An Ilford food outlet that fly-tipped rubbish and left its commercial waste bin overflowing surrounded by sacks of food and kitchen waste has been successfully prosecuted by Redbridge Council for a second time In the latest prosecution Kome Express Ilford Ltd was ordered to pay £6075 in court fines and costs for fly-tipping and failing to store its commercial waste properly The business was already on the Council’s radar following a similar prosecution last year resulting in the takeaway shop forking out £4,801 in fines and court costs The most recent legal action came after complaints over how the shop was storing its commercial waste and reports that the food outlet was dumping some of its rubbish into local people’s bins a Redbridge Enforcement Officer attended the location and found multiple black bags of food kitchen and packaging waste in and around the commercial waste bin belonging to Kome Express Several open bags of waste containing rotting food – likely to attract vermin - were also found left in a yard near to the rear of the shop The grim discovery led to the business being issued with a legal notice under section 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) specifying requirements as to how its commercial waste should be stored during unannounced compliance checks on Kome Express Redbridge Enforcement Officers found the shop ignoring the legal notice with its commercial waste bin overfilled and bags and waste being left on the ground including food order tickets from Kome Express were also discovered in nearby wheelie bins meant for residents to dispose of their household waste The company was issued with five fixed penalty notices (FPNs) as a result The FPNs remained unpaid despite reminder letters being sent - eventually leading to another court action against Kome Express was summonsed to court on 4 charges of failing to comply with the EPA Notice and one charge of fly-tipping After failing to attend Barkingside Magistrates Court on Tuesday 18 March the case against Kome Express Ilford Ltd was heard and proved in its absence landing the company with fines as well as court and council costs totalling £6,075 Redbridge Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: “We all have a responsibility to keep our borough clean and tidy The failure to correctly store commercial waste presents a threat to the environment and public health as well as being an eyesore for local communities The majority of our local businesses act responsibly and store their commercial waste properly But for those who aren’t doing this or think they can get away with fly-tipping their rubbish this prosecution should serve as a strong warning that Redbridge Council will continue taking tough action against those businesses who refuse to act responsibly and legally when disposing of their waste.” For more information on waste and waste services in Redbridge go to: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/bins-waste-and-recycling/ Redbridge Council’s CCTV Team is ensuring the safety of local communities by identifying and stopping violent criminals in their tracks a CCTV officer's quick thinking and vigilance led to the arrest of five individuals involved in a violent incident at JD Sports This same gang was linked to prior incidents including an attempted vape shop theft in Ilford Town Centre and a previous incident at JD Sports a member of the CCTV Team overheard a distress call from JD Sports regarding a large group engaged in gang steaming a type of shoplifting where a group of criminals enter a store Live monitoring revealed a staff member restraining one individual while the remaining four suspects were acting aggressively the CCTV Team redirected cameras to cover the various escape routes Live footage and descriptions of the suspects were provided to the Met Contact Centre (MetCC) which is responsible for receiving and managing emergency and non-emergency calls The CCTV Team kept the police updated whilst they deployed officers to the scene the group continued to attack store staff and kick the outside shutters the police apprehended all five suspects thanks to real-time updates provided by the CCTV Team  Two suspects were tracked to the Spice Hut restaurant in Barkingside; one was arrested on Ilford High Road and the remaining two were located on a local bus route the police attended the CCTV Centre to collect the footage Cabinet Member for Enforcement and Community Safety said: "We want people to feel safe in our borough That's why we’ve continued to invest in measures to make it a safer place including our extensive CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) camera network "I’m pleased that the work and swift response of our CCTV Team and local police officers recently led to the arrest of a group of violent individuals in one of our town centres We want residents and visitors to feel safe in our borough and we will continue to work closely with our partners in the police to tackle those who commit crime and antisocial behaviour in our communities." Head of Neighbourhood Policing in Redbridge said: "The joint response to this incident is an excellent example of our great community safety partnership with the local council “The Council's CCTV Team played a vital role in providing real-time intelligence to our police officers on the ground who then managed to track and arrest the suspects “Without the