“They Don’t Live Here”: Romford Residents Furious as Council Officers Back Controversial Como Street Development
A controversial redevelopment of Como Street Car Park could move a major step closer to reality after Havering Council officers recommended that planning permission be granted, despite fierce opposition from residents and more than 120 objections to the scheme.
The application, submitted by council owned developer Mercury Land Holdings, is due to go before Havering Council’s Strategic Planning Committee on Thursday 17 September, where councillors will be asked to consider whether the proposed development should be approved.
The plans would see the existing Como Street car park redeveloped to provide 138 residential dwellings, together with flexible commercial and community floorspace, landscaping, public realm improvements, access arrangements and parking.
The proposal has sparked significant concern among residents living in Como Street and surrounding roads, with objections focusing on the height and scale of the buildings, privacy, parking, traffic, infrastructure, flooding, the impact on existing homes and the changing character of the area.
More than 120 objections have been submitted to the council.
Residents have repeatedly argued that the scale of the development is simply too great for its surroundings.
Council officers, however, have recommended that planning permission be granted, stating in their report that the proposed layout, height and scale are acceptable for the location.
The report also concludes that the development would provide a satisfactory level and mix of housing, contribute towards the borough’s housing stock and create routes and streets that make a contribution to the local area.
The report states that the modern design responds positively to the surrounding area and that the layout and distances between buildings would protect the amenities of existing residents.
But for residents who live immediately around the site, the argument is far more personal.
Residents ask who will have to live with the consequences
For residents, one of the most frustrating aspects of the planning process is that the people recommending the application are assessing the proposal through planning reports and technical information, while those who actually live around Como Street will be the people left to live with the consequences if the development goes ahead.
Residents are not simply objecting to figures on a planning document.
They are talking about their homes, their gardens, their privacy and the character of streets where people have lived for many years.
Across Romford, residential streets that were once dominated by traditional family homes have increasingly found themselves alongside much taller developments.
Tower blocks that were not there previously are now part of the landscape, with residents in older properties facing much larger buildings overlooking their homes.
Como Street and the surrounding roads are quiet residential streets close to a busy town centre.
Residents argue that the continued development of high rise buildings has already changed the character of parts of Romford, and they fear Como Street could become another example of an established residential neighbourhood being dramatically transformed.
For those living closest to the proposed development, the issue is deeply personal.
They fear losing the ability to sit privately in their own gardens without being overlooked by taller buildings.
They fear losing daylight, privacy and the feeling that their homes remain their own private spaces.
Residents have fought tirelessly to try to reduce the height and scale of the proposed development.
They have attended meetings, submitted objections and repeatedly raised concerns about what the plans could mean for their homes and quality of life.
Their frustration is now clear.
They want those making the decision to look beyond the figures, drawings and planning reports and understand what the development could actually mean for the people who will have to live alongside it.
Because once the decision is made and buildings are constructed, residents say the impact cannot simply be undone.
For them, this is not an abstract planning exercise.
It is about the future of their homes and the neighbourhood they have called home for years.
Andrew Rosindell opposes current plans
Romford MP Andrew Rosindell has also raised concerns about the proposal and its impact on the area.
He said:
“While I support regeneration and the delivery of new homes, this proposal is clearly overdeveloped and out of keeping with the character of Lower Mawneys.
“I am also concerned about the loss of a well-used public car park, inadequate parking provision for residents, and the additional pressure the development would place on already stretched local services and infrastructure.
“For these reasons, I strongly urge the committee to refuse planning application.”
Former councillor David Taylor has also raised concerns about the potential impact on the town centre, as well as what he described as “poor design which fails to respect local character.”
Questions over parking
One of the major concerns raised by residents is the loss of the existing public car park.
The current proposals would replace a substantial amount of publicly available parking with a residential development.
Residents have raised particular concerns about disabled parking, with the proposals providing five disabled parking spaces for the development.
They have also questioned how the surrounding streets will cope with additional parking pressure.
For residents, the issue is not simply where future residents will park, but what happens to the existing community once the public car park disappears.
The River Rom and environmental concerns
The Environment Agency has also been involved in discussions surrounding the application.
Correspondence dated 19 February 2026 indicated that the Environment Agency could remove its previous objection subject to conditions if planning permission were granted.
The River Rom currently runs through a concrete channel alongside the site.
The proposals include a naturalised section of riverbank, with the Environment Agency seeking the maximum possible length of naturalised riparian buffer and conditions relating to the removal of sections of river wall and the regrading of the bank.
The environmental issues have formed another part of the wider debate surrounding the development.
Residents fear a permanent change to Romford
For many residents, however, the biggest concern remains the height of the buildings and what they believe it represents for the future of Romford.
The surrounding area contains established homes, including older Victorian and Edwardian properties, and residents fear that increasingly tall developments are changing the relationship between the town centre and the residential streets surrounding it.
Their argument is not that Romford should never change.
It is that regeneration should take account of the people and communities already living there.
Residents have argued for a lower density development, with significantly reduced building heights and greater consideration given to retaining parking and protecting neighbouring homes.
They say they have spent months fighting to have their concerns heard and now face the possibility that the development could be approved despite their objections.
The final decision will rest with councillors on the Strategic Planning Committee.
For the residents living closest to Como Street, Thursday’s meeting could therefore be about much more than another planning application.
They believe it could determine whether the character and privacy of their neighbourhood are protected or whether another major development changes the area permanently.
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Does Havering really need additional commercial space ? especially when there are loads of spaces empty in the borough