The Regulatory Services Committee of the London Borough of Havering after further discussion passed an historic motion by a majority of 10-0 to permit our club to develop our own ground at Westlands Playing Fields at the western border of the borough.

Located in the Brooklands Ward of the town on part of the council owned Westlands Playing Fields in London Road, adjacent to the main railway line on the western side of Romford, the new facility will be headquarters for six senior sides who are in the Ryman, Essex Olympian and Eastern Junior Alliance leagues respectively plus two College Academy teams who compete in the Football Conference Youth Alliance. The club also has close sporting links with a number of local schools and juniors’ league teams.

The facility, (see artist’s impressions on our website videos & photos page) to be built to FA Grading requirements, has been designed by local architect John Monnoyer. Main elements include a pavilion style clubhouse with a 180 seat grandstand, covered terracing at one end of the ground, a car parking area and a purpose built access road within the site. Its operation is intended to cause the minimum inconvenience to the local residents.

But first club chairman Steve Gardener, in conjunction with his fellow committee members Dave Howie and Colin Ewenson, must sit down with council officers to arrange the formal legalities of land hand-over before they can begin to turn the approved ground plans into reality.