Former Regeneration Councillor Fires Questions At New Council Leader Over Havering’s Future

Former Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Councillor Graham Williamson, has issued an open letter to new Council Leader Councillor Prince, challenging several key policy positions announced by the new Reform administration.

In the letter, former Councillor Williamson questions proposals surrounding Romford regeneration, the controversial data centre scheme and ongoing issues linked to Launders Lane.

Addressing Councillor Prince directly, Williamson said he had read recent comments made in an interview with the Havering Daily and noted that while some issues raised sit outside Havering Council’s direct control, including policing and the Greater London Authority, there were several areas where the council itself holds responsibility.

Turning to the ongoing Launders Lane crisis, Williamson acknowledged residents’ frustrations but pointed out that plans were already in place under the previous administration to access the site before what many fear could become another dangerous fire season.

However, he stressed that the key obstacle remains obtaining permission from the landowner and said residents would now be watching closely to see how the new administration handles the situation.

Williamson also criticised suggestions that the Romford Masterplan could be scrapped, warning it would amount to wasting significant public money after years of work and investment.

The regeneration blueprint, first introduced under the former Conservative administration around eight years ago, was later revised and republished by the HRA administration in an attempt to guide and control future development in Romford.

Williamson warned that abandoning the plan without presenting a clear alternative vision could leave Romford exposed to uncontrolled overdevelopment.

He argued the current masterplan was already beginning to attract investment into the town centre and focused heavily on improving public spaces including Romford Market and the River Rom.

Rather than abandoning the scheme entirely, he suggested the new administration should consider refining and amending it further.

The former Cabinet Member also questioned Reform’s proposal to introduce a further three month consultation period on the proposed data centre development.

Williamson argued that extending the consultation process would achieve little beyond delaying a decision, saying supporters and opponents of the scheme had already firmly made up their minds and submitted their views.

He challenged the new administration to clarify exactly what it hoped to achieve through further delays and what its long term intentions were for the project.

Ending his letter with a stark warning, Williamson reminded the new administration that the proposed data centre investment is believed to be the largest private investment proposal in Havering’s history.

“It won’t hang around forever,” he warned.

Open Letter From Graham Williamson To Councillor Prince

Dear Councillor Prince,

I recently read in THD an interview you gave where you made some various policy statements. Some of them fall under the purview of agencies outside the Council’s control e.g. Police, GLA etc. but I wish you well in your deliberations.

You do touch on some areas which do fall within the Council’s control. You understandably refer to the Launder’s Lane fiasco but there is already a Council plan to access the land prior to the ‘fire season’.

The challenge is obtaining permission from the landowner and I look forward to hearing how this progresses for the benefit of local residents.

You also suggested the scrapping of the Romford Masterplan which was initiated some 8 years ago by the former Conservative Administration at a significant cost.

The scrapping of the plan will be a waste of public funds, but there is no mention of what or how Reform’s vision will be delivered, and I trust this will be publicised in due course.

The HRA Administration could have also written the Masterplan off but took the decision to amend and publish it last year, ensuring only managed and controlled developments will likely come forward.

Without the masterplan however, Havering will be exposed to overdevelopment and proposals that will have a significant impact on a town crying out for appropriate regeneration.

The current Masterplan also focuses on trying to attract and encourage investors to revitalise the High Street which was beginning to bear fruit.

If you looked at it in detail you will have seen that it focuses on improving public spaces, including Romford Market and the River Rom. Rather than abandoning it you might seek to amend it further.

Finally, the suggestion of introducing a further three month consultation to the Data Centre proposal won’t achieve anything other than kicking the can down the road.

Those who are for or against the proposal have already settled upon their opinions and have submitted them. It would be interesting what you think you can achieve by extending the process and what your ultimate intentions are.

Just a reminder that the proposed investment is the biggest in Havering’s history and even larger than that spent on the Olympics in Stratford in 2016. It won’t hang around forever!

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