Romford chapel approved for redevelopment by Havering Council

A chapel in Romford has been approved for demolition and redevelopment for housing.

A planning application was submitted by the Strict Baptist Chapel, Carlisle Road, on May 26 to build two 3-bed chalet style bungalows in its place.

The chapel is a single storey structure with a pitched roof, an officer report said, and is not located within a conservation area.

The report said that a similar plan previously submitted was refused in 2022 for its potential impact on the appearance of the surrounding area.

Loss of an existing community facility and parking and access arrangements were also among the other criteria for rejection.

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Addressing these concerns, the report referred to a quote in a supporting document from the Gospel Standard Trust. It said: “Under the trust deed the trustees were directed to sell the chapel if there were no members of the Church living and assembling for worship there.

“Sadly this position was reached in the spring of 2020 when there proved to be no further need for the chapel.”

The council officer’s report acknowledged that while the site is a lawful community use, it is a “redundant social infrastructure”.

Considering its scale and capacity, it added, the demolition and redevelopment for residential use “would be acceptable”.

Consultation letters were sent to surrounding properties before the proposal was submitted.

Only one letter of objection was written.

Being a chalet bungalow with “appropriate height and roof design”, the report said that it would reduce the “dominance and bulk” on the street scene.

The dwellings, it claimed, are not expected to have an “unacceptable impact” on nearby properties given a proposed separation distance between them.

The only environmental impact that it said would be “unavoidable” would be the noise and general disturbance caused during demolition and construction work.

The development is required to be completed within three years of the date of permission, as per one of the planning conditions.

A full list of all the conditions attached with the approval can be found on the council website- https://development.havering.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/planningConditions?reference=P0845.23