Basildon Former office Building To Be Used To House At Risk Havering Residents.

Local Democracy Reporter Sebastian Mann writes:

Havering Council will look into housing at-risk residents in a former office building, though concerns have been raised about its viability.

Eastgate House, in Basildon, Essex, has been earmarked for the council for 34 new units of temporary accommodation.

The cabinet greenlit the scheme at a monthly meeting this week (22nd January).

Councillor Natasha Summers, the cabinet member for housing need, said the “urgent” need for more housing “cannot be overstated” as Havering needed to “stay ahead” of future challenges.

Housing director Patrick Odling-Smee said it was costing the council “a lot of money”.

Last year, the council overspent its housing budget by £6.1m. It is now forecasting a budget shortfall of £75m for the coming year.

The building will be converted by the National Housing Group at no cost to the town hall, council leader and Havering Residents Association (HRA) chief Ray Morgon said at the meeting.

Once the works are finished, the council will enter a ten-year lease with the company to accommodate at-risk residents.

Cllr Morgon said: “Havering has always tried to house people in Havering.

“We don’t want to move people out of where they reside, but there is sometimes no choice.”

Basildon Borough Council had previously tried to convert the building into housing but had been unsuccessful, the cabinet was told.

Leader Gavin Callaghan said in a letter to the council leadership, seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), there were “substantial safety risks” with the layout of the building.

Additionally, there were “several planning challenges” that needed to be overcome, which would “likely result in delays and increased costs, further undermining the financial viability of the proposal”.

Chief executive Andrew Blake-Herbert said the council had been in touch with Basildon.

Though Havering has agreed to explore the option, it will be subject to planning permission.

Councillor Keith Darvill, leader of the Havering Labour group, said that councillors wanted “their investment of time and effort” to deliver something.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Cllr Summers said: “Like many councils across the country, Havering is facing a housing crisis.

“Homelessness due to eviction of tenants from the private rental sector is beyond the council’s control and it is happening more and more, as private landlords sell up as a result of rising taxes, increased mortgages rates and additional obligations on landlords.

“Given the shortage of social housing and the council’s financial challenges, establishing new cost-effective temporary housing solutions is a priority.”

The scheme is similar to the council’s plan to convert Chesham House, a former office building, into 55 units of accommodation.

The plans were green-lit last year and work is underway, Cllr Summers said. She said it is expected to come into use in early 2026.

Concerns were raised about that scheme, too, with councillors saying it could comprise “substandard accommodation”.

During the same meeting, the cabinet approved plans for 18 new temporary homes on the dormant Waterloo Estate in Romford.

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