Havering Friends of the Earth

Welcome to our little corner of the web!
We are a growing group of Havering folk, who share a passion for the environment – and want to work together to preserve and enhance it. Our next General Meeting dates are:

22 September 2026, 7.30pm Fairkytes Arts Centre (note change of date, TBC)
27 October 2026, 7.30pm Fairkytes Arts Centre

Please check this page for any last-minute changes! There's more information about our meetings, and how to find us, on the About page. You can also visit our Facebook group for topical news and discussion.

We must act now to protect our Green Belt

[A footbridge over the River Ingrebourne]

The threat to despoil Havering's open spaces continues. As well as the Data Centre proposal (see below), an application has been made to build 475 houses on land north of Benets Road and east of Wingletye Lane. Already, hedgerows have been destroyed and heavy machinery moved onto the site for "investigation" work. We fully support the campaign against this development, on what is currently a pleasant part of the Ingrebourne Valley, separating Hornchurch from Upminster. Once again it is productive farmland, teeming with wildlife, that is at risk.

A most worrying development is government's invention, in 2024, of a "Grey Belt" designation for parts of the Green Belt. The term is dangerously vague, but if it was initially meant to mean previously developed land, there is now a gradual creep towards including unspoilt, often wildlife-rich countryside that some nameless official has deemed to be "unimportant".

In a strongly-worded letter to the newly-elected leader of Havering council, HFoE member Josh Anthony writes: “The council must outline a long term vision for Havering's green belt”.

Read Josh's letter

The proposed East Havering Data Centre

[Say NO to a colossal data centre in Havering's
countryside]

Havering Council's pitifully brief public consultation on the draft Local Development Order, to build the largest data centre in Europe on 470 acres of Green Belt farmland, ended on 12 April. We hope the new administration has listened to residents' loud and clear opposition, and will act accordingly.

Construction would entail at least 10 years of heavy traffic, noise and disruption, and the resulting complex of 3-storey, warehouse-sized buildings would consume several hundred thousand kilowatts of power, most of which would end up as heat. We fear increased demand could cause shortages of both electricity and water.

HFoE Chair and co-founder Rosina Purnell writes: “There must be hundreds of brownfield sites across London which could accommodate this monstrosity. Why is our council going along with this destruction of a beautiful open space?”.

Read Rosina's article

HFoE Co-ordinator Ian Pirie has written a comprehensive review of wildlife and biodiversity on and around the affected site.

Read Ian's article

Read our campaign summary

You might also like to visit the No to East Havering Data Centre site, run by concerned North Ockendon residents.

[Simulated before-and-after views from Jury Hill]

We've built a virtual 3D model of the proposed development, based on artists' impressions that were available in February 2026. Here, a view of the model is incorporated into a panoramic photo looking south from Jury Hill in Thorndon Park. The Dartford Crossing can be seen in the distance. No amount of camouflage can disguise the blot that this development would create on an otherwise unspoilt rural landscape.

View HD version

An interactive map, and a simulated drive through the site, are available on a separate page.

Explore the model

More trees please

At a ceremony on 20 January, contractors for Network Rail began planting new trees at Emerson Park station on the London Overground Liberty Line. This marks a positive outcome for local residents and campaigners, who were angered by the removal of much trackside greenery between 2022 and 2025.

[Teasel stem with ladybird against clear blue sky]

Havering Council has published an updated Air Quality Action Plan (AQAP) for 2025-30, to replace the previous version dated 2018-23. As part of their consultation process, we've submitted a detailed response.

Read our response

In the Press

Since December 2021, HFoE members have contributed to a regular community column in the Romford Recorder newspaper. An archive of our articles is also available on this website.

Browse articles

In Brief

ULEZ-vous?

The extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) to include outer London boroughs has proved divisive, to say the least. Even within HFoE there are differences of opinion, but it's fair to say we're united in wanting to breathe cleaner air.

We took a close look at the Council's 2021 Climate Action Plan. Despite encouraging noises from them in the press (including some kind words about our local group), we feel that their plan should put more emphasis on preventing climate change, rather than just adapting to it. As with previous issues such as air pollution, we need to move forward beyond monitoring and measuring (the easy bits!) toward actively planning, budgeting for, and implementing changes to reduce our Borough's carbon footprint.

Together with other environmental groups, we've been putting pressure on Havering Council and its contractor to stop routinely spraying Glyphosate-based weedkiller on roadsides and pavements. We believe this chemical, which is thought to cause cancer, poses a risk to both people and wildlife. This started a wider debate about alternative methods to control weeds, and whether in some cases it would be better to accept and enjoy a natural carpet of attractive and beneficial wildflowers.