PLANS to redevelop Barkingside Town Centre have been dealt a blow after Council proposals for a grant from a regeneration fund were overlooked.

The bid to revive Barkingside town centre with a new square, was one of three which Redbridge submitted for consideration by the Mayor of London’s Outer London Fund (OLF).

The Council are also trying to get funding for a flood protection scheme for the River Roding Valley and an improvement programme for Ilford Town Centre.

After missing out on an initial round of funding, Redbridge applied for a second round in which local authorities were required to provide ‘match funding’ for their bids.

At a meeting last Tuesday (January 10), Redbridge Council’s Cabinet agreed to approve the allocation of £200,000 to the Barkingside bid in an effort to secure £2million from the OLF.

But Redbridge was not among the 18 outer London boroughs which yesterday saw bids accepted by the OLF.

Deputy Leader of the Council Ian Bond said: “I am disappointed.

“But our understanding is that the money has not been completely exhausted and we think that at least one of our bids is still being looked at.”

Redbridge is already set to benefit from Crossrail plans which would improve transport links between Ilford and the centre of London.

And Cllr Bond believes that may have impacted the bid for OLF funding.

He said: “I think there might be a perception that we are already benefiting from the Cross Rail plans.

“But two of the bids we submitted are some way away from the areas that will benefit directly from that scheme.”

While he says that there are other avenues which the Council could pursue to find funding for the other two bids, Cllr Bond says the Barkingside plan is dependent on OLF funding.

“There is no other way to make this happen at the moment,” he explained. “The vibes we have been getting about the bid have been very positive, so I’m still hopeful that something may happen.

“I think in a sense we are on a reserve list.”

A statement on the Mayor’s website said: “There are a number of other promising projects in Outer London where the GLA is continuing discussions towards further allocations.”

Click here to follow the Wanstead & Woodford Guardian on Twitter