The former Atik nightclub on South Street in Romford is to be demolished after Havering Council granted full planning permission for an eight-storey block of 285 shared-living flats on the site.
Councillors approved the joint application from developers Urban Sketch and Legendre UK, clearing the way for site clearance of the venue, which has stood vacant since it closed its doors two years ago.
The approved scheme will see the disused entertainment venue replaced by a single eight-storey building containing 285 purpose-built co-living units. Each unit is designed for single occupancy, pairing a private en-suite bedroom with extensive shared amenity space distributed throughout the building.
According to the design submission, the development will include communal kitchens, shared dining rooms, break-out lounges, a private gym and quiet co-working zones aimed at young professionals. The ground floor will retain a commercial frontage along South Street for shops or restaurants, in a bid to maintain pedestrian footfall on the town-centre thoroughfare.
Residents object over height and pressure on services
The proposal drew a mixed response during the public consultation. Representations submitted to the council raised concerns about the height and massing of the eight-storey block, potential overcrowding, extra pressure on public services and nearby transport, and the effect of a high-density development on the character of South Street.
Traders on South Street, however, broadly welcomed the scheme. Local business representatives said the vacant venue had become an eyesore and argued that replacing it with a permanent residential population would bring steady daytime footfall for shops, cafes and services.
Planning officers recommended approval, concluding that bringing a prominent vacant brownfield site back into active economic and residential use outweighed concerns about density. The consent is subject to legal agreements and technical planning conditions.
Affordable housing contribution reduced
The scheme will provide a reduced level of affordable housing contributions. The developers supported the lower contribution with a viability assessment submitted during the planning process, which the council accepted. It comes as the Greater London Authority continues to release grant funding for social rent homes elsewhere in east London, including a 326-home scheme in Ilford.
What is shared-living — and who is it for?
Co-living, also marketed as shared-living, is a form of managed rental housing aimed chiefly at single young professionals. Residents get a private, typically en-suite studio or bedroom — often with bills, cleaning of communal areas and wi-fi bundled into a single monthly payment — and share kitchens, lounges, gyms and co-working spaces with their neighbours. Tenancies tend to be flexible, with shorter minimum terms than a standard assured shorthold tenancy.
For Romford renters, the appeal is location: the South Street site sits a short walk from Romford station, with direct Elizabeth line services into central London. The development is designed as a car-free scheme, reflecting its town-centre position and proximity to public transport.
The trade-off is that co-living caters almost entirely to single occupants. The 285 units will do little to ease demand for traditional multi-bedroom family housing in Havering, where the council has set out an ambitious ‘super suburb’ strategy to turn the borough into a London investment hub.
From cinema to superclub: the South Street site
The South Street building has been part of Romford’s town-centre landscape for decades. It began life as a cinema before being converted into a multi-room entertainment complex, and under banners including Millennium and Liquid & Envy it became one of the biggest draws of the 1990s and 2000s club scene, pulling in thousands of revellers every weekend and helping to establish Romford as a nightlife capital of the outer-London suburbs.
Most recently trading as Atik, the venue fell victim to the pressures that have hit large-scale nightlife across the country — rising operating costs, shifting habits among younger clubbers and soaring energy bills. Operator Rekom UK went through a restructuring process, and Atik Romford closed permanently two years ago.
The empty building was subsequently considered under the Romford Town Centre Masterplan, which prioritises brownfield regeneration and new homes to meet Greater London Authority housing targets.
What the decision means for Romford’s night-time economy
The approval confirms the permanent loss of one of Romford’s largest and longest-running late-night venues — a further sign of the contraction of traditional clubland in the town centre, as planners favour residential-led, mixed-use development on town-centre sites. Neighbouring late-night venues may absorb some of the remaining demand in the short term, but the direction of travel is clear.
The area has seen significant transport investment in recent years, with the Gallows Corner flyover fully reopening after £67m of improvement works — though residents fear the extra population will still add pressure to local roads and public transport.
What happens next
With full permission granted, the developers can now move to discharge the planning conditions and finalise the legal agreements attached to the consent before demolition begins. No construction timetable has yet been confirmed.
