Housing waiting lists are long. House prices across the borough are rising.
Many people, Romford born and bred, are being priced out of being able to buy their own homes in the town.
This means they miss out on being a part of their home town’s future.
Havering Council faces a difficult balancing act between the need to build more homes with protecting existing residents and the borough from overdevelopment.
They must find a way to keep housing affordable, offer more council homes, whilst protecting our unique town and country identity.
Whoever runs Havering Council will have to build homes.
The borough is currently set a target, by Sadiq Khan, of building more than 1,200 homes a year.
Mr Khan’s London Plan increased the target by 10 per cent in the last year alone.
If we don’t get these homes built, then City Hall will decide where our new homes go.
The 12 Estates plan, drawn up by Conservatives in the town hall, is to deliver a 70pc increase in much needed socially rented homes.
It replaces outdated homes with new ones and provides more homes for locals to purchase.
Not every planned development is perfect.
Some are denser than what I’d want and I think some fall short in providing important outdoor space.
These are fair criticisms, which I often hear on the doorstep.
Housing is an emotional topic.
It will almost always upset someone, which is why it’s important that Romford’s political groups be honest about their view and present a plan.
Havering’s Conservatives have a plan to deliver more, higher quality, social housing, whilst keeping Havering as a town and country borough.
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