Man and van in Barking
Most moves here are a Becontree cottage house with a narrow front path, or a flat in the town centre or at Riverside, where the newer blocks have a lift to book.
Covering Barking town centre, Becontree, Dagenham, Rush Green and Barking Riverside.
Man and van in Barking: in off the A13
On the north bank of the Thames, between Newham and Havering, the borough is strung along the A13. It runs the full length, out towards the Dartford Crossing, with the A406 at the western end.
Heading east or out into Essex, the run is quick. Coming across from west London is not, so a driver starting on that side builds in extra time.
Becontree cottages, town-centre and Riverside flats
Removals in Barking come in two kinds, and the building decides which. Becontree, built in the 1920s and 30s and still the largest estate of its kind in the country, is mostly two and three-bedroom cottage-style houses with front gates and short paths, so for house removals the van is rarely far from the door.
Width is the catch. The paths are narrow and the front doors are not wide, so large wardrobes and sofas often come out through the front room window bay instead.
Flats make up the rest, in Barking town centre and at Barking Riverside. The newer blocks have lifts and loading bays, and both need booking.
Kerbside on Becontree, the bay at Riverside
Parking works in your favour. Most of the borough is unrestricted or only lightly restricted, and on the Becontree streets a Luton can usually pull up close to the gate.
Two places work differently. Barking town centre is a controlled zone and it is enforced, so if you need the space outside kept free, a bay suspension has to come from the council and takes a few working days. At the newer Riverside blocks, the van goes in the loading bay rather than on the kerb.
Narrow doors, unbooked lifts and a busy A13
Three things add time to a move here. The first two can be flagged or booked before the van turns up.
- A wardrobe or sofa that will not fit a Becontree front door and has to go out through the window bay.
- A lift at a Riverside or town-centre block that was not booked for your slot.
- The A13 jamming somewhere between your two addresses.
What your Barking driver needs to know
When you book, say which kind of home you are leaving: a Becontree house, a town-centre flat or a Riverside block. Each loads differently, and a man with a van plans the day around it.
Flag anything large, especially if it has to pass a narrow front door, and pass on your lift and loading-bay times.
- Becontree front doors are not wide. Flag wardrobes and sofas when you book, as they often leave through the front room window bay.
- At a Barking Riverside block, book the loading bay and the lift in advance.
- The A13 is the quick way east and west, and the first road to jam.
- In the controlled town-centre streets, a council bay suspension takes a few working days.
Congestion Charge and ULEZ in Barking
Barking and Dagenham is well outside the Congestion Charge zone, so a move that starts and ends in the borough does not pay it.
ULEZ and any charge are in the driver’s price. How pricing works
What a move from Barking costs
Moving in Barking: your questions
Not always. The front paths are narrow and the doors are not wide, so large wardrobes and sofas often come out through the front room window bay instead. Mention them when you book.
Usually not. Most of the borough is unrestricted or lightly restricted, and a Luton can normally get close on the Becontree streets. The exception is the controlled town centre, where a council suspension takes a few working days.
The loading bay and the lift, both in advance. The van uses the bay, not the kerb.