Romford News
The latest Romford news: planning decisions, council and crime updates, business and community stories, each linked back to its official source.
Top story
Havering Crime Figures: Rainham Shoplifting Triples
Havering logged 24,479 crimes and ASB reports in the year to July 2026, flat on last year. Rainham shoplifting tripled; Harold Wood burglary fell 64%.
More stories
Jobs
Harold Hill Jobs Fair: MyPlace, 15 October, Free Entry
A free jobs, skills and apprenticeship fair runs at MyPlace, Harold Hill, on Thursday 15 October, 9.30am to 12.30pm. No need to register. What past fairs led to.
Business
Havering Small Business Awards 2026: All the Winners
Paul Perfect Heating is Havering Small Business of the Year 2026. Here are all nine category winners, their sponsors, and where three of them trade.
Licensing
Wingstop Romford: Council Objects to 2.30am Closing
Wingstop wants to open in part of the old TGI Fridays at The Brewery until 2.30am at weekends. Two council teams object to the hours. Councillors decide on 2 October.
Travel
Gallows Corner fully reopens, a year later than planned
Gallows Corner is open in every direction and the diversions are gone. TfL confirmed it on Monday, a year after its own published programme said it would.
House Prices
Havering house prices: fourth in London, 21 boroughs fell
Havering's average home cost £448,648 in July, up £9,260 in a year while London fell 3.3%. Only three of the 33 boroughs grew faster; 21 went backwards.
Havering
Havering Council Funding: £6.75m of a £91m Rescue Pot
Havering is one of 14 councils sharing £91m to overhaul costly services. The government named what seven of them will spend it on. Havering was not one of them.
Havering
Havering Claimant Count Hits 7,705, Highest Since 2025
Havering's claimant count rose to 7,705 in August, the highest since June 2025. The entire year-on-year rise is among people aged 50 and over.
Romford
Como Street Car Park Plan: 138 Homes, None Affordable
Officers backed 138 homes on Romford's Como Street car park with no affordable housing, despite 121 objections. The committee met on 17 September.
Havering
Havering Food Waste Collections Pushed Back to April
Havering's food waste service now starts in April, not this autumn, a council budget report shows. It also puts this year's emergency borrowing at £54.2m.
Travel
Gallows Corner: Full Closure 10pm Fri 18 to 5am Mon 21
No vehicle gets through Gallows Corner from 10pm on Friday 18 September to 5am on Monday 21, and the flyover shuts overnight on Thursday 17 first.
Romford
Jukebox Romford 4am Licence: Police Object, 17 Sept Hearing
The Met, environmental health and the council's own licensing team all wanted Jukebox's 4am bid refused. The sub-committee heard the case on 17 September.
Travel
Gallows Corner Reopening: TfL Targets End of September
TfL has named a reopening target for Gallows Corner for the first time in 18 months, and warned that one final full weekend closure has to happen before it.
Business
Liberty Bell Beefeater in Romford Closes on 10 September
The Mercury Gardens restaurant shuts to the public on Thursday, and so does every other Beefeater. The Premier Inn stays open and guests keep their meals.
Business
7 Days Upminster shut until 1 December over illegal tobacco
The 7 Days store on Corbets Tey Road must stay shut until 4pm on 1 December after a £10,000 seizure, Havering's second such closure in five weeks.
Travel
Gallows Corner Handed Back, Closure Now Runs to 30 Sept
The water main is finished and the site went back to TfL on 31 August. TfL then extended its own closure record to 30 September, with no reopening date.
Council
Havering PSPO: 10 New Restrictions and £100 On-the-Spot
Havering wants £100 on-the-spot fines for ten behaviours borough-wide, from busking to catapults. The consultation closes on 23 October 2026.
House Prices
Havering House Prices Hit Record £456,759, 2nd in London
Havering's average home hit a record £456,759 in June, up £17,264 in a year. Only Barking and Dagenham rose faster of the 33 London boroughs, and 19 fell.
Business
Havering Small Business Awards: All 26 Finalists Named
Havering Council has named 26 finalists across nine categories, with the winners announced in September. Here is the full list, and where seven of them trade.
Planning
Havering HMO Rules: Signed, But Not In Force Until 2027
The council sealed a borough-wide HMO planning control on 20 August. It is proposed to start on 7 September 2027, leaving 9,610 detached homes convertible meanwhile. Have your say by 16 October.
Travel
Superloop SL12 Starts 5 September: Every Romford Stop
TfL has set 5 September for the SL12 express bus from Rainham to Gants Hill via Romford. Here is every stop it uses, the frequency, and the three Romford routes moving stops the same day.
Sport
Hornchurch FC: Two Wins From Two in the National League
Hornchurch won 3-0 and 2-1 to start their first ever National League season second in the table. Their first National League Cup tie is at home on 18 August.
Environment
Hornchurch Country Park Fire: 90 Firefighters, 14 Engines
Fourteen fire engines and about 90 firefighters fought the 14 August blaze. Havering has recorded more grass fires than any other London borough.
What's on
Outdoor cinema Upminster: the Windmill day, and what next
Havering's free Upminster Windmill screenings ran on 29 August 2026 and nothing has replaced them. What was on, and the nearest outdoor cinema still to come.
Housing
Romford Waterloo estate: 107 new homes targeted for 2028
Havering and Wates have signed a pre-construction deal for the first 107 homes on Romford's Waterloo estate, targeting 2028. The full scheme is 1,380 homes and began in 2016.
Business
RM Mini Market Romford shut 3 months over illegal tobacco
The Mawney Road shop must stay shut until 28 October after a court closure order followed the seizure of over £8,000 of illegal cigarettes and tobacco.
What's on
Raphael Park free live music: Sundays 2pm to 4pm in August
Summer Sessions Live runs at the Raphael Park bandstand every Sunday in August, 2pm to 4pm, free with no booking. Three dates are left: 16, 23 and 30 August.