Bridge Close Regeneration Project

Bridge Close artist's impression

Bridge Close is a dated industrial area close to Romford station and lies within the Romford ring road.

It is bounded by Waterloo Road and Oldchurch Road.

The station is served by the newest tube service, the Elizabeth Line.

There is significant demand for additional housing in the borough particularly in a location like this one that is close to excellent public transport connections, shopping and leisure facilities.

Romford is also one of the busiest outer London shopping centres in the capital.

In April 2018 we established a joint venture development vehicle with private sector partners.

However in 2020, due to uncertainties around delays to the Elizabeth Line, private sector funding, and compounded by the Covid 19 pandemic, we stepped in to provide the funding needed to deliver the scheme. 

The proposals will provide up to 1,070 new homes alongside a primary school and health services, as well as community and business space.

There will be a mix of private and affordable homes.

The scheme will also provide public realm improvements, better access around Romford for pedestrians and cyclists as well as a revitalised River Rom with a new bridge crossing.

We are committed to delivering benefits to the local community through affordable high quality, energy-efficient housing fit for the future, new and improved communal and commercial spaces, and much-needed infrastructure and public realm improvements. 

As with all new homes developed through Council regeneration schemes, these new homes will be offered to local people first.

Bridge Close area outline on a map

Social value

Our regeneration programme is not just about what we are building. It is also about what we can achieve indirectly for the local community.

This is what we call the ‘social value’ of our partnerships.

Find out more about social value in Havering

If you have any questions and would like to speak to a member of our consultation team, please call Cascade Communications on 020 7871 3565, who are working on behalf for Bridge Close Regeneration LLP, and ask to speak to a member of the team working on the Bridge Close Romford project.

For anyone unable to attend our recent public consultation events, a recording of the webinar can be viewed. You can also fill out the questionnaire from the event.

In the meantime, we continue to negotiate with businesses and homeowners to acquire land for the regeneration scheme, design work is taking place to enable the first planning application to be submitted later this year.

Subject to planning permission, we expect to start on site with the first phase of construction in Summer 2025, with all new homes being delivered by 2030. 

Read our information for property owners document

We have compiled some useful advice for business affected by the regeneration of Bridge Close, based on Government guidance.

What you can claim

This will vary dependent on your personal circumstances.

Your professional advisor will be able to compile a claim for compensation on your behalf.

As a general guide, please see para 2.55 of the booklet Compulsory Purchase and Compensation: Compensation to Business Owners and Occupiers.

Although this booklet was written a number of years ago and is slightly out of date, it nonetheless contains useful information which you may find helpful.

In principle, any loss reasonably incurred by a dispossessed owner as a result of compulsory acquisition can be claimed, provided that it is a natural and reasonable consequence of the owner’s dispossession and the loss is not too remote.

However, the assessment of disturbance compensation in particular can be complex and is subject to the application of a number of legal principles that are not always easily defined or applied.  

We therefore recommend you seek professional advice from a surveyor with experience of compulsory purchase and compensation in relation to the quantification of your claim.

Presenting claims

Your claim should be clearly presented under individual heads of claim and fully evidenced.

We recommend you seek professional advice from a surveyor with experience of compulsory purchase and compensation in relation to the presentation of your claim.

The Government’s claims form template is available on request.

Compensation claims assessments

All claims for compensation will be assessed by Bridge Close Regeneration LLP / the Council’s representative, who will then discuss and try to agree the claim with your surveyor.

Claiming expenses and compensation throughout the process

Your advisor’s reasonable agreed fees will be reimbursed throughout the process.

The time at which other agreed compensation will be paid will depend on whether or not you reach an agreement with BCR LLP / the Council and the particular terms of the agreement you reach.

An agreement could allow for staged payments over a period of time.

If you do not reach an agreement and are subject to compulsory purchase, you will not be able to claim staged payment of compensation throughout the process.

You will however be entitled to make a request for an advance payment of compensation.  

The earliest date that a requested advance payment could be made (at the Council’s discretion) is the date any future CPO is confirmed.  

The earliest date by which a requested advance payment must be made is the date notices to acquire your property under the CPO are served.

This will normally be 3 months before your property is acquired.  

Any advance payment made will equate to 90 percent of the Council’s estimate of compensation.

The payment of the balance of your compensation will be subject to agreement later.

Logging time and expenses spent on the sale of your property

We are prepared to meet the reasonable cost of any professional advice you incur in agreeing terms for the sale of your property, including their value.

However, fees should be agreed with your advisor in advance of them being incurred.

If they are not agreed in advance of being incurred, there is no assurance that your advisors fees will be paid.

A copy of the Professional Fees Framework can be provided on request.

Costs for objecting to a planning application or compulsory purchase order 

Objections to a planning application and/or CPO are not compensatable under the statutory compensation provisions.

We will also not be reimbursing fees for objecting to the planning application, or CPO, on a discretionary basis.

However, if your objection to the CPO is successful at public inquiry, you may be awarded your costs.

Claims regarding the search for alternative properties

Compensation payments will be assessed in line with the statutory code.

Under that code, only a person/business with a compensatable interest in land and/or in legal occupation can claim compensation.  

Therefore time spent searching for alternative properties by individuals not entitled to claim compensation in their own right will not be recoverable.  

Costs or losses incurred by those able to claim compensation will be compensatable, as long as they are a natural and reasonable consequence of the acquisition and are not too remote.

Any costs or losses incurred will need to be evidenced.

Please note that simply spending time looking for properties is not sufficient in itself to support a claim.

There must be evidence of cost or loss.

Abortive costs eg survey fees when a purchase has fallen through

The reimbursement of costs will reflect the cost actually incurred, as long as that cost is reasonable.

If the cost of a survey is incurred reasonably but, due to circumstances beyond your control, you are unable to purchase the surveyed property, both the cost of the abortive survey and any subsequent survey for a property you do purchase will be reimbursed.

A copy of the Professional Fees Framework can be provided on request.

Staff overtime and payslips

If a claim is made for staff overtime, this needs to be justified by an explanation of why overtime was paid and evidenced by payslips.

Reference documents

If you have a query or would like more information regarding this project, please contact us at regeneration@havering.gov.uk