quick thinking of the CCTV Team and the fast response time of our officers this gang could have fled the scene and targeted other retail premises in Ilford I sincerely hope these arrests send a clear and unequivocal message to criminals who think they can commit crimes in our town centres with impunity: We will find them The suspects were all bailed to return in connection with the incident Ilford town centre now has 78 public space CCTV cameras and the borough-wide network has grown to 763 cameras in the past year Every ward in Redbridge now has a dedicated Safer Neighbourhood Team Please get in touch with your local police team who can address antisocial behaviour and other crimes in your neighbourhood.” Your vigilance and cooperation are crucial in maintaining the safety of our community Q Developments acquires a prime Ilford site with plans to deliver a mixed-use scheme which includes purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) homes Q Developments has acquired the multi-story Ley Street Car Park site in Ilford The planned development would include 550 PBSA units 200 Build to Rent units and 60 C3 residential units the acquired site presents a prime development opportunity for Q Developments in one of London’s fastest-growing metropolitan centres The site benefits from exceptional connectivity with journey times of just 18 minutes to Liverpool Street and 23 minutes to Tottenham Court Road via the Elizabeth Line Q Developments plan to submit a planning application in May 2025 which is being developed with architect Broadway Malyan “We are delighted with the acquisition of this key gateway site within the rapidly growing Ilford town centre This strategic purchase positions us to contribute to the ongoing regeneration of the area Building on the positive outcome of our pre-application discussions we are preparing to submit a planning application in May 2025.   “The proposed development will feature 550 PBSA units further enhancing the vibrancy and sustainability of Ilford’s town centre We are excited about the opportunity to deliver a project that will contribute to the continued growth and success of exciting location.”  Ilford is currently undergoing substantial regeneration with plans to deliver 6,000 new homes and create 3,000 new jobs by 2030 The area has already attracted significant investment across various residential sectors Knight Frank closed the deal on behalf of the London Borough of Redbridge.   “The sale of Ley Street Car Park represents a significant opportunity for residential development in a rapidly evolving part of London The site’s excellent transport links combined with its location in Ilford’s town centre make it an extremely attractive proposition for development.  “This sale demonstrates the continued confidence in Ilford’s development potential supported by strong house price growth in the borough which outperformed the London average with a 4.4% increase in the 12 months to January 2023.”  The woolly mascot representing Ilford’s prehistoric heritage now has a name – Marley Following a popular naming competition held over the summer the winning name was selected by the Leader of the Council after reviewing dozens of creative entries A huge congratulations go to Thomas Thorn from Ilford Thomas will receive a £50 gift card to spend at Mercato Metropolitano in Ilford The mammoth has been adopted as Ilford’s mascot to celebrate Ilford’s unique history – a steppe mammoth inhabited our town over 200,000 years ago and was found to be one of the best-preserved mammoth skulls when it was discovered in 1864 near Ilford Lane the original skull can be seen today in the Natural History Museum Luckily this mammoth still has links closer to home as a replica can be found in the Redbridge Museum located on the second floor of the Redbridge Central Library where you can also learn more about Ice Age Ilford Look out for the full telling of this mammoth’s history on screens and banners around the town centre said: "I’m so proud that we’ve adopted this mammoth mascot to honour the borough’s rich history and it’s been wonderful to see the whole community getting involved with the mammoth naming competition The community's response to the competition was remarkable We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Time FM for their invaluable support with our naming competition Their contribution was instrumental in making this a success." Clark Architecture took forward a unique and challenging project in Ilford that demonstrates the viability of demountable architecture Mercato Metropolitano Ilford opened last July on Chadwick Road in the London Borough of Redbridge ‘cultural exchange’ and 100 new jobs – all with expectations the Elizabeth Line would help bring an influx of people to the area only an ice cream kiosk remains of its former 20-plus traders and less than a quarter of the food hall’s floor space is open to the public – and at reduced opening hours This is most likely a symptom of a gloomy post-Christmas blip but it is just the latest of many challenges that the market has seen on its seven-year stop-start ride from conception to completion This is not a story of a failing entrepreneurial endeavour but one of perseverance and about attempts to fulfil a promise to one of the most diverse communities in the country The low-tech community food market’s journey began in 2018 as part of Redbridge