Demolition work started on Romford鈥檚 Waterloo Road estate last month as part of Havering Council鈥檚 鈥�12 Estates鈥� regeneration programme with joint venture partner Wates Residential.
A pair of 12-storey residential tower blocks are being pulled down, along with 25 other blocks of two to six storeys. In their place Wates will build 1,380 new flats at Waterloo and Queen Street in various replacement blocks. The old buildings have about 300 flats.
Most of the new flats will be for private sale to fund the 拢450m development but about 550 will be designated as 鈥榓ffordable homes for local people鈥�.
Roger Ramsey, Havering councillor in charge of finance and property, said: 鈥淲aterloo and Queen Street sits in the heart of Romford, where a new high-quality community will be created for residents of Havering to live and thrive.鈥�
Wates Residential regional development director Hugh Jeffery said: 鈥淭he vote to approve the proposals for Waterloo and Queen Street means we can look forward to building great places for people to live. This scheme includes modern, energy efficient homes, open green spaces for playing and relaxing, and workspaces to promote flexible ways of living and working. This project is about leaving a lasting legacy for people in Havering and now the scheme is one step closer we look forward to starting construction at the beginning of next year鈥�.
Since its inception in 2018, the Havering and Wates Joint Venture has secured planning on both Napier and New Plymouth House in Rainham and Solar Serena Sunrise in Hornchurch. Construction of Napier and New Plymouth House is under way with the first homes ready for occupation in 2022.
The 拢1bn partnership plans to rebuild 12 council estates to provide 3,500 new homes in the borough over the next 12 years.
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