Saturday 7 December 2019

Hylands to be redeveloped for Social Housing

HYLANDS ROAD E17 4AJ

PLANNING APP: 192987

PLANNING APP 192242

WF Guardian Report

An important social housing area acting as a buffer between the urban environment and the ecology of Epping Forest. To comply with Mayor Khan's London Plan and retain their planning controls the council has decided to demolish part of the existing estate and build 4 to 9 storey blocks of flats and create 120 flats to replace part of the existing estate. This is not good news for the forest.




The plan is to demolish some of the existing buildings and to construct three buildings ranging from 4 to 9 storeys in height, comprising 120 affordable residential units with associated disabled parking spaces, cycle parking facilities, landscaping and refuse stores.

One good point that has come out of Grenfell is the need now to provide a Fire Strategy with a planning application:

The fire strategy has been designed so that escape distances are within 7.5m when escaping in a single direction. The proposed escape route is via the stair core and out of the main entrance to Hylands road at the front of the proposed building, ad a secondary fire escape direct from the core into the Garden. The protected corridors are vented and form part of the fire strategy of the buildings. As the block exceeds six storeys, the core is designed to provide all requirements to act as a fire fighting shaft in the case of an emergency. We have liaised with consultants BB7 to ensure design development addresses each consideration. to form a robust fire strategy for the block.




In addition the old Hylands School building is to be refurbished and a large extension added so that it can be used as a place of worship with a community hall and a church hall.

Tuesday 12 November 2019

Response to Town Centre consultation




To: All Decision Makers

We are writing to you as those attending the recent consultation about the plans for the Town Centre were concerned at the lack of consistent information given over the 2 days. If you expect the public to support this scheme then at least provide them with the full details they need to assess it.

                   1.      TREES
a.      The reason given for felling the avenue of lime trees was because the council is insisting the area is all at one level. This seems a feeble excuse for felling so many trees.
b.      Another reason given was that 3 trees have roots that will be damaged during the works.
c.       Is the true reason to clear the view from the bus station to the shopping centre?

                   2.      CLIMATE EMERGENCY
a.      The Council has issued a Climate Emergency and will be developing a Climate Change Strategy. Surely this ensures existing mature trees are properly maintained so how is this compatible with the felling of 80 mature trees in the Town Centre?
b.      Planting new trees does not create the same benefits to the climate that mature trees offer so for some decades the environment of the Town Centre will be damaged instead of improved.
c.       What is the Council doing to ensure the plans for the Town Centre are energy efficient? Will the scheme have a neighbourhood energy scheme, solar panels etc.?
d.      Surely building over the Victoria Line is going to increase the energy needed to create this scheme as the foundations will be extremely complex.

                   3.      GREEN SPACE
a.      The green space is being reduced by 30% despite even more people living in the area. This is bad planning as it does not provide for the openspace residents living near the Town Square or shoppers visiting the Mall and market need.
b.      Surely a properly designed scheme would ensure a better public realm with enough space to cater for the growing number of people using the Town Square?

                   4.      PLAYGROUND
a.      From the information available the new play area has been moved from beside the bus station to the centre of the openspace but very little information about the play area was provided. Can a fully worked up plan of the equipment being provided be made available on a web site? How many children and what ages will it cater for? 

                   5.      HOUSING
a.      From Tottenham Hale to Walthamstow Central getting on for 20,000 flats are being built. Meridian Water will be providing 10,000 new homes adjacent to Waltham Forest so is there any need for adding more flats into an already saturated Town Centre?
b.      Juniper House is about to start being constructed, Whipps Cross Hospital site will be mainly housing and the Town Hall complex will have more flats and over a thousand flats are under construction in Lea Bridge Road and Leyton. Surely these are more than enough to allow the Council to meet its housing target from the GLA of 1,800 per year? We can’t continue to pack in people without social cohesion breaking down especially over a short period of time.
c.       The proposed flats are for rent – what does that mean? If the rents are at market rates there will be no housing for those on limited incomes. If the rents are only affordable by those in city jobs paying large bonuses will the flats just be occupied by a transient population who add nothing to the community of Waltham Forest?

