Romford Residents Fear Their Homes Will Be Swallowed Up By Huge Como Street Development.

19th August 202619th August 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Como Street, Havering Council, Housing, Romford min read

Residents living around Como Street in Romford are continuing their campaign against the proposed redevelopment of the Como Street car park, saying they remain deeply concerned about the potential impact the scheme could have on their homes, parking, privacy and the wider neighbourhood.

The current planning application proposes 138 residential dwellings, together with flexible commercial and community floorspace, public realm improvements, landscaping, access, servicing, vehicle and cycle parking and refuse and recycling facilities.

The proposals have been through a lengthy period of development and consultation. Havering Council previously described the scheme as providing up to 137 homes across four buildings and a terrace of four town houses, with commercial units and a public square. The council also said building heights had been revised following feedback from residents.

However, residents involved in the Como Street Car Park Action Group say they remain unhappy with the scale and design of the current proposals.

For people living immediately around the site, the development is not simply about adding new homes to Romford. They say it could fundamentally change the environment they currently live in.

One of their major concerns is the height and massing of the proposed buildings.

Residents fear that taller buildings could change the character of the area and have an impact on neighbouring properties, including concerns about overlooking, privacy and loss of daylight.

These concerns were also raised during Havering Council’s Strategic Planning Committee presentation in January 2025, when councillors questioned the scale transition between buildings, potential overlooking towards Linden Street and the positioning of rooms within the proposed development.

The Action Group says residents want a development which is more sympathetic to the surrounding homes, with some calling for buildings to be limited to three or four storeys.

Parking is another major concern.

The existing Como Street car park currently has 134 spaces, including seven disabled spaces.

Residents are concerned about what the loss of the existing car park and the parking arrangements within the new development could mean for people already living in the surrounding streets.

The issue of parking was also raised by councillors during the January 2025 Strategic Planning Committee discussion, with members questioning the level of provision. The committee noted that the site has a Public Transport Accessibility Level of 5 and that a car-free development can be consistent with London Plan policy, but strong concerns about parking were nevertheless raised.

For residents, the argument is that planning policy does not necessarily remove the practical problems they say could arise on surrounding streets.

They are also raising concerns about construction itself.

A development of this scale would inevitably mean a significant period of building activity, and residents have raised concerns about construction traffic, noise, dust, disruption and the potential effect on neighbouring properties.

The Action Group has also raised concerns about the condition and foundations of nearby buildings, including older properties. These are matters that would need to be assessed through the appropriate planning, construction and technical processes rather than being treated as established damage or risk.

The River Rom is another important part of the residents’ concerns.

The site sits alongside the river, and residents have questioned how the river and surrounding area will be treated as part of the development.

Flooding is also an issue they want properly considered.

Havering’s own Romford Development Framework identifies flooding and traffic constraints at the Como Street site. The document notes that part of the site is within Flood Zone 2 and says the Environment Agency should be consulted. It also identifies traffic noise and air pollution as significant site constraints.

Residents are therefore asking whether the proposed development can successfully deal with drainage, flooding, biodiversity and the River Rom while also creating a substantial new residential development.

There are also concerns about local infrastructure.

Residents have questioned whether existing services and facilities have sufficient capacity to accommodate additional residents, including schools, healthcare, dentists, parks and other community services.

Infrastructure capacity was specifically discussed by councillors during the January 2025 planning presentation, alongside questions about the scheme’s financial viability and the housing mix.

The Action Group has also raised concerns about the amount of open space and amenity available to both existing and future residents.

Its members say that while they recognise Romford needs housing, they believe new development should not come at the expense of the quality of life of people who already live in the area.

They are calling for residents’ concerns to be properly considered rather than simply treating the site as an opportunity to maximise the number of homes that can be built.

The council, however, has previously said the site has been identified for residential redevelopment and that the proposals have evolved following engagement with the community. It has also said that the development is intended to provide much-needed housing and improvements to the area.

The Como Street site was formally identified for redevelopment several years ago. A 2023 council notice confirmed the intention to appropriate the car park and associated land for planning purposes to facilitate development.

Residents therefore know that development of the site has been under consideration for some time.

Their argument is not necessarily that nothing should ever be built there.

Instead, they want the scale, height, density, parking, infrastructure, environmental impact and relationship with existing homes to be properly examined.

The Action Group says it would welcome the opportunity to work with Havering Council and Mercury Land Holdings on an alternative scheme that it believes could provide housing while being more appropriate for the surrounding neighbourhood.

The planning process will ultimately determine whether the current proposal is acceptable in planning terms.

For the residents living closest to Como Street, however, this is about more than a planning application number.

It is about what their streets could look like in the years ahead, how much sunlight reaches their homes, whether their privacy is protected, where they and their visitors will park, how construction will affect them and whether local infrastructure can cope with additional demand.

Their message is clear: they are not against the future of Romford — but they want to have a say in what that future looks like.

Plans for the proposed development.