Friday 24 September 2021
 Earlier this week I went out on a visit with our enforcement officers in Ferry Lane, Rainham (pictured below).
They were cracking down on unlicensed waste carriers who are responsible for much of the large scale fly-tipping we suffer.
During the operation, our officers stopped and searched twenty vehicles, which resulted in issuing a Fixed Penalty Notice to one driver who did not have the correct licence.
Police also joined the operation to carry out searches on vehicles, including checking on uninsured drivers.
Cracking down on unlicensed waste carriers is just one part of how the Council is tackling fly-tipping across the borough.
Please do your bit and ensure that any person or company you use to take waste away from your home is a licensed waste carrier.
I am pleased that a disused college campus in Havering is a step closer to becoming a new residential community after plans for a housing scheme were recently approved.
Mercury Land Holdings, Havering Council’s development company will be working with Bellway London Partnerships to build 120 new homes on Havering College’s former Quarles Campus site, which closed last year. You can read more on this below.
The scheme supports our ambition to deliver much needed housing in the borough which gives residents more choice and flexibility in the Havering housing market.
Lastly, if you want to contact me directly, you can email me.
Cllr Damian White
Leader, Havering Council
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A disused college campus in Harold Hill is a step closer to becoming a new residential community after plans for a housing scheme were recently approved by councillors.
Mercury Land Holdings, Havering Council’s development company, and Bellway London Partnerships had submitted plans to build 120 new homes on Havering College’s former Quarles Campus site, which closed last year.
The plans, which will deliver 78 houses and 42 apartments across the nine-acre site, were approved by members of Havering Council’s strategic planning committee in July, subject to the finalisation of a planning agreement and conditions.
Bellway will provide 60 homes on its development, which will be known as Roe Wood Park, within the wider scheme. An artist's impression of how that would look is shown above.
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Havering Council has received strong public support to plant over 1,000 trees to commemorate the impact of COVID-19 on local communities.
Earlier this summer, the Council launched a survey asking residents for their opinions as part of its plans, while also gathering details from residents or groups who may wish to take part in the planting and ongoing maintenance of the new trees.
The trees aim to be a living testament to those who have lost their lives, family or loved ones. The woodland will also honour the significant efforts by key workers and our residents to keep our borough safe during the pandemic.
Over one hundred people responded to the online survey, with over 90 per cent of people supporting memorial tree planting as a suitable way of honouring those who suffered loss due to COVID-19 and paying tribute to the efforts of key workers.
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The Government is writing to all residents who have previously identified as clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) to COVID-19.
Since 19 July CEV residents have been advised to follow the same guidance as everyone else, whilst potentially thinking about extra precautions they could take to reduce their chance of catching COVID-19.
Now that vaccination has been offered to all of the adult population, (including those previously identified as clinically extremely vulnerable), and other treatments and care pathways are available, the Government has decided that now is the right time to end the shielding programme.
This means that the NHS and Government will no longer provide specific national guidance for CEV residents to follow.
If you are CEV please continue to follow the national guidance in addition to any condition specific advice you may have been given by your specialist in recent weeks.
As someone with a health condition you might also want to think about extra things you can do to keep yourself and others safe. This could include:
• considering whether you and those you are meeting have been vaccinated – you might want to wait until 14 days after everyone’s second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before being in close contact with others
• considering continuing to practise social distancing if that feels right for you and your friends
• asking friends and family to take a rapid lateral flow antigen test before visiting you
• asking home visitors to wear face coverings
• avoiding crowded spaces.
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COVID-19 infection rates are still high in Havering as our weekly COVID-19 report shows.
When you’re travelling use hand sanitiser and make sure you wash your hands when you get to your destination and when you get home.
By taking a rapid test twice a week, you will help protect yourself and your colleagues as you’ll be coming into contact with more people throughout your day. If you’re feeling unwell, make sure that you stay home and take a PCR test if you suspect you have COVID-19.
You can order a test kit online or pick one up from many places in Havering.
Find your nearest testing site and collection point.
If you aren't sure how to do a rapid test at home, visit one of these centres first and be shown by the professionals. You can then take a test kit home with you to use in the following weeks.
Have symptoms?
It remains vitally important to book a test if you have COVID-19 symptoms.
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Havering Council is committed to tackling climate change and plans to be Net Carbon Neutral no later than 2040.
We want to hear from teenagers and young people who care about protecting the environment and addressing the challenges of climate change here in Havering.
Havering Council is currently reviewing everything it does and will publish a climate action plan in November on how it will meet the Government’s commitment to the UK being net carbon neutral by 2050. It will also set out what it is already doing.
As part of this work we’re asking young people in Havering to take over this Living in Havering e-newsletter on Tuesday 28 September to mark the United Nations Youth Climate Change Summit that will be held in Milan at the end of this month.
If you know a young person who has ideas about what can be done to protect our environment better – by recycling more, walking to school or college, reducing waste, the quality of the air we breathe, how we use energy, whatever it is - we want to hear from them. Get them to tell us what they think should happen in relation to climate change in Havering and beyond.
Send stories, pictures, graphics, poems, or just comments in no more than 200 words, to us by email. Put "Youth Summit" in the subject line.
- If you’re a young person, or know a young person who’s passionate about climate change, join our online Let's Talk event next week to tell us what should be done about climate change and why. Register now for the event that will be held on Wednesday 29 September, from 6 to 7pm.
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Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust and Barts Health group have been discussing the challenges and opportunities of working more closely together.
