Terraced Victorian houses in red brick with gabled fronts, finials and arched porches against a clear sky

RM1 · Romford · Havering

Planning and building regulation drawings in Romford (RM1)

RM1 is the town centre end of Romford, and it behaves differently from the suburban districts around it. Market Place is the old heart of the town, a historic market core of shops and civic buildings, and the Victorian and Edwardian terraces around it were built close together, with later inter-war housing on the residential roads leading off North Street and out toward Como Street. South Street and Junction Road also fall in the district. The grain is dense, so many owners are working with a compact plot rather than a wide suburban one.

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London Borough of Havering granted 83% of 1019 householder applications
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That shapes what can realistically be built. On the terraces, extra space tends to come from filling the side return or adding depth at the rear, rather than spreading a large footprint across the garden. Behind Market Place the plots follow a long medieval pattern, and that pattern restricts how far back a new rear building line can sensibly go. A loft can also be worth exploring on a house outside the conservation area, subject to the permitted development limits or an application.

The other thing to know is that the crossroads at the centre of town lies within the Romford Conservation Area. Frontages, materials and shopfronts around Market Place get close attention, and the designation changes which extensions can proceed without an application. Havering has no borough-wide Article 4 direction that touches ordinary householder work in RM1, so the conservation area is the control that matters, and the first job on any RM1 address is to confirm whether the house falls inside it.

Planning in Romford: what to know before you apply

For Romford town centre, the conservation area is the starting point, so the first check is whether your property sits within it. Inside the boundary, roof enlargements, side extensions and rear extensions of more than one storey are not permitted development, whatever else applies, and design officers look hard at frontage treatment, facing materials and shopfront character. Outside it, a modest single-storey rear extension may still be possible under permitted development, but on a tight terraced plot the effect on neighbours sets the practical depth of anything that needs an application, and work on a shared wall brings Party Wall Act duties as a separate matter. Flats have no householder permitted development rights, so external alterations that materially change a flat's appearance need an application. We prepare drawings and documents to Havering's validation checklist.

Applications are decided by London Borough of Havering — its planning pages.

Check your route

Does your Romford project need planning permission?

Route check · Romford (RM1)

ProjectProperty

Listed building?

Conservation area?

Likely permitted development — no planning applicationNeeds checking

A single-storey rear extension up to 4 m deep on a detached house, or 3 m on any other house, is Class A permitted development subject to the height and materials conditions.
This council does not publish its Article 4 directions to the national register, so the schedule is confirmed with the council first.
One or more constraints are unknown — we check the council's registers as part of the free appraisal.
Where permitted development applies, a lawful development certificate proves it for lenders and buyers.

Sources: GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1 · Planning Portal — common projects · Building Regulations 2010 — when approval is needed

This is a first-pass indication from the national rules, not planning advice for your property. Your council's registers, any Article 4 schedule and the exact dimensions decide it — the free appraisal checks all three before we recommend a route.

Confirm it with a free appraisal

Romford (RM1) in numbers

What London Borough of Havering has decided, and what RM1 is built of — the two facts that shape every job here.

Householder planning decisions — London Borough of Havering

Romford (RM1) applications are decided by London Borough of Havering; these are its published householder figures for the last four quarters.

Householder applications decided2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1	1,019
Granted	844
Refused	175
Grantedof 1019 decisions · England 90%	83%
Decided within 8 weeksof 586, excluding prior approvals	97%

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS2 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Permitted development prior approvals — London Borough of Havering

How the larger-home-extension route has fared with London Borough of Havering, which decides RM1 notifications.

Larger home extension prior approvals — not required2024 Q2 to 2026 Q1	340
Prior approval granted	42
Prior approval refused	65
Grantedof 107 determined	39%

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS1 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Planning appeals — London Borough of Havering

Refusals in RM1 can be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate; this is London Borough of Havering's householder appeal record.

Householder appeals determined2021–2026	317
Allowed	140
Allowedof 317 · England 36%	44%

Source: Planning Inspectorate appeals casework. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Conservation areas and Article 4 directions — London Borough of Havering

Register counts for London Borough of Havering. A count describes what the council has published, never a rank against another council.

Conservation areas in the register6 dated, 1968–2010	11

Source: MHCLG Planning Data Platform. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

What RM1 is built of

Residential building form across Romford (RM1), from 212 classified buildings — the fact that decides party walls, side returns and loft headroom before any policy does.

Attached on more than one side	33%
Attached on one side	57%
Detached	10%
Median building footprint	76 m²
Addresses per buildingAbove about 2 means flats and maisonettes dominate	1.71
Buildings classified	212

Source: Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database (derived statistics). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Extracted 2026-09-22.

Day 0Measured survey of your Romford property — or your existing plans if you have them.
About 7 daysDrawings issued for your approval. Free redraws until you are happy.
SubmissionWe validate against London Borough of Havering’s checklist and submit on your behalf.
Council: 8-week targetHouseholder applications carry an 8-week statutory target. London Borough of Havering decided 97% of 586 recent householder applications inside it.

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS2 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Neighbourhoods

Streets and neighbourhoods in RM1

Romfordmarket-town core with Victorian and Edwardian terraces on the surrounding streets

Nearby

Nearby postcode districts

Upminster RM14Gidea Park RM2Rainham RM13Harold Wood RM3Hornchurch RM12Collier Row RM5Emerson Park RM11Chadwell Heath RM6

FAQ

Romford (RM1) — FAQs

Is my Romford terrace in the conservation area?+

Possibly. The designation centres on Market Place and the crossroads around it, so streets nearer the edge of RM1 may fall outside. The boundary has to be checked against your exact address, because it decides whether roof and side work needs an application.

Can I build out behind a house near Market Place?+

A rear extension may be possible, but the long medieval plots behind the market limit how deep a new rear line can go, and inside the conservation area the materials get closer scrutiny. A side-return infill can be a simpler way to gain space on these terraces; a roof enlargement inside the conservation area always needs an application.

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