Virtual Council Committee Meetings

In case you weren't able to get along to council meetings, and if you are running out of things to watch, try these ( the real benefit of a pandemic - we can see what is going on at a convenient time to us!) :

WATERWORKS FESTIVAL Licence Application

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC5q_SQCGQY

PLANNING COMMITTEE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrh-DspWmE4

CABINET MEETING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHEq4Z6OTq0

Waterworks Licence Hearing - virtual hearing

COMMITTEE's DECISION

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: Marc Witham <Marc.Witham@walthamforest.gov.uk>

Date: Mon, 4 May 2020 at 08:35

Subject: FW: Licensing Act 2003 - Waterworks, Lammas Road, E10

To:

Dear Sir/Madam,
The agenda for Licensing Act 2003 Sub-Committee, Tuesday, 12th May, 2020, 2.00 pm has just been published.
To see the publicly available information, follow the link: Agenda details on public web site
Meeting venue: Virtual Meeting
The following items are included in the agenda:

No.	Item
1	APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS
2	DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
3	PROCEDURE OF LICENSING SUB-COMMITTEE
4	APPLICATION FOR THE GRANT OF A PREMISES LICENCE - THE WATERWORKS, LAMMAS ROAD, LEYTON, E10 4QB

Kind regards,

Marc Witham

Team Manager - Licensing | Regulatory Services | Resident Services

London Borough of Waltham Forest

3 The Square, Leyton, E10 5NR

Tel: 020 8496 3000 | Ext: 2247 

Email: Marc.Witham@walthamforest.gov.uk

Our ambition is that everybody in Waltham Forest enjoys a quality life.

From: Marc Witham
Sent: 30 April 2020 15:42
Subject: Licensing Act 2003 - Waterworks, Lammas Road, E10

Dear Sir/madam,

Further to your representation in respect of the application for the grant of a premises licence at The Waterworks, Lammas Road, E10.

A hearing to determine the application has been arranged and will take place on Tuesday 12^th May 2020 at 14:00. Due to coronavirus social distancing requirements the hearing will take place using Microsoft Teams. A link to allow access to the hearing and joining instructions will be sent in the days leading up to the hearing.

Attached is the Notice of Hearing, acknowledgement notice and other documents relating to the hearing. Should you wish to address the sub-committee or nominate somebody to speak on your behalf, then please indicate so in the acknowledgement notice, which should be returned to licensing@walthamforest.gov.uk.

If there are a large number of requests to speak the Chair may limit the number of speakers, place a time limit on speakers, or both. Therefore, where possible, it may be advisable for connected parties to nominate a speaker to amplify the points raised in their representations, particularly where representations address substantially similar concerns.

If you have any questions, please email licensing@walthamforest.gov.uk and we will endeavor to respond to you as soon as possible.

Kind regards,

Marc Witham

Team Manager - Licensing | Regulatory Services | Resident Services

London Borough of Waltham Forest

3 The Square, Leyton, E10 5NR

Tel: 020 8496 3000 | Ext: 2247 

Email: Marc.Witham@walthamforest.gov.uk

Our ambition is that everybody in Waltham Forest enjoys a quality life.

The Blackhorse Collective - The Standard

Lea Valley Developments

The Collective Blackhorse <TheCollectiveBlackhorse@kandaconsulting.co.uk>	15:31 (5 hours ago)
to me, The

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to you as an important local community stakeholder to invite you discuss our proposals for the redevelopment of 1 Blackhorse Lane, formerly The Standard music venue.

By way of a brief introduction, The Collective is a developer, operator and long-term stakeholder in the communities that we invest in. We focus on creating and activating places where our residents and existing communities come together to build and foster human connections. Our developments not only support our communities with their day to day lives but create new opportunities, whether that be through employment and education, community, or cultural initiatives.

Our vision is to redevelop the site to deliver a mixed-use community-focused building that draws on the site’s rich and unique history and promotes The Collective’s collaborative ethos. This will include:

• A new multi-purpose destination venue which will host music, arts and comedy events and a range of other community functions;
• A high quality co-living offer for residents including access to a range of shared communal spaces;
• A curated events programme with an emphasis on education, business, creativity and the arts; and
• Truly public amenity spaces, including events spaces and a café to welcome in the local community and promote a collaborative ethos.

In addition to our proposals, we will be preparing a dedicated Community Investment Programme, which will include support by The Collective for local start-ups, a variety of local initiatives and social enterprise groups.