                  6.      TOWER BLOCKS
a.      Height – 31 storeys is totally out of keeping with the street scene around the Town Centre being more than twice the height of any nearby building. This is very bad planning and will make it an unattractive place.
b.      Massing – we are not clear how the reduction from 4 to 3 blocks improves the massing as the same number of flats will be built and the blocks appear, in the limited information available, to be squashed together making the massing worse.
c.       Building over the Victoria line – the consultation says the scheme re-design allows the scheme to be built quicker. From the limited information available to the public  the tower blocks still seem to be being built over the Victoria Line tracks which would involve massive foundation construction works so what is it that has changed to make the scheme easier to build?
d.      Full planning permission has not been obtained for the tower blocks and it appears the second partner, Mount Anvil, has pulled out as the consultation admitted a partner was not yet in place. When is the consultation on the full planning application for the tower blocks to be carried out?
e.      Grenfell – only the first report from the Grenfell Inquiry has been published. Surely no tower block of 31 storeys can be considered until all the building regulations relating to tower blocks have been reviewed in the light of the results of the Grenfell Inquiry?

                     7.      WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL
a.      Congestion – the Victoria Line is already at capacity so where is the sense of creating more demand for the tube adding more flats right beside the new entrance?
b.      When are TfL going to reveal their plans and consult the public?
c.       Is TfL rebuilding their existing station as well as creating a new entrance from the Mall via escalators down to the platforms?

                     8.      C&R TAKEOVER
a.      What impact does C&R’s financial situation and its talks with Growthpoint Properties about a takeover affect the funding of this scheme and the new tube station entrance?
b.      Why have they not been able to get a partner to fund the tower blocks? They lost Barratt Homes before the first planning application was submitted and subsequently Mont Anvil seems to have withdrawn.
  
                     9.      SECTION 73
a.      This process is normally used for minor changes to consented planning applications. The changes C&R are proposing are not minor i.e. 3 tower blocks not 4, new entrance to tower blocks and new entrance to tube station.
b.      It is not clear why any of the changes will reduce the time taken to build this development. Surely if that was true C&R should have made it clear at the consultation why using Section 73 makes a significant difference.

                   10.  OTHER TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENTS
a.      Construction Traffic – with Juniper House about to start, Strettons site not far behind and the council’s plans to refurbish the EMD and redevelop the Town Hall site there will be major congestion on Chingford Road, a residential street, as the construction traffic makes its way from the North Circular.
b.      Despite asking the council various times no clear answer has been given as to how the construction traffic will be managed. This route is already heavily congested and this will make a mockery of declaring a Climate Change Emergency.

We believe the residents of Waltham Forest should be shown more respect and a proper consultation held making the plans available for the whole scheme as well as CGI images of the main features so the public can really see what the impact of this scheme will be and the many years the town centre will be disrupted.

Friday 8 November 2019

Town Hall Campus Works Start



Work on the Town Hall Campus starts


William Morris Gallery Christmas Shopping

Shop at the WMG


Climate Emergency Consultation

Climate Emergency Consultation



Central Parade

Central Parade Consultation



Town Centre Consultation comments




Those attending the recent consultation about the plans for the Town Centre were concerned at the lack of consistent information given over the 2 days. Here are some examples:

1.      TREES
a.      The reason given for felling the avenue of lime trees was because the council is insisting the area is all at one level. This seems a feeble excuse for felling so many trees.
b.      Another reason given was that 3 trees have roots that will be damaged during the works.
c.       Is the true reason to clear the view from the bus station to the shopping centre?

2.      CLIMATE EMERGENCY
a.      The Council has issued a Climate Emergency and will be developing a Climate Change Strategy. Surely this ensures existing mature trees are properly maintained so how is this compatible with the felling of 81 mature trees in the Town Centre?
b.      Planting new trees does not create the same benefits to the climate that mature trees offer so for some decades the environment of the Town Centre will be damaged instead of improved.
c.       What is the Council doing to ensure the plans for the Town Centre are energy efficient? Will the scheme have a neighbourhood energy scheme, solar panels etc.?
d.      Surely building over the Victoria Line is going to increase the energy needed to create this scheme as the foundations will be extremely complex.

