URBAN REALM DESIGN |
Romford Public Realm | LB Havering
A Development Framework for Romford was produced in 2014 and set-out a Vision for the town centre, coming at a particularly important time for the town, with the arrival of Crossrail in 2018 and the award of Housing Zone status. This will help to better connect Romford with Central London and there has been an associated increase in developer interest. Urban Movement (UM) were asked to produce a Public Realm Strategy for the town centre that would help to realise the Development Framework Vision. This study concluded that there were nine key public realm projects for Romford whose introduction would help the Council achieve the six vision objectives within the original Development Framework. UM were then asked to select and develop one of these projects further, with the aim of submitting the proposals to Transport for London (TfL) as a Major Scheme Step 1 bid.
The project began by reviewing several previous studies, which had primarily been aimed at addressing specific issues around the town centre. While these contained some good ideas, they lacked a level of co-ordination that could provide Council Officers with a joined-up strategy to help prioritise where limited funding should be spent next.
Following this review a comprehensive study was undertaken into the workings of the town centre, which used quantitative data wherever possible to understand how the existing conditions within Romford affected the choices people were making. By comparing these with the sorts of choices that people should be able to make, implied by the Development Framework Vision, a series of costed public realm interventions / catalysts has been developed.
The second part of the project saw UM continuing their close working relationships with Council Officers to select the ring road as the preferred location for a bid to TfL. More specifically, the aim was to breakdown the barrier that the ring road currently presents to pedestrians and cyclists who wish to cross it to access the town centre. The result has been a successful £7m bid to TfL's Liveable Neighbourhoods programme. Urban Movement are now working with the Council and Stakeholders to deliver the first phase of enhancements to the Ring Road.
The project began by reviewing several previous studies, which had primarily been aimed at addressing specific issues around the town centre. While these contained some good ideas, they lacked a level of co-ordination that could provide Council Officers with a joined-up strategy to help prioritise where limited funding should be spent next.
Following this review a comprehensive study was undertaken into the workings of the town centre, which used quantitative data wherever possible to understand how the existing conditions within Romford affected the choices people were making. By comparing these with the sorts of choices that people should be able to make, implied by the Development Framework Vision, a series of costed public realm interventions / catalysts has been developed.
The second part of the project saw UM continuing their close working relationships with Council Officers to select the ring road as the preferred location for a bid to TfL. More specifically, the aim was to breakdown the barrier that the ring road currently presents to pedestrians and cyclists who wish to cross it to access the town centre. The result has been a successful £7m bid to TfL's Liveable Neighbourhoods programme. Urban Movement are now working with the Council and Stakeholders to deliver the first phase of enhancements to the Ring Road.