GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

Introduction & Welcome

Grays Shopping Centre is an important part of Grays Town Centre with its distinctive high street, varied retail offer and good transport connections. The shopping centre is right at the heart and it represents an exciting opportunity to increase both vibrancy, vitality and offer an improved range of facilities and much needed new homes that will help create a viable long-term future for the town.

The owners of the shopping centre NewRiver are committed to working closely with existing retailers and the local community to help shape the future of the shopping centre and its relationship with the wider town. NewRiver has appointed community planners JTP to facilitate a Community Planning Weekend.

Community Planning Weekend Programme

Friday 28 February, Saturday 29 February, Public Workshop Day 1 Public Workshop Day 2

1.45pm Doors open & exhibition begins 11.00am Doors open & exhibition begins 2.00 Welcome and introduction 11.15 Welcome and introduction 11.30 Dialogue Workshop - Grays 2.10 Dialogue Workshop - Grays Shopping Centre Tomorrow Shopping Centre Today Young People’s Workshop Post-it Workshop Hands-on Planning Young People’s Workshop Young People’s Workshop 12.45pm Lunch break 3.15 Refreshment break 1.30 Hands-on Planning Groups 3.30 Hands-on Planning Groups Young People’s Workshop 4.45 Refreshment break (continued)

5.00 Feedback from Hands-on 2.45 Refreshment break Planning 3.00 Feedback from Hands-on 5.30 Workshops & exhibition Planning Groups conclude 3.30 Next Steps

4.00 Workshops & exhibition conclude

Tuesday 03 March, Report Back Presentation

Hands-on Planning Workshop Thameside Theatre, Road, Grays RM17 5DX

6.30pm Doors open

6.45 Report Back of the Vision for Grays Shopping Centre

8.30 Close

Project Tour Post-it Workshop Report Back GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

JTP Placemaking Collaborative Placemaking: Building a Vision Together

ABOUT US

We put people at the heart of the planning process, unearthing the real needs of a Engaging stakeholders and the wider community at an early stage encourages community, empowering stakeholders, creating goodwill, inspiring community spirit understanding, creates shared ownership, and allows the construction of a and building consensus. collective vision.

Far from imposing ready-made off-the-shelf solutions, we will build a vision Creating begins with the visioning process and ends with physical interventions. together. This leads to places that are vibrant, valued and sustainable from Along the way there are many issues to resolve and many actions to coordinate. the outset. This adds up to a process we call “Collaborative Placemaking”. We approach all our projects through a process of Understanding, Engaging, Creating.

Understanding the DNA of a place is fundamental to successful placemaking. We don’t stop until we truly get under the skin of a place and identify what makes it special.

“Collaborative Placemaking” We listen We debate

Our workshops uncover the things that matter most We draw together We create new places and to people breathe life into old ones GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

The Team

CLIENT NewRiver REIT plc (NewRiver) are the owners of Grays Shopping Centre, having acquired the centre in 2018. The NewRiver team would like to thank you for taking the time to visit us today.

NewRiver is a specialist FTSE250 public company, focused on buying, managing and developing community and convenience led retail & leisure assets across the UK. We are invested in over 700 communities up and down the country and are proud to work in partnership with over 60 different local authorities, adopting an active role in helping drive long-term economic growth and positive social impact in the towns we are invested in.

NewRiver are now exploring plans for the potential improvement of Grays Shopping Centre, alongside Council, that would ensure the town is relevant, realistic and sustainable for the long-term. We’d like to hear what YOU would like to see in your future Grays town centre so please share your thoughts.

Market Street, Newbury

ARCHITECT & URBAN DESIGNERS JTP is an award-winning international placemaking practice of architects and urban designers with extensive experience of delivering successful projects throughout the UK and internationally.

We are passionate about placemaking and our unique approach has received high praise; a selection of placemaking projects are shown on the right where the team has sucessfully created new places, and reinvigorated existing town centres.

ARCHITECTS Our award-winning ethos is to create high quality architectural solutions that blend a strategic, design-led approach with an integral commercial awareness. As Fulham Reach, London placemakers we know that architecture is about more than an individual building and we work collaboratively with our clients to understand and develop the spaces around and between structures.

With a broad portfolio of work that covers commercial, industrial, education, retail and leisure, and residential projects across the UK, we marry 40 years of professional experience with cutting edge technologies, producing design solutions that enhance the built environment.

PLANNING CONSULTANT Savills is one of the world’s leading property agents with some 240 planning specialists covering every sector and area in the UK. Our geographical reach and expertise in all areas of land use allows us to combine sector-leading expertise with detailed local knowledge to identify solutions to the most complex and challenging Dickens Yard, Ealing London planning projects. GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

Wider Context GRAYS - WIDER CONTEXT Grays with a population of roughly 67,000 is the largest town in the borough and unitary authority of Thurrock in Essex. It is one of Thurrock’s traditional (Church of England) parishes. A12 M25 A127 Grays sits on the north bank of the River Thames and is approximately 14 miles north of Kent Downs - an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. A128 Southend-on-Sea Situated roughly 20 miles (32 km) east of London

Central London the town lies just outside the M25 boundary. A13 A13 connects Grays to the west towards central London City Airport Grays London and to the east towards Southend-on-Sea.