3.      GREEN SPACE
a.      The green space is being reduced by 30% despite even more people living in the area. This is bad planning as it does not provide for the openspace residents living near the Town Square or shoppers visiting the the Mall and market need.
b.      Surely a properly designed scheme would ensure a better public realm with enough space to cater for the growing number of people using the Town Square?
4.      PLAYGROUND
a.      From the information available the new play area has been moved from beside the bus station to the centre of the openspace but very little information about the play area was provided. Can a fully worked up plan of the equipment being provided be made available on a web site? How many children and what ages will it cater for?
5.      HOUSING
a.      From Tottenham Hale to Walthamstow Central getting on for 20,000 flats are being built. Meridian Water will be providing 10,000 new homes adjacent to Waltham Forest so is there any need for adding more flats into an already saturated Town Centre?
b.      Juniper House is about to start being constructed, Whipps Cross Hospital site will be mainly housing and the Town Hall complex will have more flats and over a thousand flats are under construction in Lea Bridge Road and Leyton. Surely these are more than enough to allow the Council to meet its housing target from the GLA of 1,800 per year? We can’t continue to pack in people without social cohesion breaking down especially in a short period of time.
c.       The proposed flats are for rent – what does that mean? If the rents are at market rates there will be no housing for those on limited incomes. If the rents are only affordable by those in city jobs paying large bonuses will the flats just be occupied by a transient population who add nothing to the community of Waltham Forest?

6.      TOWER BLOCKS
a.      Height – 31 storeys is totally out of keeping with the street scene around the Town Centre being more than twice the height of any nearby building. This is very bad planning and will make it an unattractive place.
b.      Massing – we are not clear how the reduction from 4 to 3 blocks improves the massing as the same number of flats will be built and the blocks appear, in the limited information available, to be squashed together making the massing worse.
c.       Building over the Victoria line – the consultation says the scheme re-design allows the scheme to be built quicker. From the limited information available to the public  the tower blocks still seem to be being built over the Victoria Line tracks which would involve massive foundation construction works so what is it that has changed to make the scheme easier to build?
d.      Full planning permission has not been obtained for the tower blocks and it appears the second partner, Mount Anvil, has pulled out as the consultation admitted a partner was not yet in place. When is the consultation on the full planning application for the tower blocks to be carried out?
e.      Grenfell – only the first report from the Grenfell Inquiry has been published. Surely no tower block of 31 storeys can be considered until all the building regulations relating to tower blocks have been reviewed in the light of the results of the Grenfell Inquiry?

7.      WALTHAMSTOW CENTRAL
a.      Congestion – the Victoria Line is already at capacity so where is the sense of creating more demand for the tube adding more flats right beside the new entrance?
b.      TfL were not present at the consultation so when are they going to reveal their plans?
c.       Is TfL rebuilding their existing station as well as creating a new entrance from the Mall via escalators down to the platforms?
8.      C&R TAKEOVER
a.      What impact does C&R’s financial situation and its talks with Growthpoint Properties about a takeover affect the funding of this scheme and the new tube station entrance?
b.      Why have they not been able to get a partner to fund the tower blocks? They lost Barratt Homes before the first planning application was submitted and subsequently Mont Anvil seems to have withdrawn.

9.      SECTION 73
a.      This process is normally used for minor changes to consented planning applications. The changes C&R are proposing are not minor i.e. 3 tower blocks not 4, new entrance to tower blocks and new entrance to tube station.
b.      It is not clear why any of the changes will reduce the time taken to build this development. Surely if that was true C&R should have made it clear at the consultation why using Section 73 makes a significant difference.

