Illustration - PatchaWorks & Diverse Dialogues. The Ilford Arrival Project is being funded by the Greater London Authority (GLA) as part of the Civic Partnership Programme. One of the programme's objectives is strengthening representation and authorship in physical regeneration.

As part of our approach, we have been working with Diverse Dialogues to empower young women and girls in our Co-Client team to shape the world around them.

Why Young Women and Girls?

The Ilford Arrival Spatial Framework identified young women and girls as marginalised voices in decision-making around public space, which has lasting effects. A 2020 survey showed that in London, 74% of women respondents felt worried for their safety, and we know that this is echoed similarly within the Borough. The Safer Redbridge Strategy 2022-2026 details that Redbridge is committed to making public spaces safer for women and girls.

We want women to increase their use of public spaces like parks and green spaces, so involving them as early as possible in the development of Ilford Arrival Phase 1- the pocket park, bridge crossing and river pathway, ensures that we can understand how to make young women and girls feel safe enough to use these spaces regularly.

Co-Clienting and Our Co-Client Team

Co-clienting is an engagement approach that allows residents to be actively involved in the design process. Co-clients have an equal say in how they want the space to look, and how it can reflect their needs.

The Co-Client team is made up of nine young women and girls who have a lived experience of unequal access to space in and around Ilford, who were aged 16-25 years old at the beginning of the engagement process. Details of the selection process and early engagement work can be seen in the Ilford, Be Heard Report. We are conducting long-term engagement with our co-client team as they feed their input into the first phase of the Ilford Arrival project, to ensure that their participation has a lasting impact.

Co-Client Team Collage produced in June 2025.

Co-Client Briefing Principles

Between April – August 2025 the Co-Client team, together with Diverse Dialogues, authored the Briefing Principles for Ilford Arrival Phase 1 below:

1. Safety First - The pocket park, bridge and river path must address safety for all. Openness, visibility, and activation are important, as well as formal security measures. There should be no blind spots, areas to hide, and direct view of the entrances and exits should help visitors know who is coming and leaving. Careful consideration should be given to how activity is designed and managed to ensure neighbouring properties remain secure.

2. People Want to be Here – The pocket park should actively encourage people to spend time, with comfortable and sociable seating types that welcome different bodies, needs and ways of being in public space. Seating should support both group and solo use, allow for activities like eating, chatting, or watching the world go by, and, where possible, double up with planting or play functions to bring variety and delight.

3. Somewhere for Everyone – The pocket park should feel welcoming and safe for all of Ilford’s diverse community. It should be an inviting, clean and comfortable space, both physically and mentally, for rest and play. The pocket park should offer a range of activities and consider the needs of children, residents and the wider community.

4. Quality Materials Matter – Materials should support comfort, durability, accessibility and should be of high quality. Textures and colours should be explored with the community and maintenance measures should be realistic of the budget.

5. A Well-lit Environment - Lighting should support the safety, atmosphere and surrounding nature, and help all areas be usable in darker hours. Levels of brightness and variety are important to create playful, inviting, and unique spaces.

6. Connection to Nature - The pocket park should be a connection between people and nature. Promoting collective care, the pocket park should be a social space for community building with beauty, activity, and wildlife. Planting must be purposeful and work with the environment to include shade, allergy-safe and low maintenance. Planting must not create overgrown areas that cause a safety risk.

7. Playful and Sensory Places - Playfulness and sensory experiences should be embedded into the landscape for people of all ages. Design features should be inclusive, encouraging imagination, interaction, joy, exploration, and creativity. Children, young and elderly people should see their needs reflected in the space and be supported to move freely, safely, and confidently occupy throughout.

8. Inclusive Learning - The spaces should be multifunctional and encourage informal learning for all. Learning should be visible and accessible through hands-on activities, sharing knowledge and community creativity. Learning should be all year round, and the park’s architecture should reflect this. Spaces for young and older generations, families, and communities to engage with nature, heritage, performance, and communication.

9. A Representative Space - The pocket park and bridge should showcase and reflect Ilford’s historic past and cultural present, as symbols of the community. Opportunities for signage to and from these new landmarks should be inclusive and consider a multilingual approach.

The briefing principles are embedded in the design brief for Ilford Arrival and can be used for the Co-client team to appraise the project further down the line.

We are also engaging with the wider Community Co-Creator group, local schools and neighbours and residents throughout the process. Be sure to check the Let's Talk Redbridge page for more updates soon.

Join our FREE event on Saturday 13 September at Highlands Primary School (Highlands Gardens, Ilford IG1 3LE.

Come and discover how we are reconnecting the River Roding to Ilford's Town Centre and help us develop new designs for public spaces.

Find out more and sign up via Eventbrite

How to join in:

Morning Session:

10am-12:30pm Young People and Families (drop-in)

Fun and interactive activities to get children and young people (aged 2-16 years old) and parents thinking about how public spaces in Ilford can better engage future generations.

We will be hosting creative activities with model making, drawing, as well as sharing more formal information about the project for parents.

Afternoon Session:

2pm-4:30pm An Ilford for Everyone (drop-in)

We will be hosting workshops to get you exploring our current thinking for a new pocket park, street furniture, a new pedestrian bridge, urban room, River Roding path, cycle infrastructure and much more.