– We look forward to working with the great team we have in our consortium. Be First and LBBD have made an impressive progress in delivering affordable housing for local people, and we are excited to be able to continue to contribute to innovative and sustainable designs, responding to the climate crisis and delivering much needed affordable homes for local people in Barking and Dagenham over the coming years, continues Linda Thiel.
Inclusivity and representation
As Barking and Dagenham is one of the most culturally diverse areas in the UK, inclusion and representation are key issues to Be First, and the framework required lead consultant to seek partnership with smaller firms led by under-represented groups that might otherwise have been excluded.
In the selection of framework agreement partners, Be First has therefore also placed great emphasis on equality and diversity. This has resulted in that among the larger practices in the framework agreement, 75 per cent have at least one female at director or partner level and 25 per cent have at least one person of colour at director or partner level. Among the smaller practices included in the framework agreement, 50 per cent are founded by females and 57 per cent by a one person of colour. By working with the Open City Accelerate programme and the London Neighbourhood Scholarship, Be First has placed a strong emphasis on social sustainability.
Read more about our previous projects in the borough here:
Gascoigne West Phase 1
Gascoigne West, London – Phase 2
Gascoigne East, London – Phase 2