10.  OTHER TOWN CENTRE DEVELOPMENTS
a.      Construction Traffic – with Juniper House about to start, Strettons site not far behind and the council’s plans to refurbish the EMD and redevelop the Town Hall site there will be major congestion on Chingford Road, a residential street, as the construction traffic makes its way from the North Circular. Despite asking the council various times no clear answer has been given as to how the traffic will be managed. This route is already heavily congested and will make a mockery of declaring a Climate Change Emergency

Monday 14 October 2019

Town Centre - New Consultation

Make sure you get along to the new consultation about the Town Centre

Revised Plans for Town Centre

https://capreg.com/media-centre/news/walthamstow-public-consultation/

When: Friday 25th October and Saturday 26th October 2019
Time: 10am to 6pm
Location: 202 Hoe Street, Walthamstow, E17 4BS

Find out what is being planned

Are we still losing 30% of the open space?
Is the Lime Tree avenue still to be felled?
Are the 29 storey tower blocks still in the plan?
How will the scheme be quicker to build when it still costs £200m?
What pressure has the GLA put on C&R to implement this new plan?
TfL are desperate to create a second exit to the station to deal with the overcrowding before a major accident occurs.
Why have the councillors not notified us of this change?

http://wfoc.blogspot.com/2018/06/town-centre-saga-part-2.html

Saturday 28 September 2019

Draft Local Plan


Waltham Forest's consultation on the Draft Local Plan is nearing its end. The experience was illuminating as now it is clear why it seemed such a farce. I have been involved with the Local Plans for many years and after the first one, about 30yrs ago, I decided it was too much work for very little gain.

Now it is clear it is worth no work as there is a guarantee there will be no gain! This may sound like a cynical old man speaking but the reality is more true than I had realised. It started with a friend of mine, who lives in Bromley, saying their council might have their planning powers removed because they were not reaching their housing target. This struck me as being draconian!

I attended the launch of the consultation about the London Plan and was horrified by the way Jules Pipe (Ex Hackney Mayor and now Chief Planning Officer of the GLA) wanted every little space built on and up to increase London's population by 3million! At the Waltham Forest consultations the officers made it clear that unless they agreed to these terms they would have their planning powers removed!

So coming to the detail this year Waltham Forest's new homes target from the GLA was 825 homes per year. Next year they have to ensure 1,800 new homes are built. The process means the officers have to identify every site, large and small, where homes can be built to meet the target. If they argue the target is too large the Planning Inspectors, who have to evaluate their Local Plan, could easily decide the figure is too low and should be increased! This give the council an incentive not to oppose the target from the GLA. 

The end result is there is no point in arguing as the officers have their hands (and their careers) tied and no one is prepared to fight. So we as residents might say that the Victoria and Central Line are at capacity, which no one denies, but that is no reason not to build more homes. Planning does not take in to account utility supplies, or Health Services or Schools so the chances are if the 3 million figure is reached London will just grind to a halt!

Adjacent to Waltham Forest is Meridian Water site where 10,000 homes are planned so why does Waltham Forest have an increased target when such a huge development is on its doorstep?

We all know the Government is in a mess and normal business is barely ticking over, but it now turns out, according to an article in the Evening Standard last night, which says the London Plan has been assessed by the Planning Inspectors who say that the GLA target of 65,000 is "undeliverable" and must be reduced to 52,000 which presumably means our Draft Plan target of 1,800 will be reduced! 

The whole process is wrong - you cannot design decent homes in a top down manner it has to be bottom up, and if by the time the figures get to the  Government and there are not enough homes being built in London, then a new town like Milton Keynes has to be planned for. So why was this not done as soon as Milton Keynes was finished - another fine mess various Governments have got us in to!!

Saturday 17 August 2019

Walthamstow Cricket Club fell 78 healthy trees

Walthamstow Cricket Club

Walthamstow Cricket Club (in Greenway Avenue) has felled 78 mature healthy trees purely to improve their bank balance! They have done a deal with the developer of the Crownlea site who wanted the trees removed to allow their proposed development to be squeezed as close to the boundary as possible. As far as I can establish a planning application has not been submitted for the site so I hope the Planning Committee reject it when it is submitted. The removal of these trees is environmental vandalism and contrary to the Council's declaration of an environmental emergency.





From Buck Walk




Area Action Plan






Friday 16 August 2019

St James' Quarter Newsletter

St James' Quarter Newsletter



Draft Local Plan

Draft Local Plan Consultation

Its that time again when, if you are bored and have nothing to do, you can get stuck in to the Draft Local Plan consultation. Don't forget to read up on the London Plan first as the Waltham Forest one has to comply otherwise we won't get money for Min Holland, Borough of Culture to name but two.