Council’s Spark Ilford regeneration project for the creation of a ‘cultural quarter’ funded through the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund An existing surface car park earmarked for housing was identified as one of three council sites for five years of meanwhile use Sustainable food and community market provider Mercato Metropolitano was introduced to Redbridge Council following the successful opening of its flagship market at Elephant and Castle boasting a sustainable and community manifesto that aligned with Redbridge’s vision of an ‘Ilford for all’ Redbridge ran a day-long charrette-style competition for the pop-up market-cum-cultural hub commission Jestico + Whiles with Goldfinger Factory and Greig  were contenders Interrobang was at the time an architecture and engineering practice founded in 2015 by Smith Mordak within natural materials-specialist engineer Webb Yates who is now chief executive of the UK Green Building Council moved to Buro Happold to become a director of sustainability and physics ‘Interrobang was the laziest,’ jokes Marc Clark regeneration programme manager at Redbridge recalling that the winning team put together just two pages during the day-long charrette in the neighbouring town hall The process was intended to give emerging and smaller design practices a chance to bid for mayoral-supported projects it had nailed down exactly what client Mercato was looking for: ideas for a covered commercial and community facility featuring a rooftop hydroponic farm and education space and meeting Mercato’s own ambitions for an element of self-sufficiency Clark speaks positively about the charrette saying it set up a good working relationship from the outset but everyone wanted it to succeed,’ he adds Unusual at the time for Greater London Authority-funded projects the process of a charrette was selected to encourage the client to engage with the ideas of the design teams The design’s starting point was the ‘car park that is used to being rained on’ recalling that the project’s core philosophy was to return the site undamaged at the end of the lease period leaving the site free from buried structures that would need to be removed Initial proposals were for a hyper-flexible timber structure with demountable frame that could be reconfigured or relocated to other sites and the project would be detailed to eliminate material wastage through maintenance the idea being that these ‘feet’ would sit atop the car park site spreading the structure’s load with vertical bracing and just three sets of concrete ballast to tie the shed structure down and prevent it from being blown away Only two lengths of column would be needed across the whole building these structural feet essentially comprising two projecting prongs at either side of columns that can be extended and adapted for other sites as and when needed the team proposed hydroponic cultivation for the roof – plants growing in water instead of soil Mercato Metropolitano began in 2015 with a pilot project during the World Expo in Milan regenerating a 14,000m2 disused railway station Set up by Italian businessman Andrea Rasca the heavily branded venture made a move to London successfully opening a popular venue in a former paper factory in Elephant and Castle in 2016 – apparently after a chance meeting with Mayor Sadiq Khan Now there are three more: one in a Grade I-listed building in Mayfair; one in Elephant Park; and another perhaps most suited to its bougie food prices Mercato Metropolitano claims its core aim is regenerating areas and bringing communities together as well as being ‘sustainable and inclusive’ in its offering Its focus is on sustainably sourced products Its ‘dreaMM’ campaign aims to nurture and support young businesses transforming them into ‘budding entrepreneurs’ Mercato’s key rules for the market’s programme were to serve food on crockery eliminating plastic waste; to have a 24-hour biodigester for breaking down organic food waste into biogas and fertiliser; to send no waste refuse to landfill; and to provide flexible space for local food traders and community activities with the wind-up of Webb Yates’ architecture arm a new tender was put out to take the project forward in its construction phase bar and restaurant specialist Clark Architecture having completed Mercato’s other London venues two other consultants were brought into the project to value-engineer the design The first element to go was the second-storey hydroponic farm Specialists suggested that the multi-span polytunnels would work best in a large shed rather than on a roof and in view of the additional weight of the water it was decided that a rooftop community garden instead would be the best compromise The next elements to come under scrutiny were the external ducts and chimney flues which provide extraction from cooking zones but  Anthony Clark and his team fought hard to keep them as they are Aesthetically they are a major part of the shed’s visual appearance and typical of Webb Yates’ exposed M&E design ‘They’re a genius part of the design,’ says Clark Beneath the car park were several Second World War air raid shelters additional undocumented tunnels were discovered The team had to conduct plate tests to ensure the structural loads onto the market’s bespoke-designed timber feet would work drains had to be put in place around the site’s perimeter and the car park resurfaced