A2

River Thames

Ebbsfleet International

Kent Downs AONB

To Romford GRAYS - LOCAL CONTEXT To Central Belhus Woods To Chelmsford Country Park London Grays benefits from a series of Nature parks, To Fenchurch Street

A1036 A13 Country Parks within close proximity of the town and Rainham marshes to the west.

A1089 M25

Davy Down A1012 Riverside Park Grays is well connected to the surrounding towns Rainham Marshes King George’s via road and rail. It is connected with rail links Nature Reserve Field A13 Chafford Gorges to London on the C2C service into Fenchurch Nature Park Street station. Grays Chalk Quarry A1090 Lakeside Nature Reserve

Grays

A1089 To Southend Central

Bridge Town

Queen Elisabeth II

Tilbury Port Stone Crossing Greenhithe for Bluewater Swanscombe River Thames To London Bridge

Gravesend To Gillingham Ebbsfleet

International M25

Darenth To London Country Park To Paris

To Dover GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

PALMERS AVENUE

THAMESIDE THEATRE ORSETT ROAD GRAYS TOWN PARK

HIGH STREET HIGH QUEENSGATE LONDON ROAD - A126 CENTRE CLARENCE ROAD

MORRISONS GRAYS ALDI SHOPPING CENTRE

CROWN ROAD

GRAYS TRAIN STATION

THURROCK COUNCIL NEW ROAD ARGENT STREET

SHERFIELD ROAD

SOUTH ESSEX COLLEGE

RIVER THAMES

NTS GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

BROOKE ROAD

EASTERN WAY

QUARRY HILL

LONDON ROAD - A126

DERBY ROAD

ORSETT ROAD

BEDFORD ROAD

HIGH STREET HIGH QUEENSGATE LONDON ROAD - A126 CENTRE

CLARENCE ROAD CLARENCE ROAD

GEORGE STREET

STANLEY ROAD

FINCHLEY ROAD GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE GRANGE ROAD

CROWN ROAD

CROWN ROAD BRIDGE ROAD DERBY HIGH STREET HIGH

GRAYS TRAIN STATION

BRUCES WHARF

ROAD

NEW ROAD SHERFIELD ROAD SHERFIELD

ARGENT STREET SOUTH ESSEX SEABROOKE RISE WEST STREET COLLEGE

NTS GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

Existing Shopping Centre

NTS

1 2 3

Key Plan 4 5

5

1 2

4

3 GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

Grays Town Centre Framework

Grays Town Centre Framework - Concept Plan Grays Town Centre Framework - Proposed Land Use

Figure 4.1: Proposed land uses Figure 3.1: The concept plan Titan Pitt

Titan Pit F i N

F

Hogg Lane Hogg Hogg Lane Hogg Thameside M Complex A H i

help to attract new retailers.Grays The Town expectation Park is that the Thurrock H ENHANCE SEABROOK RISE ESTATE development of new retail spaces will act as a catalystThurrock for Adult investment into existing premises, including shopAdult front Orsett Road Community The Council is considering plans for environmental J College Orsett Road improvements that will enhance the image of theCommunity town improvements in the Seabrook Rise Estate. These will College centre. also aim to improve wayfinding around the estate and improve connections between the town centre and the HOUSINGClarence Road river. State Cinema The town centre offers significant opportunities for D I PROVIDE FOR TOWN CENTRE LIVING E I B residential intensification in an area well servedF by public transport and facilities. An increase in the residential Grays town centre offers significant opportunities for population will support the vitality of the centre and local residential growth. This will support the vitality of the London Road London RoadM town centre, provide animation outside business hours, businesses. New residential uses or conversions will be F support local businesses and concentrate housing where encouraged at upper floors in both the core secondary HIgh Street retail areas. it is well served by public transport and facilities. HIgh Street Opportunity sites, including on infill and intensification Derby Rd Bridge Rd Derby The framework identifies several opportunity sites for sites within the town centre, at Hogg Lane and at the K Bridge Rd Derby A mixed use or residential development in the town centre, at I London Road gyratory and support the longer term Hogg Lane and London Road, and at the riverside. A E delivery of new residential development on the Titan Pit Grays Parish Civic majority of the new homes should be apartments to Grays Parish G B site. Church Offices maximise the amount of people living within walking Church New Road distance of shops, services and transport links. More THE CONCEPT PLAN C K F peripheral sites, such as the northern end of the Titan Pit site can be lower density. The concept plan for Grays town centre (Figure 3.1) establishes a coherent spatial strategy that delivers H The framework plan estimates that Grays town centre has K South Essex the objectives described above. The detail of the Road Sherfield the potential to accommodate a total of 566 new homes. College Seabrook Rise Estate overarching strategy is set out by topic in the sections These canSeabrook be broken Rise down: that follow. J • K Town Centre mixed use area: 297 homes 0 (excluding Civic Centre site); 0 Road Sherfield Argent St. Argent St. • L Riverside: 269 homes;

•M Hogg Lane and London Road: 96 homes; L •N Titan Pit: (number to be established); and

• 0 The Seabrook Rise Estate will be improved Kilverts Field The Grays Town Management Partnership, led by a L G new dedicated resource, from the Council has developed a portfolio of activity with the aim of Proposed pier making the town centre a more attractive and vibrant F place. This activity is designed and implemented by town centre traders who have come together to make C a positive difference. This partnership will be key to delivering many of theGrays non-physical Beach elements of this Park framework.

