With the news that much of the Aklu Plaza shopping mall is now empty, we visited Romford town centre to see how many empty shops there are and what is being done to fill them.
Our reporter counted at least five vacant units on Friday (January 19), prompting us to ask Havering Council what lies next for retail there.
Market Place, South Street and High Street, home to many of Romford's shops, were relatively quiet despite it being market day.
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High Street had at least three empty units, including a former Betfred next to Rumford Pie and Mash.
Just to the right of Romford Shopping Hall at 45 Market Place stood another vacant unit.
Some construction work was going on inside and passers-by took the opportunity to peer inside for clues.
But it could soon be filled after an application for signage made in December 2023 was approved by Havering Council last week.
Towards Romford station on South Street there was more retail activity in high street shops and nearby shopping centres.
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But next to discount retailer Sam Pound Stores stood another boarded-up unit with no obvious signs of construction work.
Going back to High Street, at number 49, we spotted a building with a repossession notice.
The notice showed that Havering Council repossessed the building from an expired lease dated on October 29, 2021.
It had been made by the council and a private leaseholder, but council agents were authorised to re-enter the premises, the document dated October 23, 2023 showed.
We approached Romford Business Improvement District, an organisation which says on its website it aims to make the town centre a key UK visitor destination, as to what might replace these units. But a spokesperson said they did not wish to provide a comment at this time.
Havering Council also said it could not say what could fill these empty units, but attributed the costs that business owners are incurring as a factor dramatically affecting its high streets.
"It’s always sad to see empty units on our high streets but unfortunately the council has little control over private business decisions and challenges," a spokesperson added.
The council urged people in Romford to support their high streets by shopping at the town's businesses.
“We continue to look for ways to help local businesses where possible and we urge Havering residents to shop local and support their high streets where they can,” it added.
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