Plans for the biggest regeneration scheme in Havering have been agreed.

The first plans were agreed at a Strategic Planning Committee meeting and will now be considered by the Mayor of London before the final decision is issued.

Joint venture partners Havering Council and Wates Residential submitted plans for the Napier and New Plymouth House site in Rainham in May.

The site is one of 12 included in the '12 Estates' regeneration programme, which will see around 5,200 homes delivered in the borough over the next 12 to 15 years. The project will seek to double the amount of council rented accommodation and more than double the number of affordable housing.

The plans for the Napier and New Plymouth House site include 126 affordable homes, with a number earmarked for families, and a further 71 homes for private sale targeted at local buyers. All residents who have been moved off the site to enable the regeneration have been guaranteed the right to return.

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The plans were subject to extensive public consultation, with more than 600 one-to-one meetings held for sites across 12 Estates programme with local residents and businesses.

Children's play areas were included in the plans with plenty of green space to make sure the scheme reflects the borough. The landscape will also be designed to encourage wildlife, with new bat boxes, trees for birds and plenty of flowers for bees.

As part of the project, Havering Council and Wates Residential have pledged to deliver a borough-wide legacy by investing in education, training and skills opportunities, and by employing local businesses to work on the scheme.

Four Meet the Buyer events were held for local suppliers to learn about contract opportunities on the project. Employing local contractors means a lower carbon footprint and that money flows back into the local area. By the end of the project, this investment will make up a minimum of 10% of the total programme, valued at £100m of contracts to be secured by local businesses.

Kilnbridge Construction Services, which has offices in Rainham, has been awarded a contract to undertake controlled demolition of Napier and New Plymouth Houses, and a two-storey car park on Dunedin Road.