Grays Town Centre Framework

Enhancing the image of the town centre and reconnecting Grays with the River Thames

Grays is a chartered market town in Essex at the banks of the river Thames and the administrative centre of Thurrock. Grays has excellent train links into central London, and the potential to benefit from substantial residential growth in the future.

The opening of the South Essex College has already started to shift the centre of gravity of the town centre towards the river. This together with development at the railway station offers a major regeneration opportunity for the town centre and the potential to reconnect Grays with its neglected riverside.

In January 2014 Urban Initiatives Studio were appointed by Thurrock Council, to prepare a Framework for Grays that would establish a coherent spatial vision, identify key design principles and help guide Grays’ regeneration. As part of this study we prepared a concept design for the transformation of Grays riverfront and undertook capacity studies for key sites.

Public consultation on the Town Centre Framework was very positively received by residents and stakeholders and endorsed by the Council Cabinet. The framework forms evidence for the emerging Local Plan.