Planning awarded for Bridge Close in London Borough of Havering
Outline planning permission has been granted for the entire 9.2 acre site, with detailed planning permission for plots designed by Allies & Morrison and Maccreanor Lavington.
A consortium of architects working for the London Borough of Havering has received outline planning permission for a new mixed-use neighbourhood in the centre of Romford, replacing an outdated industrial site. Detailed planning permission has also been received for two plots on the site comprising 383 homes, retail units, and a new primary school.
The team includes Fletcher Priest Architects, masterplanners of the entire site, Allies and Morrison and Maccreanor Lavington, architects of the first two plots, and Spacehub, landscape architects for the scheme.
The development will open up the town centre of Romford with a new bridge across the River Rom, a new pathway providing access to the previously culverted waterway, and new streets providing increased connectivity and improved links to the existing pedestrian network.
Two new public squares will be provided on the site. The first, larger square will feature planting and seating, creating a green, natural meeting space next to the new bridge. The second, more intimate square has a residential community feel and will act as a civic hub for new community uses, connecting to the new school and the health centre to be delivered in a later phase of the scheme.
The consented scheme consists of a series of mid-rise blocks based around green courtyards, providing high-density housing while preserving human-scale streets and a friendly pedestrian feel, with taller buildings bookending the development at either end.
The Allies and Morrison designed plot, comprising two buildings of 14 storeys, includes a total of 229 homes for sale. The buildings also have a total of 1,100 sqm of commercial space, communal amenity space for residents, and an energy centre on the top floor, using air-source heat pumps and PV panels to power the entire site. The energy strategy will deliver carbon savings of at least 73% above and beyond current policy.
The Maccreanor Lavington designed plot comprises a 9-storey building with 154 new homes – a mix of social rent, shared ownership, and private sale – and 800 sqm of commercial space. The new homes sit alongside a stand-alone multi-storey 3-form entry primary school with 47 place nursery and specialist unit for SEND pupils based around a west-facing playground. The school features outdoor play space on every level. The first residential phase will provide 35% affordable housing overall.
The River Rom borders the east of the site. The waterway is currently contained within a concrete culvert and inaccessible to the public. The new plans, designed by landscape architects Spacehub, will re-naturalise the western river bank with coir rolls and planting, and provide a new pedestrian pathway. This rejuvenation of the Rom sets the precedent for a new green and blue link along the length of the river throughout the town centre.
A new bridge on the North-East corner of the site will span the river and improve pedestrian permeability across the centre of Romford, completing the new east-west link through the site. The link will provide better access to the nearby rail and Elizabeth Line station, both for residents of the new scheme and existing local residents.
The development will help to lace together the communities already based in Romford, by completing a missing part of the town centre. The mixed-use scheme will include commercial and retail units carefully selected to complement the existing shopping and leisure uses in the town, supporting Romford’s offer as a local destination.
Tom Waddicor, Associate Director at Maccreanor Lavington Architects, said: “Bridge Close demonstrates how homes of all tenures and critical social infrastructure can be delivered at density whilst ensuring generous, high-quality amenity spaces for all uses. The new school offers an important civic focus as a stand-alone building, alongside an elegant mansion court of thoughtfully designed homes.”
Throughout the design and consultation period, the architects have held five public consultation meetings and engaged over 2000 residents and stakeholders, including supporting existing businesses on the site with relocation or reprovision as part of the new development.
This includes the retention of the current Ambulance Station, with a phased development approach to maintain operation throughout the construction process. The project team has worked closely with the Havering Islamic Cultural Centre currently based on the site, to support the Centre’s relocation and upsizing on a new site.
