Marks Gate Church Development, East London

A church, nursery and 59 flats, completed in 2016. Green Pastures acted as developer and collaborated with the Church of England and London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (LBBD) council to take the project from concept to completion, creating a fully cross-subsidised church and nursery facility at the heart of the local community. The project also generated a £300k surplus, which we gifted to the church.

In 2012, Marks Gate, a deprived area in East London, had been identified as an area that needed regeneration. The Church of England, along with the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham (LBBD) council, had identified an opportunity to redevelop a disused council office building into a mixed-use development consisting of a church, nursery and 59 flats.

The Church of England approached Green Pastures Developments, a leading developer specialising in faith-based projects, to act as their development partner for the project. Green Pastures worked collaboratively with the church and LBBD council to bring the project from concept to completion, creating a fully cross-subsidized facility that would serve as a community hub at the heart of Marks Gate.

The project was completed in 2016 and included a brand-new church building, state-of-the-art nursery facility, and 59 flats that were made available for affordable rent. The church and nursery were designed to be fully cross-subsidized by the sale of the flats, making it possible to create a facility that would be financially sustainable in the long term.

Green Pastures was responsible for managing the entire development process, from securing planning permission to managing the construction process. The project generated a £300k surplus, which was gifted to the church to help fund its ongoing community outreach programs.

The Marks Gate project was a great success, providing much-needed housing for the local community while also creating a community hub that serves as a gathering place for people of all ages. Green Pastures' expertise in faith-based development enabled the church to realise its vision for a modern, sustainable facility that will serve as a beacon of hope and a testament to the power of collaboration between the public and private sectors.

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Development details:

Main spaces: Church auditorium, foyer/cafe, staff offices and meeting rooms and nursery
Number of Flats: 59 (1 and 2 bed flats)
Total Project cost: £7.5M