Havering Council's Planning Committee has approved plans for the construction of two new flats on land adjacent to 107-109 Balgores Lane in Romford, with the application passing by four votes to no.
The decision, made during a meeting on Thursday, October 15, 2026, saw the committee vote in favour of the development, which will involve the demolition of existing garages to make way for a two-storey detached building. The proposal includes two two-bedroom flats, each with one parking space.
The development aims to optimise the use of underutilised land and contribute to the borough's housing supply. Concerns raised by residents regarding potential overdevelopment, highway safety, and loss of privacy were addressed by council officers during the meeting.
Case officer Victoria Collins presented the application, highlighting that the design of the new building aligns with the character of the surrounding area. The proposed two-storey building incorporates a symmetrical pitched roof that aligns with the ridge and eaves height profile of neighbouring properties, and preserves adequate front and side setbacks, thus retaining the open spatial character of the junction. The external material palette reflects local architectural finishes. Officers concluded that the proposal would not result in harm to the character or appearance of the surrounding area and would comply with the objectives of the Development Plan. Adequate separation distances would prevent significant harm to neighbouring amenity.
Councillor Christine Vickery had called in the application due to concerns about the dominating impact on surroundings, overdevelopment, highway safety, lack of parking, and loss of privacy. However, the committee ultimately approved the application with conditions.
Specific conditions attached to the approval include a legal agreement to restrict future occupiers from obtaining parking permits in the Controlled Parking Zone to mitigate local parking stress. This agreement is to be secured pursuant to Section 16 of the Greater London Council (General Powers) Act 1974. Furthermore, a revised Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment was required to demonstrate how the statutory 10% net gain would be achieved, including the acquisition and allocation of registered off-site biodiversity units. A Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) was also required to be submitted prior to the commencement of development, detailing habitat creation, enhancement, management, maintenance, and monitoring for a period of 30 years.
The council's assessment indicated that the proposed development would not give rise to severe impacts on highway safety. The case officer's report also noted that for other applications considered, such as the development at Land to the rear of 37 Dorset Avenue, Romford, the vehicular access via Dorset Avenue would handle modest traffic generation safely without harming the local highway network. For the stopping up order at Chippenham Road, the council's highway officers raised no objections and considered the proposal acceptable in highway terms.
For comparison, the application at Land to the rear of 37 Dorset Avenue, Romford, was approved by four votes to nil. The application at Array, 91 Shepherds Hill, Romford, was approved with conditions set out in the report and was considered exempt from Biodiversity Net Gain requirements due to the small footprint of the porch.
The full details of the meeting and the applications considered can be found in the public reports pack for the Planning Committee meeting on October 15, 2026 here.
