COMO STREET CAR PARK PLANS HALTED: COUNCILLORS DELAY DECISION ON 138-HOME SCHEME
The fight over Como Street car park has taken another twist after councillors deferred a decision on the controversial plans, despite council planning officers recommending the scheme for approval.
The proposed redevelopment of Como Street Car Park in Romford was due to face a major decision at yesterday’s Strategic Planning Committee meeting, but residents will now have to wait a little longer to find out its fate.
The committee chair deferred the application, meaning no final decision was made on the proposal to transform the council-owned car park into a substantial residential and commercial development.
Mercury Land Holdings, the council-owned development company, is proposing around 138 homes alongside commercial and community space on the site.
The plans have generated considerable opposition locally, with residents and the Como Street Car Park Action Group raising concerns about the scale and height of the proposed buildings, the impact on the character of the area and the loss of town centre parking.
Romford MP Andrew Rosindell has also spoken out against the proposals.
But while council planning officers recommended that the application should be approved, the final decision in this case rests with the Strategic Planning Committee.
That distinction has become an important issue for residents who have questioned the role of unelected officers in the planning process.
Planning officers assess applications and provide professional advice and recommendations to councillors.
However, where an application is being determined by a planning committee, elected members are responsible for making the decision.
And that is why the next stage could prove particularly important.
THE OCTOBER DEADLINE
The deferred application is expected to return to the committee, with the timing now potentially becoming a major factor.
New planning arrangements due to come into effect from 31 October could change how certain planning applications are dealt with and the extent to which decisions are determined by committees rather than under delegated powers.
For residents campaigning against the Como Street proposals, the question is therefore whether the application can be brought back before elected councillors before those changes take effect.
If the application returns to the Strategic Planning Committee, councillors will once again have the opportunity to consider the arguments being put forward by residents, businesses, officers and the applicant before deciding whether to approve or refuse the scheme, or take another permitted course.
The deferral therefore does not mean the development has been stopped.
It means the decision has been put on hold.
And with the proposed development involving a significant number of homes on a prominent Romford town centre site, the next committee meeting could attract considerable attention.
Residents have already made their views known through objections, campaigning and public debate.
The issues they have raised include the height and scale of the proposed development, parking, infrastructure and whether the scheme is appropriate for the surrounding area.
Those concerns will now remain firmly in the spotlight.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
The key question is when the application will return and whether it will be determined by the Strategic Planning Committee before the new planning arrangements take effect.
For those who have campaigned against the development, yesterday’s deferral provides more time to make their case.
But it is not the end of the planning process.
The decision will ultimately come down to what happens when the application returns and how the committee responds to the arguments put before it.
The Como Street Car Park campaign has already demonstrated the strength of feeling among some local residents.
Now attention turns to Havering’s elected councillors.
Will the application be brought back before the committee ahead of 31 October, allowing elected members to determine its future?
Or could the timing of the new planning arrangements mean the application is instead dealt with under delegated powers?
For residents and businesses watching closely, those questions could be just as important as the development itself.
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