Lea Bridge Road Developments

Subject: Re: Residents oppose destruction of Lea Bridge Pocket Park at Orient Way

The background is that within the Council's Lea Bridge & Leyton Vision document, publicly consulted on 2016 - 17 and approved at Cabinet on 20 June 2017, three pieces of Council-owned land around Lea Bridge Station were identified that could support residential development. This was first highlighted at the Lea Bridge Community Ward Forum in October 2017 and then formally presented to residents at an open-to-all session on 2nd December 2017 at Sybourn School. The Council had engaged an architect to draw up design drafts for how these pieces of land could be offered on lease to developers. The timescale is that a final plan might come forward to the Council Planning Comittee in 2019.


We are a residents' group of people in Lea Bridge Ward, mostly those living in the streets near to the Lea Bridge station, and we have formed up in the last few weeks. Given that the Lea Bridge Station Sites developments are immediately adjacent to the estate being built at 97 Lea Bridge Road (3 x high tower blocks and low-rise complex housing 300 units), we are extremely concerned on the environmental issues of flood risk, wind tunnels, excess urbanisation and density. The idea of a Lea Bridge Town Centre sited on the crossroads of the heavy-traffic route Orient Way and Argall Way with the strategic London road A104 is madness.
We also are very anxious that any new build by the Council, especially on its own land, should be for social housing. As we understand it, the cost of building high towers on the edge of the river valley will put the costs of flats here out of the reach of those on the Council house waiting list. We can't see the sense of crowding this part of Leyton with higher-income people whose move here would clearly not release any housing for the less well-off. The promise of 'affordable' accomodation does not stand up here.


This is the link to the Council's draft plans where you will see the 14 and 22 storey development designs suggested by the Council around Lea Bridge station:

Lea Bridge Road area


If you would like to talk to some of our members from the streets very local to these proposals please do contact me.


Many thanks,


Claire
Resident Lea Bridge Ward