In early February, Garrington Property Finders released its Best Places to Live 2026 guide ranking 1,447 towns, cities and villages across England and Wales.
Overall, Barking and Dagenham was placed 1,141st in the list and was the lowest ranked borough in Greater London.
I recently headed down to the borough via the District line and got off at Dagenham Heathway to take a look at some of Dagenham’s busiest commercial streets.
Heathway was bustling, even at 10am on a Wednesday, and a plethora of cultural influences was evident including Romanian grocery shops, Chinese takeaways, halal butchers and traditional bakeries.
All-in-all there was a decent variety of shopping options.
I looped through the Heathway Shopping Centre which also had a standard range of shops but nothing overly exciting.
I also ventured down Oxlow Lane and Becontree Avenue to compare the number of empty or closed shops to this time six months ago.
Some of the previously vacant units have been occupied by new shops in this time but many remained out of use.
Perhaps most notable was Robertson’s Fishing Tackle in Oxlow Lane, which closed in November last year.
Barking and Dagenham scored a respectable 791 out of 1,447 in the ‘natural environment’ category so I thought it was best to spend the majority of my day outside and if possible surrounded by greenery, especially now the sun was out and minimal clouds were in the sky.
I next headed to Valence Park where I was aware that restoration works were ongoing on the medieval north moat surrounding part of Valence House Museum.
I was shown behind the scenes and had the importance of this project explained to me in detail by heritage commissioner Tamara Horbacka and project manager for the restoration Jeremy Stone.
Getting to see the borough’s only remaining medieval manor, one of London’s oldest trees and an exciting restoration project all up close was a great experience.
Keeping with the outdoors theme, I next made my way to Eastbrookend Country Park which is soon to be home to two rare animal species – beavers and white storks – as part of a rewilding scheme.
As an animal lover, this was very exciting news and I was keen to take a look around where the animals will soon be calling home.
The country park was simply stunning. I walked around Bardag Lake and Tom Thumb Lake – both of which were serene, occupied by small flocks of ducks and geese and a handful of rather content looking fishermen soaking up the sun by the water’s edge.
The rumble of passing cars had faded and I was surrounded by luscious vegetation, still water glistening under the sun and the sound of chirping birds and quacking ducks.
In truth, I had forgotten I was in London’s “worst” borough.
I next stopped at Eastbrookend Country Park Tea Rooms for a bite to eat.
After trying pie, mash and liquor for the first time in my previous visit to Dagenham, I opted for a new east London tradition – a salt beef bagel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this and I have to say, preferred it to the pie and mash!
I finished my day by visiting a couple of sites that are set for potential big developments as I thought it was a good opportunity to visualise how the area could change in the coming years.
I headed to Rainham Road South where plans for a new Lidl store at the former Jewson builders merchants are in the pre-application phase.
I spoke to a representative from Lidl as well as several residents and business owners who voiced their concerns with the location of the potential store.
I also visited Lodge Avenue Flyover which is set for a two year replacement project – another huge development in the pipeline.
An appealing parade of shops down Lodge Avenue included African grocery stores, a cafe and bistro and a couple of newsagents.
Here I spoke to two shop owners and both detailed similar worries towards the effects that the subsequent road closures may have on business.
After a busy day exploring the green spaces, shopping scene and several exciting ongoing or imminent projects, I began my journey homewards.
Although I haven’t visited every borough in Greater London, I find it hard to believe Barking and Dagenham is truthfully at the bottom of the pile.
Its offering of greenery alone, in particular the stunning scenes of Eastbrookend Country Park, is enough to form an argument that the borough could be placed higher on the list.
