Shoppers give their views on state of Romford town centre

Carol Morel, who has lived in Hornchurch all her life, said she loved coming to the town centre to shop, but said the market is a shadow of its former self.

"The market has deteriorated massively," said Carol who was shopping in The Quadrant. "There's hardly anything there now, it's a little bit desperate."

Carol, a shopper inside The Quadrant in Romford, said more investment was needed. (Image: George Hayes)

Carol added that the town centre needed bringing into the 21st century and said it was stuck in the 1970s.

"I think it needs some vibrancy to bring it more upmarket," she said.

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Others also felt Romford needed more investment, but said there was enough to get by.

Ravindra Natarmi, who lives on Gallows Corner, was waiting with his wife while his two children shopped nearby.

"There's a little bit missing from Romford town centre, the market can be a bit dead," he said. "But in such a small area you can find everything, so it's not too bad."

Ravindra said the town centre was convenient, but needed to be safer and said the market was 'dead' at times. (Image: George Hayes)

Ravindra, whose family comes from Nepal, added that he would like to see more done to combat crime.

"Crime is a bit worrying," he said. "I spoke with some business people who are a bit worried, especially the smaller retailers."

Iris McKenna, a Romford resident for 30 years, said she felt that the marketplace is quaint.

Asked what she would like to see improve the most in the town centre, Iris, who had spent the afternoon at Liberty Shopping Centre, added: "A store like Debenhams. We miss Debenhams.

"There was everything for everyone in there," she added. 

Iris McKenna said that Romford marketplace is 'quaint' (Image: George Hayes)

Roy Dixon, a former gardener for Havering Council, said the town centre had become safer and was lively.

Roy, a former gardener for Havering Council, said the town centre was a safe place to be and had a vibrant array of shops. (Image: George Hayes)

"I feel quite safe and I can go to the bank at 12 o'clock every night, you can't say that everywhere.

"It's a lovely and vibrant area which is really multicultural," he added.

A Havering Council spokesperson said: “We are constantly looking for ways to make the town centre more appealing to visitors to help bring back the buzz that is associated with Romford.

“As well as continually looking for new and exciting businesses for shop premises, we are offering new traders to the market a range of incentives, such as a freeze on renting pitches, events to attract customers and storage facilities to make setting up easier.

“Our new enforcement officers are cracking down on anyone causing mess on the streets.

"They are working alongside our existing enforcement team to hand out on-the-spot fines to anyone found littering, fly-tipping, leaving dog mess and breaching any of our Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs).  In their first week they’ve already issued more than 300 fixed penalty notices.

“In the meantime, we’ll continue to work with our partners, such as Romford BID, on projects and events to improve the town centre.

"We are in the process of developing a new Romford masterplan to ensure Romford continues to be a place where people want to live, work and visit.”

*This article was updated on July 6 at 10.25am to correct quotes attributed to Iris McKenna.