News for the community, by the community.
The regeneration of the Waterloo and Queen Street site in Romford has taken a big step forward, with planning approval granted on 26 February 2026 for Blocks 9 and 10.
Havering Council has made changes to its housing allocation scheme after identifying an issue that could have affected some residents who are in work.
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Collier Row residents are relieved and pleased after a long running planning dispute over a property in Carter Drive concluded with enforcement notices being upheld. Neighbours had previously alleged that building works continued despite council stop notices and that large perimeter fencing, which some described as resembling “Alcatraz”, significantly altered the character of the street.
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Havering Council is set to introduce new licensing schemes for privately rented homes starting Wednesday 18 March 2026. The measures aim to improve housing standards, protect tenants, and support responsible landlords across the borough.
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Demolition work at the Peel Way site in Harold Wood is set to begin in early February 2026, paving the way for new family homes in the area.
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Havering Council has formally objected to the Government’s proposed London Emergency Housing Package, warning the plans could remove millions of pounds in local funding and reduce the borough’s control over planning decisions.
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Across the London Borough of Havering, questions are increasingly being raised about whether enough properties are being built or adapted to meet the needs of disabled residents, as demand for accessible housing continues to grow and many families say suitable homes remain extremely difficult to find. With an ageing population and a rising number of people living with long-term health conditions, the need for homes that support independent living has never been greater, yet concerns persist that current housing developments are not keeping pace with local need.
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The YMCA has been given approval from councillors in Barking and Dagenham to build a new six-storey tower block at its site in Rush Green, writes local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann.
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A car park in Hornchurch is now underway to be developed into housing. Residents living nearby have watched as trees have been cut down, hedges removed, and green buffers stripped away to make room for heavy machinery and concrete. For many Londoners, it has become a familiar pattern — greenery lost, concrete poured.
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A property owner in Romford has been ordered to stop using an outbuilding as a separate home after Havering Council successfully won an enforcement battle.
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The Council has taken successful enforcement action against two properties in Bell Avenue and Park Drive, Romford, after the owners converted them into houses of multiple occupation (HMO) without planning permission.
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Councillors have hit back at what they describe as false and damaging rumours circulating on social media that blocks of flats being built across Romford by Mercury Land Holdings will be sold to other east London boroughs. Senior figures at Havering Council say the claims are simply untrue and insist that homes being delivered through council-backed regeneration are being built first and foremost for Havering residents.
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The first of 18 ‘modular’ homes will be installed in Romford next month, four months behind schedule, writes local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann.
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Havering Council has taken a firm and unapologetic stand in putting local residents first, after declining a Government request to house asylum seekers in the borough.
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Havering will say no to any plans to house asylum seekers in council properties, as local leaders warn the borough is already at breaking point and cannot cope with further pressure on public services.
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Havering Council has confirmed that Keswick Avenue and Dorrington Gardens car parks in Hornchurch will close in 2026 to make way for new housing.
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Havering residents are all too familiar with the words housing crisis, but when it comes to the types of homes being built, many feel the reality on the ground does not match the rhetoric. What residents want most is family-sized houses that provide space, stability and community. Instead, much of what is being delivered in the borough continues to be flats often in town centre developments that many locals describe as crammed in and out of character with the surrounding area.
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The cash-strapped Havering Council will be handed £29.9million to build almost 140 new homes, writes local democracy reporter Sebastian Mann.
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Havering Council is set to roll out a major new licensing scheme covering privately rented homes in a bid to raise standards and crack down on poor-quality housing. From March 2026, landlords in Beam Park, Harold Wood, Rainham and Wennington, Rush Green and Crowlands, Squirrels Heath, St Alban’s and St Edwards will need a selective licence for any rental property not already classed as an HMO.
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Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMO) are becoming an increasingly visible and often controversial feature across Havering, with residents, landlords and the council all facing very different realities as numbers continue to rise in 2025.
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