Harold Hill is a large suburban district in northeast London, and part of the London Borough of Havering. Located 16.6 miles (26.7 km) east-northeast of Charing Cross and primarily residential, it is identified as a district centre in the London Plan with several parades of shops. The extensive London County Council housing development of Harold Hill was conceived in the Greater London Plan of 1944 in order to alleviate housing shortages in Inner London. Prior to the construction of the estate, which was completed in 1958, it was the location of Dagnams house and grounds. During construction, it was within the Municipal Borough of Romford in the county of Essex and was transferred to Greater London in 1965. The first Greater London Council tenant to buy their council house did so here in 1