We are particularly keen to hear from local community groups to understand how our proposals could best align with local priorities. We would also very much welcome the opportunity for further discussions to help shape the detailed Community Investment Programme and the Enterprise, Innovation and Community fund.

In light of social distancing measures relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, we will be offering virtual briefings in place of conventional meetings. If you would like to discuss the details of the proposals or the upcoming consultation process through a video conference or phone call, please let us know and we will be able to organise this at your convenience.

If you would like to discuss anything which has been raised above in more detail with us, please do not hesitate to contact us at TheCollectiveBlackhorse@kandaconsulting.co.uk or call 0203 900 3676.

Yours sincerely,

Harry Manley

Associate Director of Planning

The Collective

Central Parade Update

Central Parade Planning Permission Granted

Earlier Info

Planning Application: 194012

LBWF Statement

Originally the council was going to demolish the whole site and replace it with this so I suppose we have to be grateful for small mercies!!" At least they are only building in the backyard and tough on those in the existing flats with windows looking towards the rear!

Homebase EIA Comments

The council is seeking comments to help scope the Environmental Impact Assessment.
If you want to send in comments send them to:

dcmail@walthamforest.gov.uk

Quoting Planning Application :  201182

Here are some possible points to raise:

201182   Homebase, Forest Road, London E17 4EE EIA Scoping and Screening

On behalf of the Civic Society we would like you to ensure the following is included in the EIA for the Homebase site:

1. Central Power Plant (Neighbourhood Power Plant) to minimise air pollution and carbon emissions.
2. 18 storey blocks will have severe overlooking consequences for 2 schools (Bremer and Woodside) which is unacceptable in this day and age of concern for children’s welfare. Clear sight lines must be shown and what mitigation will be carried out to ensure residents on the top floors cannot spy on the school playgrounds.
3. What impact will the tower blocks have on the views from Epping Forest in light of Natural England’s concern for protecting the forest?
4. Accurate and detailed sunlight maps showing the impact on the surrounding streets i.e. Wigram Square, Foundry Mews, Forest Road, Hale End Road, Hawker Place
5. The Forest Road boundary of the current building has extensive mature natural planting – a study of the flora and fauna of this is essential and what the mitigation of its loss will be.
6. Wind surveys will be needed to ensure the design does not create the “wind tunnel” effect often associated with very high tower blocks.
7. 18 storey buildings are totally out of scale with the surrounding Victorian, 1930s and more recent flats surrounding the site. What mitigation is proposed to ensure these blocks do not dominate the street scene and destroy the mainly low rise existing residential street scene?
8. Will there be sufficient capacity in the local schools to meet the demand for school places created by 700 new flats? If not where will the additional capacity be available?
9. How will this development be integrated with the proposed development of the adjacent Willow House site?
10. Thought should be given to creating a station on the adjacent railway line to allow access to the transport network and for travellers further along Forest Road and its surrounds.
11. Open space – the current car park can be used in emergency for situations like the current coronavirus pandemic for testing people. If this space is removed what other space is available for the emergency services at times of crisis?
12. Utilities – what work will have to be carried out to provide gas, electricity, water and sewerage to this site?  Do the individual companies have enough resources to supply the development?  What disruption will be caused to the surrounding residents while this work is carried out? What is the expected duration of these works? Can a cost benefit analysis be done to take into account the traffic delays caused by the works?
13. Construction work – how are the 2 schools and the thousands of local residents to be protected from the dust, noise and traffic of the demolition and construction works? The works further along between Blackhorse Road station and Tottenham Hale have caused horrendous traffic delays, and pollution to the area. The pile driving for Juniper House in Hoe Street can be heard and felt in Walthamstow Village.
14. The impact of the loss of this DIY facility needs to be considered as the nearest similar facility is B&Q at Leyton or Tottenham Hale. The Tottenham Hale B&Q is almost inaccessible as the car park is always full and as the new developments are occupied in that area it will make it even more congested. Travelling to Leyton is a slow process and will just add more traffic to the Borough’s streets. There is no point in building more homes if there are not the facilities to maintain them.

Homebase site ownership

From information held by Land registry it appears Homebase decided to sell its Walthamstow branch to Inland (Southern) Ltd and Reassure Ltd on the 10th January 2020 - this year for £28m. When Homebase bought the site from Fuller Electrical Ltd in August 1963 Walthamstow Council had a covenant inserted to ensure access to the site as we know it today. Hawker Siddeley took control of Fuller Electrical in July 1983 and LBWF continued the Covenant so that access could be maintained to Homebase.

