PUBS CLOSING, CLUBS DISAPPEARING: Why Is Havering’s Nightlife Disappearing?

12th October 202612th October 2026 Francesca Lilleystone 0 Comments Havering, Nightlife, Pubs, Romford min read

Havering has seen a long-term fall in its number of pubs and bars, while Romford’s once-famous nightclub scene has changed dramatically. With around 20 fewer pubs and bars recorded in official business figures than in 2001, and major nightclubs disappearing from the town centre, is Havering losing the pubs, clubs and social spaces that once brought communities together?

For generations, pubs have been at the heart of life across Havering. They have been places to meet friends, celebrate family occasions, watch football, enjoy live music and spend time with neighbours. Romford’s clubs and late-night venues also helped establish the town as a destination for revellers from across Essex and East London.

But the figures suggest that Havering’s traditional drinking and nightlife scene has changed considerably.

Office for National Statistics business-register figures show that Havering had approximately 85 pubs and bars in 2001, compared with around 65 in 2024. That represents a net reduction of about 20 premises, or approximately 24 per cent.

The figures cover registered businesses classified primarily as pubs or bars. They do not provide a complete count of every licensed venue, and the reduction does not mean that exactly 20 individual pubs closed, as new businesses may also have opened during the period.

Nevertheless, the figures raise an important question about the future of the traditional local pub in Havering.

From four nightclubs to a changing Romford nightlife

Romford’s nightlife has also undergone significant change.

A Havering Council report published in June 2009 recorded 21 pubs and bars and four nightclubs in Romford town centre. The report estimated that around 11,000 people visited the town centre on Friday and Saturday nights.

The town also had 43 restaurants and cafés, a 16-screen cinema and a bowling alley, helping to make Romford a major destination for evening entertainment.

By February 2024, the council’s Retail and Town Centres Study described two nightclubs in Romford town centre and a third on its edge. The study also found that pubs, bars and wine bars were under-represented compared with national averages.

The former ATIK nightclub site at 108 South Street has since become a focus of redevelopment plans. Proposals considered by Havering Council in October 2025 included demolishing the building and replacing it with 285 co-living homes, alongside café and community space at ground level.

Jukebox, at 72–74 South Street, continues to provide a late-night venue for people looking to enjoy music and dancing.

But the changing landscape raises questions about whether Romford can retain its reputation as a nightlife destination as established venues disappear and town-centre buildings take on new uses.

Are pubs and clubs being squeezed out?

The decline in the number of pubs and bars is not unique to Havering. Pubs across the country have faced rising operating costs, higher energy bills, staffing pressures and changing drinking habits.

However, the loss of a local pub can mean more than the disappearance of somewhere to buy a drink. For some residents, pubs provide an important social space, hosting community events, live entertainment, sports screenings and charity fundraisers.

When a pub closes, residents may lose one of the few places where they can meet people locally without having to travel elsewhere.

The pressure on traditional pubs also comes at a time when Havering is experiencing significant housing development and changes to its town centres. That makes the question of what kind of places residents will have to meet, socialise and enjoy themselves increasingly relevant.

The council’s 2024 town-centre study found that late-night activity in Romford was concentrated around the southern part of South Street, with relatively low footfall elsewhere in the centre. It also found that overall monthly pedestrian footfall had recovered substantially after the pandemic.

Those figures measure visits to the town centre throughout the day, however, and cannot establish whether fewer people are going to pubs and clubs at night.

How many pubs have closed in the last ten years?

The key question remains unanswered: exactly how many pubs, bars and nightclubs has Havering lost since 2016?

The available ONS figures provide a longer-term comparison, showing approximately 85 pubs and bars in 2001 and 65 in 2024. The council’s reports also document the reduction in the number of nightclubs in Romford town centre between 2009 and 2024.

But those figures cover different periods and use different measures. They cannot be combined to produce a reliable total of premises lost over the past decade.

To establish that number, Havering Council would need to provide comparable records of active pubs, bars and nightclubs in 2016 and 2026, ideally broken down by town and district. Licensing records would also need to be checked against actual trading activity, as holding a licence does not necessarily mean a venue is still open.

What does the future hold for Havering’s pubs?

Havering still has pubs, bars, restaurants and late-night entertainment venues, and it would be wrong to suggest that nightlife has disappeared altogether.

But the long-term fall in the number of registered pubs and bars, alongside the changing nightclub scene in Romford, raises questions about the future of the borough’s traditional social life.

Are residents happy with the choice of pubs and clubs available to them? Are independent pubs struggling to survive? And as more homes are built across the borough, are enough social and entertainment venues being retained to serve the growing population?

For The Havering Daily, one thing is clear: the debate should not simply be about how many buildings are being redeveloped. It should also be about what Havering could lose when the pubs, clubs and social spaces that have served local communities for decades disappear.

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