Homes and hotel plan for dilapidated area of Romford town centre

Angel road car park (Image: Archant)

The proposed development will be located alongside an approved £60m scheme in Angel Way, which will provide 350 residential units and a 65-bed hotel. Both schemes are being headed by developer Regency Homes.

The North Street apartments will consist of a six storeys facing towards North Street and a 19 storey tower facing the ring road.

A spokesman for Regency Homes said: “The proposed development will provide quality homes for local people, as well as creating a new destination for people to live, work and shop in Romford.

“This significant investment will boost the local economy by creating jobs and increasing high street spending.

North Street Development Site (Image: Archant)

“The introduction of flexible retail and commercial uses on the ground floor will bring this underused stretch of North Street back to life.”

The Angel Way development will also provide a pedestrian plaza, 40,000sqft of retail space and open up the River Rom to provide a water feature.

The Regency Homes’ spokesman said the development would “transform the northern gateway into Romford”.

Reaction to the project ahead of a public consultation on Monday has been positive, with many Romford residents welcoming the transformation of the area.

Rose Alabaster, 58, from Romford said: “It’s a good idea to build more accommodation to alleviate the difficult housing situation many find themselves in, but these will only be bought if there are good car parking facilities. There also needs to be a park for kids to play in.”

Ben Addy’s family has owned stalls on Romford Market for 40 years.

He said his preference was for a “completed building project with homes, rather than a half built scrap heap,” referring to the current part-built framework on the site.

Residents are being invited to the public consultation at Romford Library between 4pm and 7.30pm today.