Stratford Town Centre Public Realm Project

The London Borough of Newham has commissioned a leading British architecture, urban design and landscape architecture team to design and deliver a high quality public realm with a unique visitor experience at the heart of Stratford Town Centre in time for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  The Stratford Town Centre Public Realm Project will introduce a series of high impact design interventions across the Stratford Island (the area defined by the gyratory system), create new and improved public spaces and make the town centre a better place to shop, visit and do business.  The work will be funded through Section 106 funding (planning obligations) from Stratford City, from Central Government and from the London Development Agency.   

The project is proposing new public realm designs for a series of key spaces: Meridian Square as the gateway to Stratford for visitors arriving via public transport; theatre Square at the heart of the Cultural Quarter, the Broadway with its historic character; the Maryland Station junction as the point of arrival for Crossrail and National Rail paseners; and the Railway Tree crossing that connects with Stratford high street and the Jupp Bridge pedestrian link to Carpenters Estate and the Olympic Park beyond.  The project will also upgrade and improve areas surrounding the Island, including the space around the Old Town Hall. 

In addition, a vertical 'tree screen' made of naturally coloured titanium will produce a linear edge to consolidate the fractured northern edge of the Stratford Island.  The screen will help define the island and guide pedestrians while enhancing the entrances to the Stratford Centre and Theatre Square.

Overall, the re-invigorated public realm together with the vertical screen aim to change perceptions and establish Stratford Town Centre as a destination in its own right - a benchmark for the quality of future designs that will not be compromised by change ahead.