'Diabolical' plan gets green light

08 January 2010

The Decathlon Centre site in Angel Way, Romford

A CONTROVERSIAL proposal to build a housing and hotel development in the heart of Romford that was described as "diabolical" and compared to a prison ship has been given the go-ahead after an appeal process.

Last June councillors threw out the application to convert the former Decathlon site in the Angel Way retail park in Romford into 350 flats and a 65 bedroom hotel spanning three to 16 storeys.

But on Monday December 14, a planning inspector said that Havering Council had made the wrong decision to refuse the application and the appeal was upheld.

Cllr Andrew Curtin who was present at the appeal decision said it signaled bad news for Romford.

He said: "I am really disappointed that it has gone through because I think it is really bad news for Romford in terms of design and social consequences.

"It will create a wall around the ring road."

The planning inspector approved the application because he believed that it provided acceptable living conditions, would have no affect on the surroundings and the character of the area and would support national and development policies.

But the inspector also imposed some conditions to the application that the proposal should be done within five years and for the west bank of the River Rom to be greened before the development.

Cllr Curtin said: "My concern with this application is that they have not thought about what makes Romford special and they have passed something that would be more suitable for a inner city rather than an old market town."

The application to transform the former Decathlon site originally went before the planning committee in April 2009, but it was deferred so that the councillors could have more information about traffic management, pedestrian access to the site and the car parking.

But when the proposal went to the Regulatory Services meeting on June 19, 2009, Cllr Barry Oddy branded the designs diabolical and said that the building's zinc finish looked more like a prison ship than a hotel.

Cllr Oddy says that he still supports his original comments and says that it would lead to chaos.

He said: "I still think it is a bad design and they could have come up with something better.

"Romford is rapidly becoming an inner city area and the inspector has not taken into account the traffic problems and this will not help.

"I can only see chaos down there.