with asphalt to tackle surface water concerns Building Control was cautious about the building’s structural integrity and didn’t sign off the project until it was literally about to open The scheme that has so laboriously been built is a large clad in translucent polycarbonate cladding simply fixed so that it can be easily removed The demountable structure – of glulam columns and beams with CLT infill panels – all sits lightly on the ground as envisaged seven years ago but the feet for the columns are made out of standardised steel plates instead The timbers have been set out on a kiosk grid to the standard dimensions of the scrapped polytunnels Bolted connections and waterproofing systems mechanically fixed in small sections also enable localised repair in the event of damage ‘The difficulty was not knowing who was going to come in,’ says Anthony Clark pointing out that the scheme’s adaptability was about both functionality for the different vendors and circularity ‘The ducts and chimneys are a real celebratory moment,’ says Redbridge’s Marc Clark the scheme perhaps seems the most stripped-back shed-like form there can be – for good reason – but it should be celebrated that the flues and chimneys were kept as originally designed with vents boldly placed on the column gridlines coming out of the external sides of the façade both give articulation to an otherwise simply detailed empty expanse and hint at the shed’s uses within They are the key aesthetic of the scheme in terms of proportion and set a horizontal datum for the long elevations so that the sloping ground isn’t immediately noticeable Along the north edge of site are the back-of-house spaces – biodigester and zero-landfill recycling facilities – simply cordoned off  by an acoustic wall to keep the noise down A mezzanine level has been built inside the hall for community use but as of February Provision is left for a lift and stair core to one side Stage two – including this and the rooftop garden – is expected to get under way in the next eight months ‘The L-shape of the market can be changed and set up in a different way pointing to the flexibility of the shed’s redeployable modules ‘It’s essentially giant Meccano.’ Webb Yates went as far as to bring a contractor and cost consultant on board to price the hypothetical eventuality of disassembly and reconstruction ‘We wanted to show it was feasible,’ Cole says filled with more than 20 traders local to Ilford the market drummed up plenty of excitement in the local press prospects have changed and it has become clear Mercato’s financial performance over the past couple of years has taken a drastic hit founder Rasca resigned and a new director was appointed In December last year the group surrendered the lease of its Elephant Park site to a third party Although the market isn’t operating at full capacity ‘It’s a beautiful outdoor structure,’ says Marc Clark and it’s an example of a fully demountable structure: everyone agrees it could be used for something else with Mercato’s change of management and a bit more investment the scheme can live up to its intentions of being an incredible asset for Ilford and the local community this scheme provides learning opportunities for others and shows that Having collaborated previously with Mercato Metropolitano Clark Architecture was appointed at Stage 4 to help move the Ilford project forward Construction was planned to start on site in late 2020 The team was determined to deliver the project for the community after the unavoidable disruption of the pandemic The building is essentially a covered market and therefore has no heating or cooling demand It is open to the elements at the base of all façades and at the eaves to allow fresh air to circulate and to prevent overheating in warmer months Plastic reusable wind curtains can be installed to provide a sheltered lobby when required in colder months The building is considered to have ‘low energy demand’ with respect to Approved Document L2 (Conservation of fuel and power) Timber lends itself to reuse and was the natural choice for a sustainability-focused temporary community space The building is formed from glulam columns and beams with CLT softwood infill panels at low level and polycarbonate cladding at high level The roof is a softwood CLT slab covered with a single-ply membrane services and centralised areas creates a cohesive feel through the use of standard sawn timber planking The acoustic fence was also specified to be demountable The internal face is clad in Quietstone light — a rigid durable absorber made from 94 per cent recycled expanded glass beads while self-bearing panels are mechanically fixed direct to walls for easy maintenance and demountability which centred around a building that would occupy a site for only five years was the perfect opportunity to explore the principles of circular design The compressed building lifespan meant that not only was a demountable timber frame the sustainable choice but one that made the project economically viable extending the return period of the initial capital expenditure Demountability was core to the structural philosophy and informed both the overall arrangement and detailing Recognising that the current configuration might not always work on future sites the grid was rigidly set so that the glulam timber components formed a ‘kit of parts’ allowing the structure to be re-assembled