Barking and Dagenham Council’s regeneration company, Be First awarded the £40m contract to deliver Block J consisting of 124 affordable homes.

It follows a contract award in April to deliver a development worth £135m that will provide 382 new homes at Gascoigne estate.

Sustainability is at the heart of this project, with the homes being the first net zero carbon building to be delivered by Be First, supported by the addition of   photovoltaic panels on roof spaces.

As part of this latest phase, Willmott Dixon has also been awarded a £3m demolition contract to remove the current infrastructure and prepare the ground for building work on Block J to commence in early 2022.

Willmott Dixon was appointed by Be First to its delivery framework in 2019 to help transform the east side of the 1960s Gascoigne estate into a modern, environmentally friendly community.