High-profile trio granted permission for Romford town centre revamp despite 2,500 objections

A team of high profile architects have secured planning consent for a controversial 1,000-home regeneration scheme in the centre of Romford for Havering council.

Fletcher Priest, Allies & Morrison and Maccreanor Lavington have been given outline permission for the Bridge Close scheme, with detailed permission granted for 383 homes on the site.

Havering councillors voted to approve the mixed-use scheme at the end of last month following a recommendation for approval by planning officers, despite the application amassing more than 2,500 objections from locals with just 58 letters of support.

It has been designed for the council with Fletcher Priest acting as masterplanner of the entire site with Spacehub as landscape architect. Allies & Morrison and Maccreanor Lavington have led on the design of the first two plots granted detailed approval.

Allies & Morrison’s plot consists of two 14-storey buildings containing 229 homes for sale, while Maccreanor Lavington’s plot is a nine-storey building with a mix of 154 homes for social rent, shared ownership and private sale, and 800 sq m of commercial space. Around 35% of the homes are classed as affordable.

The development will also include a new bridge across the River Rom, two new public squares and a new school and health centre which will be delivered in later phases of the scheme.

Opposition to the scheme has been led by the Havering Islamic and Cultural Centre (HICC), the largest mosque in Havering, which would be demolished to make way for the new buildings.

The mosque accommodates more than 2,500 worshippers with space for over 7,000 during religious occasions such as Eid. Although the mosque will be reprovided like-for-like in the scheme, objectors criticised Havering council for not finding an alternative site for the HICC, which offers local services including a soup kitchen, food bank and fundraising for local charities.

Planning officers said Havering council had “engaged in ongoing dialogue” with the HICC and had explored both on-site and off-site options for relocation, but admitted “concerns remain about the adequacy of these proposals”.

The officers’ report concuded that a “firm commitment to securing a viable, uninterrupted reprovision will be essential to fully meeting the council’s duty to protect and promote the rights of faith-based communities”.

Havering council has been contacted for comment.

The project team includes Gardiner & Theobald on costs, AtkinsRealis as project manager, David Bonnett Associates on inclusive design, Jensen Hughes on fire, Savills on planning and Meinhardt on structures and civils.