Romford Masterplan

We carried out a formal consultation between 30 September and 11 November 2024 to seek views on Havering’s draft Romford Masterplan.

The Masterplan is a strategic plan aimed at guiding future development within the area and aims to improve Romford's unique character and history, creating a vibrant, mixed-use town centre.

The Masterplan will serve as a planning policy document, influencing private landowner developments within Romford, with financial contributions from these landowners expected to fund public space improvements.

The consultation followed the process set out in the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement  which was adopted in 2021.

Previous community engagement on the Masterplan was carried out in 2019, 2020 and in early 2024.  This informal public engagement fed into the draft Romford Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Statutory consultees such as the Environment Agency and Historic England as well as utility providers and the NHS were notified, along with 67 land owners, those already on the Havering planning policy database, 55 volunteer groups and charities, and the 18 schools in Romford.  A statutory notice of consultation was published in the Romford Recorder and 3 drop in sessions were held in Romford Central Library.

Overall, we received 101 responses to the consultation; 79 responses were received to the online consultation, along with 22 via email:

• 69 from residents
• 6 from community groups
• 9 from landowners
• 10 from statutory consultees
• 3 from Councillors
• 4 from others

Overall, the feedback was supportive of the Masterplan. Key issues raised included:

Townscape and Height:

• It was suggested that the existing heights in Romford should not be referred to as ‘low-rise’ and that the Masterplan should acknowledge the heights of emerging buildings. There was support for the strategic approach to townscape and height, but some felt there was further opportunity for height in certain areas.
• Comments regarding urban grain suggest that references to a 'historic urban grain' should be specific to South Street, North Street, High Road, Market Place, and their adjoining streets and alleyways. However, the areas where the Brewery, Liberty, and Mercury shopping centres are located did not replace any historic urban grain. Instead, it is recommended that the Masterplan should mention the introduction of a new 'finer urban grain' in these locations.

Viability:

• Comments raised concerns about the viability of projects within the site guidance, including infrastructure projects like the potential new station entrance. It was suggested that viability testing should be emphasised, especially considering the social infrastructure components. Collaboration with relevant bodies, such as Network Rail, was also recommended for the new station entrance.
• Some comments highlighted concerns about the masterplan's viability, such as deculverting the Rom and responsibility for interventions like bridges across the Rom. The Masterplan asserts that the value added from these interventions will be broader and more positively impactful than point-in-time viability calculations can show, and that collaboration with bodies like Network Rail is essential for these interventions to be feasible and practical.

Safety:

• There was support for promoting safe environments, with requests for more references in the Masterplan to the need to make Romford safer, to link to existing documents and that the narrative on safety, equity, inclusivity, and diversity could be strengthened.

Culture:

• There was support for the Masterplan’s focus on cultural amenities and local identity, with suggestions for more clarity and references to the health benefits of cultural places. 

Public Transport:

• Comments emphasised the need to safeguard the bus network and infrastructure, ensuring any changes to depots and other facilities require reprovision. The potential redevelopment of the North Street bus depot and Station Gateway bus standing area was noted, with calls for clarity and further engagement with TfL.
• The importance of buses and the benefits of the Elizabeth Line were highlighted, with suggestions to align with new funding approaches and enhance the interchange between train and bus services. The positive impact of an additional station entrance on town centre growth was also supported, with requests for clarity on funding and delivery.

Parking:

• Comments focused on the importance of prioritising blue badge parking and ensuring that town centre parking provisions support those who need it most. There were also concerns about car parking numbers and the allocation of existing provisions to neighbouring site guidance areas.
• Support was shown for removing car parking from the Market Place and for a rational town centre parking strategy. Additionally, there was backing for promoting active travel, such as walking and cycling. The comments aligned with the Masterplan's approach, but further clarity and a detailed car parking needs assessment were suggested.

Infrastructure:

• Clarity was sought on the provision or reprovision of infrastructure components, including the Romford Ambulance Centre, and projects listed in the Implementation chapter’s infrastructure delivery table. Specific details were requested for certain locations, and updates or corrections were needed for pricing and delivery dates.

De-culverting the River Rom:

• Comments strongly supported the de-culverting of the Rom, emphasising the importance of natural infrastructure enhancements. There were inquiries about potential funding and viable delivery methods. Additionally, comments highlighted the responsibility to improve through re-naturalisation, suggesting alignment with policy and if possible, to exceed the current masterplan's provisions.

Havering's Cabinet met on 12 March 2025 and agreed to adopt the Romford Masterplan Supplementary Planning Document (SPD).

Whilst no material changes were made to the Masterplan, as a direct result of your feedback, changes were made that are corrective, to add clarity, alter or refresh references, refine terminology and to add further emphasis.

The Full Public Document Pack which includes the adopted Romford Town Centre Masterplan SPD, the Consultation Report and consultation statement setting out respondent’s feedback can be found on our Decisions page Here, or alternatively please see our Planning page Here.