Councillor David Taylor addresses the strategic planning committee. Credit:Havering Council
(Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Sebastian Mann)
Car parks in Como Street and Angel Way are among six sites earmarked by the town hall for new housing.
The two schemes were discussed at a strategic planning meeting last week, ahead of a formal planning application being submitted in the coming months.
The nine-storey tower in Como Street would comprise 137 flats of varying size and affordability, with the ground floor allocated for retail or commercial use.
A representative from Mercury Land Holdings, a developer wholly owned by the council, said the floorspace would be marked as “flexible,” opening it up for cafés, shops or community spaces.
The developers say that more housing is “crucial” for the borough, after Havering Council overspent its housing budget by £6.1m last year. It is now facing a £75m projected overspend for 2025/26, as it continues to spend thousands on keeping at-risk families in hotels.
Around 30 Romford residents showed up to the town hall in a show against the Como Street plans, which Conservative ward councillor David Taylor said showed the strength of feeling.
He told the committee in his opening address that the plans were “just not suitable” for the area. Residents say their new neighbours will be able to look “straight into” their homes and have pushed for the council to consider smaller, two-storey family homes.
He added that residents felt let down by the council’s level of consultation, which comprised two online webinars and a meeting organised by a local opposition group. He said: “Their neighbourhood is under threat of irreversible damage to its character, and they fear this [approach] will set a precedent.”
What Como Street could look like. Credit: Havering Council
One resident told the Havering Daily they would end up “completely surrounded by tower blocks” if the plans went ahead.
They said: “When I look out of my window, I see two huge tower blocks that have gone up over the last two years, with all the dust and noise disturbance [they have] caused.”
They added that the car parks would be better used if the council improved the entranceways.
In keeping with the Mayor of London’s push for more “active living,” the proposals will not include any parking spaces.
Conservative councillor Tim Ryan said it could not be effective because people “will find a way to drive,” even without allocated spaces. He said this could lead to “even more problems” and pressure on Romford’s road infrastructure.
The developers said there were no plans for an underground car park, as the cost would be too high.
Cllr Ryan added Como Street was in a “very old bit of Romford” that “needs to be protected”.
He told the developers: “If you are going to do it, then do it properly and with residents on board.”
During the meeting, the strategic planning committee was told the ground floor would not be used for housing for the sake of quality.
Labour councillor Jane Keane backed the suggestion, adding that ground-floor accommodation can cause issues for residents.
The St Alban’s ward councillor said they faced “safety issues and health and hygiene issues,” because they “cannot ventilate or protect their flats properly”.
However, she said she did not want to see empty shops in their place.
No decisions have yet been made on the plans for either Como Street or Angel Way.
The proposal to tear down the five-storey car park in Angel Way has drawn less criticism from residents and councillors. The new scheme would comprise 105 flats split across two blocks, each between six and eight storeys tall.
The council received twelve comments during their round of public consultation, nine of which were negative. Residents said they appreciated the need for more housing, but expressed fears about “overdevelopment”.
Cllr Taylor said after the meeting that Mercury Land Holdings has agreed to meet again with residents. He said: “We hope to secure further changes and assurances around the plans.”
Andrew Rosindell, the MP for Romford, was also in attendance at the town hall, protesting the “destruction of Romford’s character”.
He said: “We are becoming more and more like inner London. The more of these high-rise blocks are built, the less character we retain of our town.”
