15 homes with parking at THE Croft, Chadwell Heath, Romford

The site and surroundings

The 0.3-hectare site contained a bungalow and hardstanding, lay in the Green Belt and had poor public transport accessibility.

“The site is located within the Green Belt and falls within Flood Zone 1. There are no heritage assets in immediate proximity to the site however the Grade II listed White House and Furze Farm buildings sit some distance away to the southwest of the site. The Wellgate Community Farm SINC sits to the north of Providence Place and the Furze House Farm SINC sits on the northwestern side of Collier Row Road.”

“The site has a very low PTAL score of 1b meaning it has poor public transport accessibility with the nearest bus stop an estimated 8-minute walk away.”

Officer report

Earlier permission and site history

An earlier permission for 88 homes lapsed because the development had not lawfully commenced, while 13 homes were later retrospectively approved.

“The site formed part of an historic planning application to develop 88 5-bedroom homes across a wider application site with planning reference 11/01015/FUL, as amended by 16/01566/NMA. That permission was initially granted in May 2013 with the standard 3-year time limit for implementation attached to the permission thereby expiring on 3 May 2016.”

“Attached to the permission were 20 pre-commencement conditions which were required to be satisfied and discharged prior to any such commencement occurring in order for the development to be lawfully implemented. Some of the conditions were submitted for discharge between a year and six years after the expiry date of the permission and the permission is therefore considered to have lapsed. This was confirmed to the applicant in 2023 at which time 13no.”

Officer report

What officers recommended

Officers recommended approval because the development would provide high-quality homes, protect Green Belt openness and have limited effects on neighbours.

“An out of date policy includes, for applications involving the provisions of housing, situations where the local planning authority cannot demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable housing sites (with the appropriate buffer as set out in paragraph 78); or where the Housing Delivery Test indicates that the delivery of housing was substantially below (less than 75% of) the housing requirement over the previous three years.”

“The proposed design of the development appropriately mitigates any impact on the openness of the Green Belt such that officers are satisfied the proposed development would not represent inappropriate development within the Green Belt.”

Officer report

Main planning considerations

The assessment considered Green Belt development, housing mix, design, neighbours, biodiversity, transport, sustainability, environmental protection, flooding and infrastructure.

“Key issues: Principle of the proposed development 2. Dwelling mix and quality of accommodation 3. Design, layout and scale (including heritage, crime and fire safety) 4. Impacts to neighbouring amenity 5. Public realm, landscape and biodiversity 6. Sustainable transport, waste management and construction impacts 7. Delivering sustainable development (energy / CO2 reduction / water efficiency) 8. Environmental protection (air quality, noise and contamination) 9.”

Officer report

What residents raised

Three objections raised concerns about parking, sewer capacity, access rights, construction effects, amenity space, playspace and the wider development.

“No 1 Old Sungate Cottages Further to our lengthy conversations today, I confirm my main objection to the plans for the “Croft” is lack of parking and if the 6 inch sewer can cope with 15 more properties in this road. If new residents or visitors park in Collier Row Road it would be very dangerous to do so – for them as well as other road users.”

“Lack of amenity space and playspace for potential children. 1 vehicle space per dwelling with no visitor spaces is insufficient and is likely to cause issues for the business being operated from Rose Cottage. Providence Place is not in clear ownership and the applicant has no right to make the changes proposed. The proposal does not account for the previous wider Wellgate Community Farm development and is therefore not comprehensive.”

Officer report

Who spoke

The Principal Development Management Officer introduced the application and presented its planning history, key issues and recommendation.

The committee decision

The committee agreed the reasons for approval and delegated authority to grant permission subject to a legal agreement and conditions.

“Delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Inclusive Growth and the Head of Planning and Assurance in consultation with the Head of Legal Services to grant planning permission, subject to the completion of a legal agreement under the s106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) based on the Heads of Terms identified in Appendix 7 and the Conditions listed in Appendix 6 of the report, and…”

“That, if by 16 June 2026 the legal agreement has not been completed, the Strategic Director of Inclusive Growth (or authorised Officer) is delegated authority to refuse planning permission or extend the timeframe to grant approval.”

Minutes

Agreement and conditions

Permission was subject to a section 106 agreement, listed planning conditions and a fallback power to refuse or extend the deadline if the agreement was incomplete.

“Delegate authority to the Strategic Director of Inclusive Growth and Head of Planning and Assurance in consultation with the Head of Legal Services to grant planning permission subject to the completion of a legal agreement under s106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) based on the Heads of Terms identified at Appendix 7 and the Conditions listed in Appendix 6 of this report, and…”

Officer report