This week the first phase of garage demolitions and housing developments got the go ahead.

Havering Council’s regulatory services committee approved 15 applications to build a total of 36 new homes on Tuesday.

The complete project will see 102 new homes on the Briar Road Estate as part of the council’s Harold Hill Ambitions Programme, which involves the regeneration of the area. Work is expected to start in the autumn and to be complete within 18 months.

Cllr Keith Darvill, (Lab, Heaton) told the committee: “I have been inundated with representations by residents. The concern is a reduction in parking spaces.”

“You do need to have an agreement with the residents about how the parking arrangements will be managed.”

Cllr Lesley Kelly (Con, Harold Wood) said: “There are objections to these plans but there are many people who support them, but maybe they are not so vocal.

“We are working with all the interested parties and making sure that those who really need parking will have access to it.”

She added that she thought part of the problem was that adult children were still living with parents and had vehicles, meaning some families had two or three cars.

Cllr Paul McGeary (Lab, Heaton) said: “The report says that the loss of car parking spaces is not significant, but you are actually losing 51 occupied garages.

“I don’t thing that’s insignificant.”

The plans include:

n Demolition of eight garages at the junction of Cloudberry Road and Lucerne Way to be replaced with two houses.

n Fourteen garages in Jenny Path and Harebell Way, to be replaced with four houses.

n Replacing eight garages next to Harebell Way with two houses.

n Two houses in open space near Lucerne Way and Coltsfoot Path.

n Three houses on open space in Coltsfoot Path and Chatteris Avenue.

n Three houses built at Buckbean Path and Clematis Close after seven garages are torn down.

n Three houses replacing 14 garages between Willowherb Walk and Buckbean Path.

n Three houses between Henbane Path and Willowherb Walk instead of 16 garages.

n Fourteen garages being replaced by three houses between Bellflower Path, Clematis Close and Harebell Way.

n A house and 12 parking spaces next to Snowdrop Path and Clematis Close.

n A house and two parking spaces in open space next to Briar Road.

n One house next to Coltsfoot Path and Briar Road.

n Two houses in Lavender Close after 10 garages are demolished.

n Fifteen garages demolished between Andromeda Court and Barberry Close and three houses built.

n Eight garages pulled down and replaced by three houses between Honeysuckle Close and Myrtle Road.