Masterplan and Design Guide (phase I)

Commission: London Borough of Havering ( 2008-2011)

Team: What if: projects (lead consultant), with Flora Gathorne-Hardy (landscape architects), Jacobs (Engineers), A&E (art strategy), Inge Clemente (photography)

In 2008, What if: projects were appointed as lead consultants to develop and produce a “Masterplan” and Design Guide and a series of pilot schemes (phase II) for the Greening of the Romford Ring Road project. The project has involved engaging with the people of Romford and working closely in consultation with Romfords’ Regeneration team, local developers and stakeholders. The scale of proposed projects ranges from small changes, that can be delivered immediately, to large scale strategic projects that involve complex organisation and larger budgets

Romford is the fourth largest town centre in London and one of the largest shopping centres in the southeast attracting over 25 million visitors each year. The Ring Road, a two-mile long dual carriageway, creates a physical and psychological barrier around the shopping malls and car parks that define the town centre, disconnecting it from its hinterland. The Ring Road is a difficult place to be for pedestrians and cyclists, a challenging habitat for nature and it provides very little opportunity to linger, rest or play.

To kick-start the project the team made some ‘Romford Jam’ from blackberries found along the neglected and fenced off banks of the River Rom that runs through the centre of the town. The berries were collected, cleaned and a little lemon and sugar was added. We then applied the jam making process to the Ring Road to reveal hidden qualities and develop solutions of how the environment could be changed through valuing the natural qualities that exist already. Through careful investigations into existing patterns of use, maintenance and local issues we proposed simple, yet playful alterations to the existing Ring Road architecture, shared spaces and individual travelling habits. Our research looked at the cultural life of the town, its relationship to the countryside beyond, its hidden wealth of buildings and places of interest and the potential of over 50 untapped and neglected green spaces adjacent to the Ring Road.

What if the Ring Road was no longer a barrier, but a public space where people can connect with each other, with nature and with the history and culture of the town - for free. What if it became a place for pedestrians and cyclists. What if Romford became a place that values and improves neglected or underutilised existing infrastructure and buildings such as the roundabouts and the network of subways? What if the public realm was owned by the community? We believe that the formation of a ‘Friends of the Romford Ring Road Group’ is crucial in changing Romford. The transformation of the ‘found’ green spaces into 70 neighbourhood plots adjacent to the Ring Road demands for communites to take ownership and be involved in how these spaces are developed and maintained in the future