Rom Valley Gardens residential project in Romford, a large town in East London has received approval after approximately nine years of uncertainty. The project, which aims to transform a former seven-acre ice rink site into nearly 1,000 residential houses, received a majority vote at a meeting of Havering council’s strategic planning committee.
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With 972 units, the Rom Valley Gardens development will be one of the largest new housing complexes in northeast London. It will consist of seven two to twelve-story blocks located next to Queen’s Hospital and close to the Crossrail station in Romford. For elderly citizens, 232 “later living” residences will be built. A new clinical diagnostic hub for the NHS, 14,000 square feet of shops and a cafe, and a gym for residents and NHS workers exclusively are also part of the plans.
Only 21% of the units are categorized as “affordable,” much below the Mayor’s minimum of 35% and objective of 50%, but council officers agreed this was the maximum that could be produced without rendering the scheme unviable. If evaluated by usable room, the affordable allocation is 24%, and roughly one-third of the affordable units are for social rent.
Rom Valley Gardens: Sustainable and economical buildings of the future
The project is the brainchild of property developer Robert Whitton, Founder of Impact Capital Group, who lived in Romford and used to skate at the ice rink. “This is a new urban community for Havering’s sons and daughters who wish to get on the housing ladder and stay in the borough,” he explained. “Rom Valley Gardens will be our flagship regeneration initiative, representing Impact’s aim to build a sustainable housing model that will assist to revitalize underutilized areas in Britain’s cities and towns,” he added. In the United Kingdom, there is a housing crisis, and new, high-quality, affordable homes for rent and sale are desperately needed.
“By employing our own modular construction factory, we are shattering the rules and merging smart technology, inventive design, and precision engineering to create the sustainable and economical buildings of the future.” The recent public health crisis has also highlighted the urgent need for a new way of construction in the United Kingdom, eradicating years of environmental damage, inefficiency, and outmoded procedures.”
“Rom Valley Gardens is conceived as an urban village, connected with Queen’s Hospital on various levels, and will set a quality example for other central Romford developments,” said Nick Shattock, chief executive of Impact Developments. We are aware of Havering’s confidence in us to complete this large program, and we look forward to owning and administering this neighborhood in the long term.” The designs must still be approved by City Hall and are subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement. The construction will commence in the fourth quarter of this year.
