Town centre regeneration begins
Published: 30 Mar 2017
Today, Cllrs Howard, Coomb and I inspected work that has began on major street improvements which are set to transform Ilford Town Centre.
The ambitious public realm improvements will create new high-quality, accessible public spaces, delivering on the Council’s Manifesto for Ilford Town Centre which sets out a number of promises aimed at reclaiming the town’s place as the heart of a modern east London.
Alongside the arrival of Crossrail, the major improvements will help to fundamentally revitalise Ilford Town Centre. The transformation will include high quality granite paving, new trees and greenery, pocket parks and green walls, public art, informal play sites and high quality spaces for events, improved lighting and seating, and more street cycle stands.
Improvements will take place at Ilford High Road (from the crossroads with Cranbrook Road through to the area outside Ilford Police Station) and will include the following connecting side streets: Clements Lane, Clements Road and Chadwick Road.
Work will be carried out in phases between now and 2019. The first phase of the works have started on Chadwick Road and the area in front of the Ilford Exchange and will continue over the Summer.
Street improvements for this phase include:
• new high quality granite paving
• five new trees (in total 41 new trees will be planted across the Town Centre)
• a ‘meadow’ planting scheme made up of a number of planters with colourful flowering plants
• new benches, lighting and cycle stands
• electric pop up power units with provision for music and lighting to support food stalls and small events
• one high tech ‘big belly’ bin which holds roughly eight times the amount of rubbish of a regular bin and compacts waste automatically throughout the day
It is currently anticipated that the second phase of the public realm improvements will take place around the Griggs Approach underpass and improvements will include a public art project, new trees, and a woodland planting scheme. Phase two works are expected to begin in late 2017.
