Romford Councillor calls on Havering Council to begin work on the Waterloo Estate.

Following government clarification around building safety, Councillor David Taylor from St Edwards ward,has called on Havering Council to begin work on the Waterloo Estate, citing an urgent need for decent homes. 

The Waterloo Estate redevelopment was placed on pause following government guidance on building safety. The guidance stated that buildings above a certain height should have two staircases, to increase the chance of escape during a fire. The pause in construction was mirrored across London with thousands of homes on pause as developer sought clarity. 

Councillor Taylor raised the pause to a parliamentary committee, citing it as a blockage to the delivery of much needed homes and a contributing factor to rising homelessness. 

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Housing, has now clarified that buildings with existing planning permission can still be built with a single staircase as long as construction begins within 30 months. 

In a statement issued on the government website Gove said the new guidance will bring the UK in line with countries such as Hong-Kong and the UAE. However, Gove reassured residents that buildings with a single staircase are not inherently unsafe. Gove also outlined that buildings with a single staircase should not be penalised when it comes to pricing. 

Havering Council has recently revealed that over 300 families are currently in temporary accommodation and they have investigated the idea of container homes on the Waterloo Estate. 

Councillor Taylor told the Havering Daily:

“Havering Council now has the clarity it needs to crack on and build proper homes, ensuring that we don’t have to place vulnerable families into container homes or unsuitable hotels. 

They must now get spades in the ground and begin work on delivering the Waterloo Estate. 

Concerns around building safety should not, of course, be ignored. However, the government is clear that buildings with a single staircase can still be considered safe. 

It is not right that we have hundreds of families living in B&Bs and we now have a chance to fix that.

I am aware that council staff are working hard and considering all options regarding the estate, but, my opinion is that the best option is clear. 

Let’s get building!

Councillor Taylor continued;

“Residents are concerned that the Council will leave this land empty for years to come. It is already attracting anti-social behaviour and is a scar on Romford. We cannot let such a prime-location sit as a pile of gravel for the unforeseeable future.”

Romford resident and local Labour activist Angelina Leatherbarrow told the Havering Daily:
“Developers in Romford have been waiting to see if they need to revisit plans to add additional stairwells in response to the Grenfell tragedy which showed what putting profit ahead of safety can lead to. If they wanted to put additional fire stairwells in to their designs, they didnt need legislation to force it, it should be a gold standard that developers want to meet because it’s the right thing to do. That said, there’s no reason to delay any further now so the Developers who are sitting on land all over the borough need to get on with the job and build the homes our community needs.

“On the Waterloo estate we have waited for years already and living next to what feels like an abandoned site has had an impact on residents here with an increase in anti social behaviour.”

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