This week they have jointly published a document titled ‘Closer collaboration’. It sets out how, by working together, they aim to deliver better, quicker, and more effective access to services for the residents of north east London.
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Di’s Diamonds photography group for the over 50s is run in conjunction with Age UK.
They meet on Tuesday afternoons between 2 and 5pm in the greenhouse at Langtons, Hornchurch. Email Di's Diamonds for more details.
Also at Langtons on Tuesday 5 October there's a free lantern making workshop for adults and a Halloween decor one for children. Both take place in the greenhouse between 11am and 1.30pm. No booking is required.
The October lecture for The Arts Society, Havering, will be held on Tuesday 12 October at 10am at New Windmill Hall, St Marys Lane, Upminster, RM14 2QH.
The subject will be the work of Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema. Originally a Dutch painter, he settled in London in 1870 and spent the rest of his life here. A classical-subject painter, he became famous for his depictions of the luxury and decadence of the Roman Empire.
The talk will be given by Daniel Robbins and is open to members and guests. It's just £8 to attend. Find out more on the Arts Society's website.
Havering Singers first post-COVID live performance is a selection of Choral Favourites including Mozart's Ave Verum, Handel's Zadok the Priest and Brahms'
How Lovely are thy Dwellings.
This concert, at St Peter's Church, Gubbins Lane, Harold Wood, RM3 0QA, is free of charge but ticketed to allow for safe COVID-19 measures.
You can get tickets from their website or by calling 01708 341265.
A free outdoor Christmas Fair will be held at the beautiful historic Langtons Gardens in Hornchurch, on Sunday 21 November. If you are interested in having a free stall at the event use the online registration form.
The Brookside Theatre in Romford is looking for talented performers to join their cast of Elf The Musical this December.
Based on the 2003 film starring Will Ferrell, Elf the Musical is the tale of Buddy, a young orphan child who mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported back to the North Pole.
The theatre is looking for a young male performer (aged 8-12) with an unchanged singing voice, strong acting and dancing skills and the ability to do an American accent to play the pivotal role of Michael Hobbs, Buddy’s 12 year old brother.
The theatre is also looking for male actors (aged 30+) with good vocals to play several supporting roles within the production.
The show runs from 10 – 23 December and rehearsals are held on weekday evenings and Sunday daytimes at the theatre.
For further information email or call 01708 755775.
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Havering Libraries are holding a competition to mark National Poetry Day on 7 October.
You are invited to write a poem for the day on the theme of ‘Choice’
Put your name, age and library card number on your entry and drop it into a library or send it in by email.
The closing date is 13 November.
Winners will receive book prizes, and their poems will be displayed in all libraries.
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Havering Council's Autumn Blitz of deep-cleaning activities across the whole borough, as part of its COVID recovery plans continues.
The campaign focuses on sprucing up Havering's streets. This includes street cleaning, weeding, grass cutting, litter picking, enforcement of environmental issues, and graffiti removal.
The Blitz team visited Garland Way in Hornchurch this week where work included hedge pruning (pictured).
If you see fly-tips or other rubbish issues please report them using our website or the Love Havering app.
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North Street, Hornchurch, from its junction with the High Street to Sainsbury’s car park exit, will be resurfaced from 7.30pm on Monday 27 September until 6am on Tuesday 28 September.
A further section of the road from Theatre Road to Butts Green Road will be resurfaced between 7.30pm on Tuesday 28 September until 6am on Wednesday 29 September. During these times, North Street will be closed to through traffic and diversion routes will be in place to guide vehicles around the works.
On 29 and 30 September Cotleigh Road at its junction with Honiton Road, Romford, will see temporary 3-way traffic signals in use for cable diversion work by Powercare.
Between 29 September and 2 October, and also between 4 and 7 October, Upminster Road North will be resurfaced. This road provides access to many other roads north and south of the main road itself so please visit our website to see information on the extent and phasing of the works to minimise any inconvenience if you live near this road, or use it for your joruneys.
Contractor Cappagh will be carrying out sewer repair work on behalf of Thames Water in Junction Road and Kingston Road, Romford from 28 September until 10 October. The work, near the Asda car park, will require the use of temporary traffic signals.
On Monday 4 October Ipsum Utlities will be carrying out the replacement of an electrical linkbox on behalf of UK Power Networks in Bruce Avenue, at the junction with Abbs Cross Lane in Hornchurch. The work will involve temporary three-way traffic signals until Friday 8 October.
Collier Row Roundabout and the section of Chase Cross Road between number 26 and the Collier Row Roundabout will be resurfaced during night-time works next month. The work will begin on the evening of 7 October and should be finished by 6am on 9 October.
Cappagh will be carrying out sewer diversion work on behalf of Thames Water outside 113 Upper Rainham Road in Hornchurch, between 18 and 29 October. This work will require temporary traffic lights.
Advanced warning: Cadent Gas will be working on pipes in St Marys Lane, Upminster at its junction with Upminster Road, from 1 to 12 November. Temporary traffic lights will be in use.
On the tracks
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Due to Network Rail engineering work in connection with the Barking Riverside Project, c2c train services will not be running on the Rainham line this Sunday (26 September). Rail replacement buses will run between Upminster and Grays via Rainham.
Also, due to Network Rail undertaking overhead line maintenance work, c2c trains on the Ockendon line will start and terminate at Grays all weekend (25 and 26 September). Rail replacement buses will be in operation between Grays and Pitsea.
On Sunday, 26 September, there will be no District line tube service between Turnham Green and Richmond. Replacement buses will operate.
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