HOMEBASE UPDATE 4

BACKGROUND

2C FULBOURNE ROAD

Objection sent to JTP Community Planning

JTP

Community Planning Process

20^th July 2020

2C Fulbourne Road (Homebase Site)

Having listened to your Vision Zoom meeting on 15^th July we would like to make the following comments:

DETAILED OBJECTIONS

1. PARKING - What solution is the developer offering to remove the currently parked cars from the access road? The design of the site only allows for 24 cars for 640 flats which is acceptable but only if it is made clear the new owners can’t have cars and a solution is found for the existing parked cars.
2. DESIGN – The blocks are bland and uninteresting, and the balconies make it look like a heap of match boxes with metal grills attached. A more imaginative design is required allowing far more open space for children to play in and adults to relax in. There should not be a 20 storey block which overlooks Bremer school and surrounding properties. It will also impinge on the view of Walthamstow when heading down Forest Road from the Waterworks.

The flats need to be further apart and angled so that overlooking is minimised.

3. BALCONIES - If the balconies are retained they must be set in to the outline of the building as overhanging ones are unsightly i.e. people can drop things from them, they get untidy as they are used as extra storage space and for example get covered by decaying rattan screens and become very unsightly ruining the street scene. In the long-term balconies degrade the look of a place.

With the impact of Covid balconies, as amenity space, need to be reconsidered and adequate open space around the buildings should be provided so people can leave their flats and not be imprisoned.

4. NAMES - The pretentious names such as Patchwork Walk, The Lane, the Glade Garden should be reconsidered, and more thought given to associating the names with the history of the site which was Radbourne Farm and Dairy. Alternatively, the names should relate to the industrial area of the adjacent Hawker Siddeley site.

The name for the tower block Forest Gate must be dropped as it will confuse people who live in Forest Gate a few miles away.

LAND USE (This is a matter for the Planning Committee to consider)

NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR THIS DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE -

5. GRENFELL - No tall buildings should be built until the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is completed. The 20 storey proposed tower would be a nightmare to rail users and other residents on the site if it caught fire and until the Inquiry is completed, and new building regulations are put in place, a tower of this size would be a very irresponsible and unnecessary development.
6. CHANGING NEEDS - Due to the pandemic many people are working from home and the press reports indicate people are considering leaving London as they can work from home.  A second lockdown in Leicester seems to be blamed on people living too densely with little open space. Consideration must be given to people’s mental health and access to open spaces – not just a pokey balcony.
7. HOUSING TARGETS - The building rate in Waltham Forest is unprecedented and there are many homes just coming to market and it is important they are all occupied before more precious land is used up for homes that will not be occupied. The figures we have gleaned are at least 8,000 flats in Waltham Forest are just being completed and a further 450 are proposed at the Town Hall Campus and Willow House. At Tottenham Hale 2,500 are nearing completion. There is talk of another 1,000 to be built on the Whipps Cross Hospital site and Meridan Water, not far away, is planned for another 5,000. That makes over 16,000 new homes to be assimilated by the existing communities. This development may not be required.
8. LONDON PLAN - The Government is in dispute with the Mayor about the London Plan. The number of Homes Waltham Forest is expected to provide has already been reduced and a further migration from London makes Waltham Forest’s target wrong.
9. LAND USE - COMMUNITY ASSET - The current use of the site is an asset to the community and will be sorely missed. The nearest DIY stores being a car drive away. There is a lot of talk about saving the environment and part of the debate is reducing the distance people have to go for work and shops. This site should be retained for commercial use and not residential.
10. HEALTH BENEFITS - When Hawker Siddeley sold the site we argued this land should be used for playing fields for Bremer school. This argument is even more important now with environmental issues and quality public open space top of the political agenda and the need to get children a healthier lifestyle. This site is perfectly situated for playing fields for numerous schools within walking distance of this site such as Bremer, Woodside, Holy Family, Whitefields and Waltham Forest College. This would be a win win solution.