7 9

Grays Town Centre Framework - Character Areas/Key Frontages & Landmarks Grays Town Centre Framework- Proposed Public Realm & Open Spaces

Figure 7.1: Public realm and open spaces Figure 5.1: Key frontages, landmarks and character areas Q D D

D Hogg Lane Hogg O

B B

LONDON ROAD / HOGG LANE Old H D Court I COLLEGE SQUARE FRINGE Mecca House L Bingo Orsett Road • New development on the northern and western B side of the space should help to animate the G space and provide overlooking. P F TOWN WHARF SQUARE J D State The public space at the southern end of the High A cinema Street on Argent Street should be enhanced. Its design should: C London Road • Enhances physical and visual links between Grays A Bridge Rd Derby D Town Wharf and the River Thames; E

Description: This area offers the opportunity to • Integrate existing trees; and develop the immediate hinterland of the town centre • Enhance the setting of The White Hart and The and create a lively urban quarter. This will be E

characterised by street blocks with well enclosed and Theobald Arms public houses and provide D High St. High defined streets, with active frontages onto main Grays external seating and spill out space. Bridge Rd Derby streets, and enhanced public realm and a mix of Parish housing. Church K GRAYS RIVERFRONT PROMENADE

Grays should have a quality promenade that I • Development to establish an attractive setting celebrates its waterfront and brings people down to the Thames to enjoy the openness and views. The M and overlooking to two new town centre Rd. Sherfield gateways - at London Road and Hogg Lane promenade should be carefully designed to: A • Integrate Historic development on London Road New Road and Maidstone Road should be integrated by • Creatively respondE to and integrate the flood Road Sherfield new development and contribute to the defences; R character C • New development to be brought forward Argent Street • Provide high quality spaces for sitting out, Argent St. comprehensively and not in piecemeal fashion strolling and play; • Development to be of a high quality and D J Townscape Heritage and Heritage contribute to a strong character • Enable unobstructed views to the river; • Buildings to front onto the street space and • Integrate cycle route 13 from London Bridge to follow a consistent building line Tilbury; and N • Residential buildings should establish a well Thames Road 11 defined privacy strip to ensure the amenity of C • Connect to other open spaces, the proposed Grays S ground floor units pier and the town centre.

Frontages • Blank walls and gables should be avoided K • Typically 2-4 storeys • Key corners could be emphasised by increasing the height by one floor • Generally the last floor of new development should be within the roof structure of the building or provide a clearly articulated set-back behind the parapet line N

Heights 11 15 GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

Thurrock Council Transforming Grays

Over the next 10 years, Thurrock will transform as a result of a massive growth and regeneration programme. The town centre of Grays will be modernised through a series of ambitious proposals that will set the tone for future high quality development, invigorate the High Street and encourage more people to use local businesses.

Thurrock Council Work undertaken so far includes:

• South Essex College’s new building opened in 2014; • Refurbished the former Magistrates Court; • Grays Town Partnership formed and the ‘Love Grays’ campaign launched; • A new Town Centre Coordinator appointed to drive improvements and promote Grays; • Works started to implement the removal of the one-way road system; • A new market operator appointed offering better quality products and town centre WiFi; • £11 million of funding secured from the Local Growth Fund to build a new • pedestrian rail crossing; • JD Wetherspoon has acquired The State cinema building; • Proposals developed for a new, modern, energy efficient Civic Centre with facilities for the local community

Thurrock Council is currently engaging with the local residents for the projects indicated on the project map opposite.

Thurrock Council Project Map - Grays public engagement boards February 2020

Thurrock Council Transforming Grays Timeline

March November October January February March June 2017 2017 2019 2020 2020 2020 2020

Results of consultation Thurrock Local Cabinet agreed Planning Works start on Public reported, underpass Plan Design a refreshed permission Public the Civic Centre consultation preferred option Strategy SPD was development secured for new consultation extension closes selected and detailed adopted framework Civic Centre design starts GRAYS SHOPPING CENTRE Community Planning Weekend : 28 February - 3 March 2020

Grays Shopping Centre Project Constraints and Opportunities

1

2

3 4m

5.25m

5.00m

6.75m 6.50m 7.15m

8.00m

7.50m 7.75m 8.20m

4 9.20m

KEY: Site boundary Levels LISTED BUILDING IDENTIFICATION Listed buildings Underpass 1 Church, Mecca Bingo, Quarry Hill - Grade II 2 War Memorial, Orsett Road - Grade II Train station Level crossing 3 State Cinema ,George Street - Grade II* Rail Existing bridge (Infrastructure barrier) 4 Church Of St Peter And St Paul, High Street - Grade II