Shoppers give their views on state of Romford town centre

Shoppers in Romford have voiced strong opinions on the state of the town centre, with some calling for immediate improvements to a “desperate” marketplace.

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.”

But Iris McKenna, a Romford resident for 30 years, said she feels safe in Romford and only wished for something meaningful to replace her favourite store, Debenhams.

Iris, who had spent the afternoon at Liberty Shopping Centre: “We need a store like Debenhams to come back. I haven’t been back since, but it was very much for me.

“There was everything for everyone in there,” she added. 

Iris said that Romford is still ‘quaint’, but Debenham’s lacks an adequate replacement since its closure. (Image: George Hayes)

Iris said that Romford was still quaint, but lacking a main attraction such as Debenhams, which closed in 2019.

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.