Author: Blake Foster

The Romford Masterplan, first proposed in 2017, will be used by the planning department to guide development in the town centre. The council will not be responsible for the developments themselves, but will only approve proposals that adhere to its vision for the area. Councillor Graham Williamson, cabinet member for development and regeneration, said the scheme would “pave the way for new homes, significant investment and development projects that will benefit the local economy” while “protecting the character and history of the town centre”. The masterplan will see the River Rom opened up and “recultivated”, the ring road will be…

Temperatures of up to 21C could be recorded in London on Thursday, coinciding with the spring equinox. While other parts of the UK could be hotter than Barcelona in Spain and Athens in Greece, where highs of 15C and 12C are forecast respectively. If temperatures do climb into the twenties, it could make Thursday the hottest day of the year so far for some – after a peak of 19.7C in Crosby, Merseyside, on March 9, according to the Met Office. After a cold and frosty start, Wednesday will soon warm up in the spring sunshine 📈🌤️Perhaps turning a bit cloudier…

Billie Wicks was taken to the Royal Free Hospital in September last year, but because she was not regularly observed at the “understaffed” hospital, the severity of her illness was not recognised, senior coroner Mary Hassell said.  Billie then died on September 15 after being “inappropriately discharged”.  In a prevention of future deaths report, Ms Hassell said: “Billie was inappropriately discharged at approximately 3.30am without adequate repeat observations or senior clinical review, and so her asthma was not diagnosed or treated.  “If it had been, she probably would have survived.”  Ms Hassell drew comparisons to the case of Daniel Klosi, aged…

Councillor Jit Ranabhat, who is also the ward councillor for Plumstead and Glyndon, cut the ribbon on March 17 to mark the grand opening of the Brewery Road Post Office at its new location. The post office has moved to a fully refurbished empty shop at 7 Brewery Road, Plumstead, SE18 7PS. The revamped shop offers longer hours, postal services, and convenience items (Image: Post Office) The shop now serves as a post office and convenience store, selling stationery, cards, confectionery, soft drinks, and off-licence items. It also offers photocopying and printing services. The new postmaster, Nirpesh Maharjan, is no…

Essex County Council is set to sell the 88-acre site at Rainham Lodge Farm in Upminster to major house builder Taylor Wimpey. The council’s plans to sell the land comes four years after it evicted the family that had been farming there for more than a century. The county council has said the sale of the freehold will allow for future development and investment of the site, subject to the grant of planning permission. It adds: “This decision proposes that we maximise the potential for income from land which Essex County Council owns to create a capital receipt for reinvestment…

The Grape and Grain, in Anerley Hill, Crystal Palace, closed in November 2017 and was up for sale for the second time. In May 2019, Bromley Council approved a planning application to extend the building, including two storeys on top of the existing pub, a three-storey addition on the Church Road side, and a roof garden. However, all development projects were put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. On August 11, 2023, Wetherspoons confirmed it was no longer looking to develop the pub and put the site up for sale. On April 9, 2024, the chain decided not to…

The Metropolitan Police were first called to concerns for a man’s welfare in Colindale Avenue on Tuesday (March 18) at 1.45pm. Officers were engaging with the man, and he then fell from a height outside of the station onto the railway line. British Transport Police (BTP) officers discovered when arriving that the incident developed and the concern for welfare near the station became a casualty on the tracks. The BTP have now taken over the case to investigate into the matter. Police outside Colindale station (Image: Wesley Goettems) The Northern line was part suspended between Golders Green and Edgware due…

Fereshta Najib from Grey Court School was crowned champion of the regional final of Jack Petchey’s “Speak Out Challenge.” This achievement came after her powerful speech titled, “I am an Afghan Girl…who are you?” was met with praise from judges at Waldegrave School on March 13, 2025. The speech urged the audience to take action and raise awareness against the oppression of Afghan women and girls, emphasising the need to speak for the silenced. The annual event, organised by Speakers Trust and supported by the Jack Petchey Foundation, saw more than 30,000 Year 10 students aged 14-15 from over 500…

A lawyer representing relatives of Giedrius Vasiljevas raised concerns in court on Monday (March 17) that if delays persisted with the disclosure of evidence, the inquest might have to be adjourned. It is currently listed in October, but Maya Sikand KC said the family had also still not received body-worn camera footage of the shooting, or an investigation report by the police watchdog. “Unfortunately, we literally have nothing other than the 100-page medical report,” she said, adding that she was becoming “anxious” as to whether the current inquest date could be met. Mr Vasiljevas, 40, from Lithuania, was killed by police at…

Film crew from production company Raw Cut Television, part of Zinc Media Group, visited Romford on March 7 as part of a new documentary with the working title Hunting the Shoplifters. Set to air on Channel 5 in early May, according to the Romford Business Improvement District (BID), the show will examine the rise in retail crime, and what various towns across the country are doing to combat this. Romford BID director Julie Frost speaks in front of camera (Image: Romford BID) For Romford, this meant following the work of Chris Levy and Khan Hunter – part of the town’s My Local…