside consortium has come up with a proposal to build “double decker” houses so that 30% of the 10,800 units planned for the site can be three or four-bedroom family homes without depriving the site of open space.

The houses would be similar to conventional maisonettes, but would have decking to provide high-level gardens, the consortium said. “There is a drive for family housing here, but it won’t all be traditional. These designs will allow us to get a lot of family housing on the site and the homes could be ideally suited for modern methods of construction.”

Comments

Anonymous said…
Saw this in the mags last week - I spend most of my time knocking down failing maisonettes, so forgive me for being a little concerned about their rebirth.

Family housing? High level gardens? I can imagine my kids really enjoying kicking a ball about on a balcony.

Heard a great quote this morning: History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

Mark Twain I believe.