Tenants offered wider choice as part of Council Home Swap event

​Social tenants in Havering will be given the chance to move to a more suitable property as part of the Council’s Home Swap event next week. 

​The information day, on Tuesday 23 September in Romford Library, will see officers on hand answer any questions and share tips about how mutual exchanges can be done. 

The scheme is eligible for people who are already housing association or Council tenants, and who do not have rent arrears. For those looking for a more appropriate property, for example pensioners who may want to move to a smaller property or those desperate for more space, a home swap is the perfect solution. 

 

Running from 11am to 3pm potential swappers will be able to meet others looking for a home and staff will be able to organise swaps on the day.   For those who would just like more information they’ll be able to put themselves forward to find out more about the scheme. 

 

Councillor Damian White, Deputy Leader of Havering Council and Cabinet Member for Housing, said:

“I want to put tenants in the driving seat, and this event will give people the chance to find a property perfect for them. If you’re overcrowded or struggling with a home that is too big for you, do come along on the day and staff will be on hand to help make swapping a reality.”

The event will be held on the ground floor, Romford Central Library, St Edwards Way, Romford. For more information about the day please ring 01708 434668.

TfL Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy praises work at the Battis and Victoria Road

​Sir Peter Hendy, Commissioner for Transport for London (TfL) met with Councillor Roger Ramsey, Leader of the Council last week to discuss schemes that the Council and TfL are working on jointly.

​Havering Council also raised the issue of improving safety at Gallows Corner, which has become a cause of concern for residents recently.

 

Other key matters discussed included Crossrail and Romford Station access, and the possibility of a further major development scheme for Western Road (Romford) to complement the new Romford leisure development. Sir Peter Hendy said he was happy that Crossrail will be a great economic benefit to the town.

 

They also discussed the TfL river crossings consultation, which includes plans for a new river crossing from Belvedere to the A13 in Rainham.

 

TfL representatives were then given a quick tour of Victoria Road and The Battis, both part of the current Romford major scheme and funded by TfL and Sir Peter Hendy was impressed with the work that had been done so far.

 

Councillor Roger Ramsey, Leader of the Council, said:

 

“We had a very successful meeting which will help us to move forward with a lot of projects that we are working on jointly with TfL.

 

“Some of those are coming to an end soon and it was a great opportunity to show off what all the hard work has achieved.”

 

A street party to celebrate the works on Victoria Road and the Battis as part of the major scheme will take place on Victoria Road on Saturday 22nd September from 12noon until 3pm.

Open House in Havering

Havering opens doors…

The doors of 18 of Havering's most popular buildings will be open to the public for free tomorrow (Saturday 20 September) and Sunday (21 September). Havering Town Hall is among the properties opening its doors to give everyone a chance to see where the Council's most important discussions and meetings take place. Other buildings include Havering Museum, Bower House, and the Round House. Booklets with details of all the buildings open as part of Open House Londonare available at libraries.

 

Havering Museum event

Please find attached details of our heritage tour bus which visits Bower House, the Roundhouse and the Barn at Upminster.   Lunch is at the Good Intent in Hornchurch.  The bus tours Havering on Saturday 18 October leaving Queen's Theatre at 09.00am and returning at 5.30.  The price is £10 for the bus tour and people pay for their own lunch.  

Also the Museum is putting on three special events for Intnl Older Person Week, a guided tour of the Museum, Strawberry cream tea and talk and Antiques and Collectables session.

It is advisable to book early for all of these events.  Bookings should be directed to the Museum, 01708 766571 or email hmmarketing@btconnect.com or by visiting the Museum (Wednedsay - Saturday 11 - 5pm)

Adoption Event

Adoption Information Event

Drop in information evening open to anyone thinking about adoption.
We welcome single people as well as couples, you can be gay or straight, working or not working, living in Havering or elsewhere. Please join us to find out more.
Date Wednesday 24 September 2014Time17:30 until 19:00
Contact Anna Roseveare, Havering Town Hall, Main Road, Romford, RM1 3BDAdmission Free Adoption web page Emailadoption@havering.gov.ukPhone01708 434577

Victoria Road street party

Come to a street party

The Council has organised a Street Party on Saturday 20 September from 12noon until 3pm to mark the end of the works on Victoria Road.

Residents are invited to come along and enjoy an afternoon of fun and entertainment for all the family to enjoy, including children's rides, face painting and food tasting.         

Children will be able to take part in a trail on the day by collecting stickers on a special leaflet and will receive a free prize giveaway on the day (while stocks last).

The £1.8m works, funded by Transport for London, in Victoria Road has seen new, high-quality paving on public footpaths and business forecourts which, with better lighting and new street benches, give the street a more pleasant look and feel. 

Ardleigh Green road bridge work

Work to replace the Ardleigh Green road bridge on the A127 begins

​Transport for London (TfL) will shortly begin work to completely replace the Ardleigh Green bridge as part of its continuing programme of road modernisation in the capital.

​The work will see the 90 year old bridge, which carries the A127 Southend Arterial Road over National Rail lines in Romford, replaced with a new, wider structure with better facilities for pedestrians and cyclists in the area. The new bridge will also provide improved headroom for trains running to and from London.

 

Preliminary works to prepare the worksite will begin from Monday 15 September, with a site compound set up on the large traffic island in Bryant Avenue and temporary fencing installed to protect the public from the working areas. During the preliminary works, some off-peak and night-time traffic lane closures will be required. However, the majority of works will take place off the carriageway to reduce disruption to traffic, and noise will be kept to a minimum.

 

Early next year, a new service bridge will be built to the side of the existing bridge, to carry the utilities services which are currently buried within the road. This will also allow utility companies to access cables without needing to carry out roadworks on the bridge, reducing future disruption to the road network.

 

The main works to replace the existing bridge will then take place over two years from 2015 and are scheduled to be completed by late 2017. Once completed, the proposed new road bridge will not only provide wider carriageways and upgraded bridge parapets, but also improved footways, planting and lighting throughout the area.

 

Dana Skelley, Director of Asset Management at TfL said:

 

“The A127 Southend Arterial Road is a vital road for both businesses and commuters, linking Romford and East London, with the M25. Therefore, it is important that we ensure that it continues to remain usable and safe for years to come.

 

“We are committed to completing these works as quickly and efficiently as possible and will keep the local community and road users informed of progress as we work to deliver these vital improvements.”

 

Councillor Osman Dervish, Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, said:

 

“We are very pleased that the road bridge will be replaced under this scheme as the road is  major route into our local area.
 
“We understand this important work will have an impact on local residents and road users and we are working with Transport for London to make sure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.

 

During the next ten years, TfL will be investing around £4 billion into the capital's road network as part of the Roads Task Force. Working with its partners, including London's boroughs and road user and street user groups, TfL will build on the improvements already seen in the management of London's roads, streets and public spaces to help ensure the capital remains one of the most attractive, vibrant, accessible and competitive cities in the world.