Market Place Modular Home Survey

Closed 16 May 2025

Opened 10 Mar 2025

Contact

zoe.fletcher@havering.gov.uk

Feedback updated 5 Jun 2025

We asked

We carried out a consultation between 16 March and 16 May 2025 to seek views on temporary modular homes that were erected in Market Place, Romford.

Havering, like much of London, is seeing a significant increase in the number of people placed in temporary accommodation such as hotels, B&B’s or hostels, which often lack privacy, cooking facilities and adequate living space and places a substantial financial burden on the Council.

We are committed to providing decent homes for our residents, and the modular homes exhibition demonstrated how we can provide energy efficient, well insulated and secure temporary housing for those families transitioning towards long-term housing.  The Council are proposing to erect modular homes in their proposals for the Waterloo and Queen Street scheme, which will be subject to a full tender process and planning.

You said

We had many people visit the modular homes and we received a total of 8 on-line responses to our survey:

 

  • 6 people told us that the homes either met, or exceed their expectations, whereas 2 people declined to say.

 

  • 6 people said they would live there with their family, whereas 2 people declined to say.

 

  • We asked respondents to rank which features of their own home are the most important to them.   In order they were:  Being able to cook in your own kitchen (5), Having separate bedrooms for adults and children (4), followed jointly by Living Space (2), Safety and security (2), and Privacy (2).

 

  • 6 people felt that the homes would be a safe and welcoming environment for children to grow up in, whereas 2 people declined to say.

We did

Planning permission was granted on 30 May 2025 for 18 modular homes on the Waterloo and Queen Street Estate in Romford. 

The scheme is part of the wider regeneration joint venture between Havering Council and Wates Residential that will deliver up to 5,000 new homes across the borough.

Please see Havering Council's news article for more information, and you can find the planning decision here.

Overview

We would like your views on this example of a modular home.

Havering and the rest of London are experiencing a massive rise in the number of people going into temporary accommodation like hotels. This is not where we want to be and we want decent homes for residents. It also costs a lot of money for the council.

Modular homes offer a significant improvement over many of the current forms of temporary accommodation such as B&Bs or hostels, which often lack privacy, cooking facilities and adequate living space – all of which are needed for family life.

Built to the same standard as permanent homes – modular homes are energy efficient, well insulated and secure, providing a stable, self-contained environment helping families that are transitioning toward long-term housing.

They also represent another way to help local authorities to reduce their reliance on costly, lower-quality housing.

The installation at Market Place, Romford is not exactly the same as the proposals for the Waterloo and Queen Street scheme, which is subject to a full tender process and planning. However, the temporary modular home demonstrates the high quality finish that can be achieved and what can be delivered to help reduce the housing pressures.

 

Why your views matter

We are keen to learn about your visit and what you know about homelessness in the borough, what you thought of the installation, and modular homes in general.

Audiences

  • Residents
  • Parents
  • Guardians
  • Young Families
  • Older Children and Teenagers
  • Tenants
  • Landlords
  • Managing agents
  • Solicitors
  • Estate agents
  • Letting agents
  • Leaseholders
  • Residents
  • Businesses
  • Communities

Interests

  • Tenants
  • Housing
  • Residents
  • Communities