in arrangements to suit other plots Connections between the timber members were detailed with ‘clip-in’ concealed connectors that allow the elements to be taken apart without any damage or modifications that might hinder their re-use Foundations were also initially conceived to be in the form of adjustable timber ‘feet’ that bear directly onto the car park surface and take out level differences across the site below-ground structures and budget constraints meant these didn’t make it to the constructed frame The novel brief of this project led us to innovate solutions ending up with a truly demountable structure (the feasibility of which was demonstrated through a costing exercise between a cost consultant and contractor for a hypothetical building move) a company well-versed in offsite prefabrication of timber structures the exposed engineered timber frame revolves around the principle of repeating standardised elements This serves the dual purpose of reducing the initial construction time as well as allowing it to be easily moved and reconfigured without the need for additional bespoke elements or excessive waste Due to Covid-related travel restrictions at the time X-LAM handed over erection of the frame to UK-based companies B&K Hybrid Solutions and Oyster Design and Construction It was delivered in eight loads to coincide with the assembly programme A unique plate test methodology was devised during early conversations to provide some information as to the performance of the installed foundations under load Plate testing equipment was used to load the pads and mimic the loading of the proposed structure in an attempt to show that the settlement encountered was within the limits allowed by the structural design and again to develop the lifting plan and position of the mobile cranes around the site for the most efficient and safe assembly of the frame A flame-retardant impregnation treatment – a polymeric blend of organo-phosphate and nitrogen salts – was applied to the timber to achieve a Class 0 rating The cladding and waterproofing were fixed in small sections so that repair and maintenance could be carried out in localised sections and not cause disproportionate replacement of materials Tags The project prioritised reuse and upcycling using low-carbon and natural materials including… Working with local architecture studio dílna London and central Europe-based Chybik +… Harp & Harp has completed a seven-home scheme in Croydon Pollard Thomas Edwards has created a landmark… On Monday 5th of May the Call Centre will deal with emergencies only self-serve & emergency out of hours call support will be unaffected Little Ilford Park is set for a total transformation including improved play equipment improved outside gym equipment and walking route and a new Café thanks to Levelling Up Funding from the Government Children’s Services and Education said: “This is a fantastic new facility for our children and the residents of Little Ilford “By this summer our residents will have a fabulous new venue to go to play in line with our commitment to deliver a cleaner greener and healthier borough.”  As the Council prepares to install the new facilities in the park the younger children’s play equipment will close for six weeks from this month to enable the works The older children’s play area will feature a fantastic new tower and slide which will be constructed by mid-March with overhauled and improved flower beds and new cricket nets Designed and powered by Jadu An Ilford fruit and vegetable shop that repeatedly left its rubbish piled up at the front of the store has been successfully prosecuted by Redbridge Council Nittyo Bazaar Ltd was ordered to pay nearly £1400 in court fines and costs for failing to store its commercial waste properly based business landed on the council’s radar after the London Fire Brigade flagged concerns over how the shop was storing its commercial waste a Redbridge Council Enforcement Officer paid the store a visit and discovered large amounts of commercial waste sitting outside the shop Among the piles of rubbish was loose cardboard and plastic and wooden boxes - all belonging to Nittyo Bazaar Ltd The shop was swiftly issued a legal notice under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 specifying conditions for the storage and management of its commercial waste Despite being legally ordered to store its rubbish properly compliance checks on the shop found Nittyo Bazaar Ltd repeatedly breaching the waste storage conditions placed on the business the Enforcement Officer found a broken chiller cabinet belonging to the shop dumped on the store forecourt The shop’s continued failure to store its commercial waste properly led to a series of fixed penalty notices which remained unpaid despite the council sending reminder letters Nittyo Bazaar Ltd was subsequently summonsed to appear at Barkingside Magistrates Court charged with five offences of failing to comply with an Environmental Protection Act waste management notice the company wrote to the court and entered a ‘guilty’ plea to one charge having made late payment to the council for four fixed penalty notices The magistrates sentenced Nittyo Bazaar Ltd to a fine court and council costs – all totalling £1,395 Please be advised that the council and its offices will be closed on certain days during the Christmas period If you have an emergency during this period