Aldi chops down trees

Former B&Q site

Residents win

An email to Stella Creasy... but James Lowe, the Property Director will be finalising the smaller issues we discussed at our meeting last Wednesday.

Dear Ms Creasy,

 I would like to confirm that our Customer Service Department will respond to your constituent, Damien Nelson directly. Following discussions with both the local protest group and the council, we will update the local community with the following information:

 Our Regional Property team has agreed to retain all of the remaining mature trees along Lea Bridge road and will plant two further trees where the council have removed two existing trees. Three new trees will be planted to replace the removed trees on the corner of Lea Bridge / Hitcham Road.

 In addition, the proposed removal of trees along the estate road will be replaced with five semi-mature trees. Furthermore, no further tree works will take place unless signed off by a qualified arboriculturist to ensure nests are not disturbed. 

 The retained existing trees will have their crowns heightened and pruned (subject to arboriculturist sign off).

 Works will commence between June and October 2017. If any new trees die in their first year they will be immediately replaced.

 Thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns with us. 

 Kind regards,

 Matthew Barnes

Chief Executive Officer - UK and Ireland

ALDI Stores Limited

Holly Lane

Atherstone

Warwickshire

CV9 2SQ

Lea Bridge road school back again

Planning App is 171408


As many friends will know, the government's Education Funding Agency purchased the site at 150A Lea Bridge Road E5 9RJ from Thames Water in 2015 for the purpose of building academy/ free schools. There has been local (Waltham Forest and Hackney) opposition to this on educational, environmental and traffic grounds. Waltham Forest Council rejected the proposals at the pre-planning stage and this resulted in the original intended September 2017 opening of the schools (in temporary buildings) to be moved to September 2018. The applicants have now put forward formal planning application to Waltham Forest Planning Committee with added justifications. 

The full documents are at: planning.walthamforest.gov.uk/Planning/lg/GFPlanningSearch.page. You can just enter 171408 on the Application ID box to get to the list of documents.
The environmental grounds of concern are primarily about the loss/ restriction to the public of MOL. The applicant claims that there will be more green open space than is currently on the site but this will be sports pitches used by the schools. The removal of trees is another major concern: basically they want to remove 21 trees and 1 tree group in one area and 11 trees and 1 tree group in another part of the site. These trees include Wild Cherry and Hornbeam. Major visual impact will be to the lovely fruit trees that line Lea Bridge Road. A few are reported as dead, but mostly they are 40-year mature trees.

The traffic and travel plans are grotesque. Waltham Forest are holding out on the issues of incompatibility of two school entrances with the (yet-to-be-built) Mini-Holland cycle track on the south side of LB Road and the impact on the through vehicular traffic of turning cars going to pick up/ drop off. TfL are not too happy either.

One of the documents describes the search they made to find a suitable site. This was a complete farce. They looked at every large plot in the catchment area, including for instance Leyton Orient Football Ground, Arriva Bus Garage at Leyton Green, Leyton Sports Centre etc. The likeliest looking ones got discarded because their value was stated to be more than it was worth putting into an educational building. They pronounced the Thames Water site as the best one - although it is stated to be on a flood plain and contaminated land and has insufficient access to amenities in their judgment - it has already been purchased for the purpose! A bit of post-hoc rationalising going on, quite shamelessly.

There is the whole issue of the academy/ free school status which will galvanise many to object, but they will need to phrase objections according to the planning context.

The full documents are at: planning.walthamforest.gov.uk/Planning/lg/GFPlanningSearch.page. You can just enter 171408 on the Application ID box to get to the list of documents.

I can't see the deadline for objections to be sent in - has anyone had a letter with this detail on it? 

Claire

More planning failures

May Fair a success

Despite the rain the May Day fair in Lloyd Park was a great success

Walthamstow Gateway update

Planning Application 142873

This is what the additional development on Walthamstow Station Car Park will look like.

Pollution consultation

Government's Pollution Plans

Pollution Forecasts

Buses easier to find

Buses changing

Great Millish Bake Off

Hi Adrian,

I’m holding a fund raising event for the Mill in Walthamstow. It used to be a library but when it closed down was taken over as a Community centre and is mainly volunteer run. It’s very active with loads going on for every age, nationality and ability. Of course, it always needs money so I’ve volunteered to help.

The event is called the “Great MILLish Bakeoff” and involves lots of cake related things. You don’t need to make a cake but it you feel so inclined there’s a competition judged by local bakers. Otherwise just come and eat some.

There are also lots of games and children would have a great time. There’s a ‘decorate your own cupcake activity’, a cake drawing competition, tombola, raffle and much more.

I’d love it if you could come and bring people with you. Better still if you could volunteer to help for an hour or two.

I attach a poster if you could put it somewhere, a map and handouts. 

Thanks so much.     Jean

William Morris Big Local

Subject: WMBL Get Together

Hello

You may have seen that our next public meeting at William Morris Big Local is coming up.

We’re now just a week away and I wanted to get in touch to remind you about it and see if you can come!

Time, Date, Place: 7.00pm – 9.00pm, Tuesday 9th May, William Morris Community Centre, 6-8 Greenleaf Road, E17 6QQ

http://wmbiglocal.org/wmbl-social-forum-9th-may/

The aim of our event is to bring as many local people, organisations and groups together so that we can help strengthen ties in the area and to share with you the latest developments of the WMBL project. On the night we will be hearing from some of our currently funded groups with a drumming presentation from Woven Air and a dance performance from Move17. We will also be launching the second round of our Community Chest grants, with advice, guidance and application forms available on the night.

To cap things off we’ll have a friendly social with some lovely food and refreshments and the chance to meet one another and speak face to face with the people involved in Big Local.

A poster is attached for the event, I’d really appreciate it if you can help spread the word and would love to see you there!

Kind regards

Gabriel Edwards
Development Worker
William Morris Big Local

Office 1, William Morris Community Centre, 6-8 Greenleaf Road, Walthamstow, E17 6QQ
07947 766 251
devwmbl@gmail.com
http://wmbiglocal.org

Christian Kitchen's new kitchen

Christian Kitchen

St James Street

From Stella Creasy's Newsletter

Shops and Shopping Around St James Street - Saturday 13th May 

If you missed Waltham Forest Oral History Workshop’s exhibition at The Mill Community Centre there is still a chance to see (and hear!) it at Vestry House Museum on Saturday 13 May, for one day only. The exhibition tracks the development of Walthamstow’s first shopping centre over more than a century through historical photographs and documents from the archives at Vestry House, brought to life by extracts from the recorded memories of more than 40 local shoppers, shopkeepers and stallholders aged from 9 to 93. 

At 2.30pm Robert Wilkinson will give an illustrated talk on the history of the area. Robert will also be leading a free history walk around the St James Street area on Sunday 28 May, starting at the corner of St James Street and the High Street at 2.30pm. WFOHW’s oral history project is part of Waltham Forest Council’s St James Street Townscape Heritage Regeneration Project, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Contact Alice Mackay on ajemackay@outlook.com or 07985 962975.

Marlowe Road - update

Discontent

Remains of plaza

Wait until residents see the new blocks growing up beside Northwood Tower blocking their light and satellite dishes. How did this get through the planning process?

What a waste of public money - the Wood Street Plaza and playground were barely finished, at vast expense, and now it is all ripped up. This council really does know how to create jobs!