​​Romford masterplan expected to be approved after years of delay as Romford Civic Society call the delay a “scandal”.

Romford Civic Society warn that big developments were being approved before the planning guidelines had been actually been approved.

Local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann today writes:

Havering Council is expected to approve its plan to ‘rejuvenate’ Romford after seven years of developing it.

The ‘Romford masterplan,’ commissioned in 2017, sets out the council’s 20-year vision to boost the east London town.

It includes proposals to partly turn the market into a space for events, redevelop ‘underutilised’ sites such as car parks, improve safety in the centre, and ‘renaturalise’ the River Rom.

High Street shops, as well as those in South Street, the market square, Romford Shopping Hall and the Liberty, Brewery and Mercury sites, will be a focus for improvement, the council says.

It also hopes to ‘diversify’ the town centre, attract businesses from both Essex and London, and foster a ‘safe and attractive’ night-time economy.

Council leader Ray Morgon said, in the plan’s preamble: “Romford uniquely sits between Essex and London, and can integrate with both. There is potential to broaden the offer of the town centre to support its future and attract growth and investment.”

He added better integration could bring in a “greater variety” of shops, cafes, restaurants and leisure venues.

The council’s cabinet, controlled by the Havering Residents Association (HRA), will approve the 228-page scheme at a meeting next week.

It would function as a ‘supplementary planning document,’ used to guide development in conjunction with the council’s borough-wide Local Plan.

Graham Williamson, the cabinet member for regeneration, called it a “blueprint for sustainable growth that respects our rich heritage while paving the way for a dynamic future”.

He said: “Together, we will shape a Romford that thrives economically, socially, and culturally for generations to come.”

In a further bid to make Romford more welcoming, the entrance to Romford Station, which connects the border town to London via the Elizabeth Line, will also be revamped.

One of the more controversial proposals has been to ‘recharacterise’ the ring road, transforming it into an “urban boulevard” to better integrate the centre and local neighbourhoods.

Havering says the busy road ‘severs’ Romford from the surrounding residential area, but critics wanted it removed from the scheme.

The masterplan was last discussed in late 2023, after the council announced it would be axing the long-running Sunday market to help plug a £32.5million budget deficit.

Cllr Morgon said at the time Havering could no longer subsidise the market at £200,000 per year, but was “actively working” on a masterplan to improve the whole town centre.

In 2022, former Conservative leader Damian White said the masterplan had been delayed for years as a result of the equally-delayed local plan.

It was adopted in 2021, and its lateness was blamed on the council’s challenge against the Mayor of London’s limit on parking spaces.

The Romford Civic Society called the delay a “scandal” and warned that big developments were being approved before the planning guidelines had been approved.

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