Overview: Bridge Close in Romford is an area ripe for redevelopment. It is an industrial area surrounded by low density housing that could provide more than 1,000 new homes, a primary school, health centre, employment space, community facilities and improved public realm. 

It is served by the new Elizabeth Line. 

The planning application associated with the redevelopment was submitted in November 2023, with a decision anticipated in 2025. 

 

Background: The development is being promoted by the London Borough of Havering and has been on the agenda publicly since 2017. A joint venture with private sector partners was created in 2018 but, due to a range of issues – including Covid-19 – the partners withdrew in October 2020.  To protect the regeneration plans, the Council purchased the private sector partners’ interest in the development enabling them to take full control of delivery and funding.   

Colin Cottage, Managing Director of Compensation at Ardent, has been involved with the scheme since 2015. The wider Ardent team have been working on it since 2018. 

 

Approach: Ardent has been instructed to provide advice to the Council and undertake a range of tasks necessary to support delivery of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).  This includes land referencing, the formulation of land acquisition and relocation strategies, the preparation of compensation estimates and the negotiation of property acquisitions in advance of the CPO. 

Ardent’s Valuation and Compensation team has been leading on the compensation and negotiation elements and, by December 2024, had reached agreement to acquire 33 of the 37 residential properties affected. 

On the commercial front, agreements have been reached on 54 per cent of the property interests affected.  Reaching agreement on the remaining interests is primarily subject to successfully relocating the businesses impacted. 

Ardent is also working closely with the Havering Islamic Cultural Centre and the London Ambulance Service to source suitable relocation sites and reach agreement on their acquisition.  Both organisations require new sites close to their existing locations so as to maintain services essential to the local community. 

To ensure affected parties are kept informed of any project updates and have the chance to ask questions or raise any concerns, the team regularly engage with and offer to meet with all property owners and occupiers. 

As well as Ardent’s Valuation and Compensation team, the Land Referencing team have also been involved in the project and have produced a draft Book of Reference which will be updated for the whole project before the CPO is made. In addition to this, Ardent’s GIS team have supported the project through the production of Land Plans and CPO Plans. 

 

Benefits: The development is bringing forward much-needed new homes for the local community and will have a positive impact on the housing crisis in London and the South East. 

On top of that, there are a range of community and economic benefits such as a new school, health centre, and employment space – as well as public realm improvements – to ensure it delivers genuine, long term and sustainable regeneration. 

 

Next steps: A decision on planning is due in 2025 and from there Ardent will support in making the CPO to allow for the development to go ahead. That will include serving notices, providing input to the Statement of Reasons, dealing with any objections to the CPO and, if required, providing expert witness evidence at a Public Inquiry.  If the CPO is confirmed, Ardent will then settle outstanding compensation claims.