Residents have rallied against the potential redevelopment of a Romford car park into a residential tower block.

Como Street car park has been earmarked for new housing as part of a recently approved scheme.

In May, Havering Council said it had been selected for a “significant” project, but precise details remain under wraps.

Though residents nearby say they acknowledge the need for housing, they believe a tower block in Como Street would be poorly situated.

As well as concerns that tower block residents would be able to see into their homes, locals claim it would badly affect traffic and could put undue strain on nearby schools and medical practices.

Others have said it could block out sunlight, and one resident was reportedly told it would shave tens of thousands of pounds off the value of her home.

Formal plans are yet to be put forward.

A Linden Street resident who did not want to be named told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It’s all very opaque, currently. There were rumours it (a tower block) was going to be 16 storeys tall, then 14, then 12.”

READ MORE: Town centre car parks formally earmarked for housing developments

The proposals will not be developed by Havering Council but by Mercury Land Holdings Ltd (MLH), a private company wholly owned by the authority.

Around 20 locals met with the council leadership earlier this month to voice their concerns, in a meeting both sides called “productive”.

Speaking after the meeting, council leader Ray Morgon said: “I’d like to thank local residents for taking the time to speak with us about their concerns regarding the proposals for Como Street Car Park.

“It was a really productive meeting and I believe we can continue to work together to deliver much-needed homes for local people.”

The Linden Street resident, who asked not to be named, said: “We’ve not by any means won or progressed further, but we’ve had some good engagement and opened the channels with the council.

“I think they do understand our concerns and we now understand theirs, too.”

The demand for housing in the borough is quickly outpacing supply, a council report from June revealed.

Due to the rising costs – echoed across London – the council ended up temporarily housing residents in expensive hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, which was a further blow to its dwindling finances.

The resident continued: “There is a homelessness issue and the council has housing targets they have to meet.

“None of us are opposed to that and we all understand the situation – but it’s got to be the right solution in the right place.

“There’s got to be somewhere else in Havering. Building it there would just not work.”

Ryan Chidwick, a resident of the “beautiful” Linden Street since April 2022, likewise acknowledged the need for housing but said he wanted to see something that would “add value” to Havering.

He said: “[Linden Street] is a classic Victorian road, so it’s a shame they can’t build something architecturally interesting.

“I’d love to see something consistent, between four or five storeys, that isn’t like a hutch where properties are too small for people.”

He added: “But, of course, the council is in a dire financial position, so maybe their hands are tied. Maybe they can’t do as much as we think they can.”

Among the attendees were Conservative ward councillors David Taylor and Nisha Patel.

They urged the council to “take residents’ concerns seriously” in a joint statement sent to the LDRS.

The pair wrote: “Residents' concerns were heard. The council, as the owner of the developer, must now ensure [those] concerns are taken into consideration and the proposal is redesigned. A tower block on the site will be detrimental to surrounding homes.

“Residents have made it clear that they will not rest until a satisfactory solution is found.”

Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, echoed their concerns, calling on the council to “think twice”.

He said the project “must be stopped” and described the idea as “deeply troubling”.

The next step for the group will be scrutinising and opposing the formal plans, members say.

In May, councillors greenlit plans to sell four car parks in Romford and Hornchurch to its holding company in anticipation of housing schemes being drafted up.

In the meantime, the council will rent the car parks from MLH at a very low, or “peppercorn,” rate.