Bromley has not met their targets and are being threatened with having their Planning Power taken over by the Planning Inspectors. So be careful what you say about the Draft Local Plan otherwise Mayor Khan will take away any largess he was considering. Oh and don't forget you have to build high and in a much greater density than the the Victorians did to accommodate the extra 3million people the GLA says we have to grow London by!!!

Apparently that means another 27,000 new flats in Waltham Forest in addition to the 20,000 already under construction! When I get a moment I might take a closer look at the Draft Plan but it will only raise my blood pressure even further!!

Save Our Square battles on



1.Save Our Square has decided to review the situation regarding the plans of Capital and Regional PLC, and WF council, to re-develop the Mall and Square, and we hope to draw up an Alternative Plan.
We affirm we would like the Town Square upgraded; and we can see some potential in improving the Mall. However, we reject the current plan and want to offer a positive alternative. 
Please participate in our SOS survey. Pass on the survey to others. Look out for one of our local consultation meetings in the autumn.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/RYKSJ82

2. It now almost 4 years since David and Jean launched a petition and, together with their cardboard model of the proposed 29-storey tower, started collecting 3000 signatures in the Square.
Our campaign has gone wide. An article in the Financial Times recently recognised “community opposition to this 5-year £200 million plan”.
Another journalist commented that we are one of the very few London campaigns to keep developers at bay.


To date not one shovelful of earth has been dug up in the Square. Not one tree felled.

3. The campaign is still very much in existence - and growing! More people are expressing opposition. A number of local artists have hit the headlines, now with their second exhibition “Between the Limes” devoted to saving the lime trees. More recently supporters of Extinction Rebellion have expressed interest from an environmental point of view. Local architects and student architects are keen to play a role in helping design a new plan.

SOS have continued with a series of activities, the highlights being the huge attendance at the Planning Committee 2017, the mass meeting in January 2018, the Square Occupation in February, several lobbies of C&R, tying ribbons around the trees, organising an exhibition of children’s pictures to Save the Square and the Trees, and much more. We have enjoyed the support of thousands of local residents, and particularly WF Trades Union Council, campaigning organisations, the Civil Society, Socialist Party activists, and several Labour Party branches.


4. From the developers’ side we are aware of several inter-related problems -
  • The retail landscape is dismal
  • There are questions over a plateau in house prices
  • Political paralysis has affected many businesses
  • The share price of Capital and Regional PLC this year has plummeted from 50p down to 17p.
  • The tower-block building company Mount Anvil seem to have gone quiet, or even disappeared
  • There are concerns over the thousands of flats for sale at largely unaffordable prices; in fact developers rely heavily on selling off their flats through the government’s help-to-buy scheme.
  • There are serious questions for transport with the vast increase in demand these flats will bring

5. WF Labour council, like all others, have had their grant cut; the Tory government aims to cut off the grant altogether, forcing councils to rely on rates to raise revenue to finance all services (unless Corbyn comes to power and takes strong measures). They need income from domestic rates - the more flats the more revenue. They are also tied into the private developers to build homes; their power to build masses of council houses has been curtailed by successive governments, and most councillors, unfortunately, don’t have a fighting spirit to challenge this situation. They were hoping more big chain stores in the Mall would bring in badly-needed high business rates.

6. Campaigners want to start a new dialogue. Previous consultations were a sham; thousands of signatures and hundreds of letters of opposition were all arrogantly dismissed. We are laying out here some ideas and hope they could be the basis for a new consultation that involves local residents as widely as possible.

We put these ideas forward to improve the Square and the Mall, for discussion in local organisations, local parties, trade unions, local Forums, in the local press, through social media; and aim to hold at least one consultation event in the libraries in Walthamstow, Chingford, and Leyton/Leytonstone.
Lastly, if you would like to go on our Tree Defenders alert list, be an “eyes and ears volunteer” (keeping a lookout on the Square), or if you would like to help raise funds, or participate in our activities, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

email: nancytaaffe185@gmail.com      ;     07786 857673

Join in
we need you Get in contact and donate via details below.

Contact: WF Trades Council:
wftradescouncil@gmail.com or 07952283558

Donate: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/adrian-stannard

Facebook: @savewalthamstowtowncentre
Twitter: @SaveSquareE17