The Greater London suburban High Street

I met up today with Jay Gort of Gort Scott, an architecture and urban design company based in East London. We met because Gort Scott are currently wanting to speak to active members of the community within and around Seven Kings.

The current Mayor of London is focussing more attention on issues affecting Outer London and Redbridge council is preparing an Area Action Plan for sites along the Roman Road Corridor. Redbridge, with the assistance of Design for London, intends to carry out an urban design framework study and movement analysis, which will be looking at the area - the design team for this study should shortly be made public.

Gort Scott's position in all this, is that they are currently carrying out a design research project looking into 'The Greater London Suburban High Street', focussing on the area between Ilford and Chadwell Heath in particular as a case study. The client for this project is Design for London, which is a part of the Mayor's London Development Agency. Design for London's aim is that this study should feed into Redbridge's Urban design framework study. Gort Scott's project aims to illustrate some urban design approaches to the Outer London High Street, with particular focus on this stretch of the Roman Road.

They believe it is very important to get a full understanding of the culture and communities that exist around Seven Kings High Street, and that the existing places of meeting, social/cultural exchange and business, should be nurtured and improved. It is only really by understanding and revealing what is already happening on the ground, that they can start to suggest what may be missing, or imaginative ways of making lasting improvements. And it is only by meeting and talking to people that they can find this out.

As a result, I am setting up a meeting at which they can meet up with representations of TASK, Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident's Association, and the Seven Kings Fellowship of Churches to discuss these issues.

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Athlete - Flying Over Bustops.