Security guards in Redbridge

Which parts of Redbridge do we cover?

All of the borough, from Wanstead and South Woodford in the west to Hainault and Chadwell Heath on its eastern side, and north to the Essex boundary.

• Ilford is a Metropolitan town centre and an Opportunity Area in the London Plan, and the council’s main focus for regeneration. Its Housing Zone covers Ilford Hill and the High Road. The Ilford Western Gateway, between the Ilford Hill flyover and the station, is planned for about 1,000 homes and the redevelopment of the gyratory. A Cultural Quarter is planned around Redbridge Town Hall and Oakfield Road, and Ilford is home to the Kenneth More Theatre.
• The Elizabeth line corridor runs east from Ilford through Seven Kings and Goodmayes to Chadwell Heath, and the council’s Local Plan makes it an Investment and Growth Area. King George Hospital is on Barley Lane in Goodmayes.
• Central line district centres at Gants Hill, Wanstead, South Woodford and Barkingside. The London Plan rates the evening economies of Gants Hill and South Woodford as more than local in significance.
• Business parks and industrial estates. Hainault Business Park and Southend Road Business Park are the borough’s Strategic Industrial Locations. Newton Industrial Estate, Forest Road, Hainault Works, Raven Road and Connaught Road West are Local Business Areas, and Woodford Trading Estate is a key employment site in South Woodford.
• Green Belt and forest. About a third of Redbridge is Green Belt and around 48% is green space, taking in parts of Epping Forest, the Roding valley, Hainault Forest Country Park and Fairlop Waters.

What needs guarding in Redbridge?

Ilford’s shops. Stores on the High Road and in the town centre’s shopping streets can use officers who are seen, stay polite with customers and back up staff when something goes wrong. Ilford’s evening economy is rated of regional or sub-regional importance in the London Plan, so cover may need to run into the evening: see retail security.

Building sites around the station and along the Elizabeth line. Sites in the Housing Zone’s pipeline, at the Western Gateway and in the Crossrail Corridor need the gate controlled by day and the site guarded at night, as our construction site security page sets out. Where deliveries share the gyratory or the station approach with buses and passengers, traffic marshals can guide lorries in and out.

New blocks of flats. As homes are completed around Ilford Hill, managing agents can put concierge officers on the front desk to handle visitors, contractors and parcels.

Business parks. At Hainault and Southend Road, officers can run the gatehouse, log HGVs and patrol yards and empty units after hours. See warehouse and industrial security, or keyholding and alarm response for units that are locked up overnight.

What local factors affect security in Redbridge?

• Peak traffic near South Woodford. The Local Plan describes the Charlie Browns roundabout as a major junction with high levels of traffic at peak times, and the North Circular meets the M11 east of South Woodford. For premises at Southend Road Business Park or Woodford Trading Estate, set delivery windows and officers’ shift changes away from the peaks where you can.
• Buildings bought ahead of redevelopment. Properties bought for regeneration schemes, such as the Ilford Western Gateway, can stand empty before demolition, and mobile patrols are one way to check them until work starts.
• Late opening in Ilford, Gants Hill and South Woodford. All three have evening economies recognised in the London Plan. If your premises are licensed to sell alcohol for drinking on site, or for regulated entertainment, door staff need an SIA door supervisor licence, which covers more than a security guarding licence does.
• Open land at the edges. About a third of Redbridge is Green Belt. If your premises back onto open land, check fence lines, gates and lighting along that boundary when you plan patrols.