In January 2020, this year, the Council relinquished the Covenant which means we may no longer have access to the site.

The next step is to try and find out more about Inland (Southern) Ltd's plans for 700 flats in 18 storey blocks. I think they are just an investment company but not sure yet.

Just as a back of an envelope exercise in January a private flat in this development could have been worth £0.5m so 700 would have brought in £350m so taking out the cost of building and the land a decent profit would have been expected! Post coronavirus who knows!!

On the 18th September 2018 the following sites were announced as going to close so why was Walthamstow not on that list only 18 months ago!

 London Merton

London New Southgate

London Wimbledon

Save Lea Marshes News

This is the April "lock down" edition of the Save Lea Marshes News. There can be few of us who remain untouched by the effects of the Coronavirus by now, either having symptoms ourselves; or knowing friends and relatives who have suffered, including those who have not survived.

We have all had to adjust our routines and learn new on-line skills. The upside to this troubling time has been time to think and reflect about where we and the planet are heading. The improvement in air quality through less use of cars and aeroplanes and our wildlife seeking to push back the boundaries created by humans, has been, I think, positive. So too, has been people seeking to do their daily exercise out around our local green spaces. Although, a little frustrating to keep the 2 metre distance at times, the fact that people are using the marshes and the river side for fresh air and exercise, clearly demonstrates a need and a greater interest in our wildlife (which we hope people won't lose). In contrast the Lee Valley Ice Centre and other buildings remain shut and unused.

ICE CENTRE...
Talking of which - some members of SLM virtually attended the on-line Lee Valley Regional Park Authority's Authority meeting on Thursday 23 April, primarily to challenge a remark made by the Committee Chair in the last minutes which referred to Leyton Marsh, where the current Ice Centre sits and the vacant site at Eton Manor as "poor land". The Chair addressed this point near the beginning of the meeting by saying that this remark must have been misheard and that he had said "all land"... Both sites have Metropolitan Open Land (MOL) status.

We gleaned from the Authority meeting, that the decision for the new Ice Centre is likely to be made by the London Borough of Waltham Forest's Planning Committee in July, and that this could be a virtual meeting, if current social distancing precautions are still in place.

Other topics covered by the Chief Executive Officer, Shaun Dawson et al, included, the effects of the current lock down on its operational and financial position and what was being done to offset - such as "furloughing" some staff under the Government's scheme and looking at ways of partially reviving some of the closed buildings when legislation was eased and hiring out one of their car parks as a Covid 19 test centre. It wasn't really explained how a new Ice Centre/Leisure Centre costing approximately £30m would fit into the less brave new world that we can expect.

Members of the public were excluded from Part Two of the discussion, which concerned the current legal case over the LVRPA's decision not to continue their contract with their existing separate operational Trust for running their venues to but to appoint another,(as covered in a previous SLM News), but we await the outcome with interest.

DANCE MUSIC FESTIVAL LICENCEWe've heard that the Waltham Forest Licensing Committee will be looking at the application for the Dance Music Festival on the Waterworks site in proposed for August this year and for two subsequent years, will be taking place virually on 12 May, at we think, 3.00 p.m., with some on-line public access.

EXPERIENCE OF ON-LINE PUBLIC MEETINGS

From personal attendance of firstly, the LVRPA Authority meeting, mentioned above, and secondly the London Borough of Hackney's Planning Sub Committee, also held on 23 April, where the two items on the agenda were: (1) The Olive School and whether it was acceptable, due to delays in construction, to have two intakes start in September (totalling 180 pupils), of reception and young age or to stick with the 90 pupils that the school's managers themselves suggested in order to get its plans past the Government Inspectorate. A representative from the group Conserve Lower Clapton, that has been opposing the school development, bravely spoke against the increase in pupil numbers. A good turn out of over 50 on line participants (including the committee members, staff, members of the public etc.), were partaking in the meeting.

Item (2) was the next phase of the Woodberry Down development.Despite, some very well-meaning environmental and social comments made by Members of the Planning Sub Committee, the outcome of both decisions was a unanimous go ahead on both schemes. So, regardless of the delivery method of the committee, it would seem to be business as usual, with the majority of development proposals being supported by officers, being approved.

It would be good see a numerical audit being done on the outcomes of planning sub committees, where members of the general public challenge the status quo, because from personal experience, the results generally support the development proposals and where the committees do oppose, it is often the case that the applicants will come back for another try. It is fair to say that planning committees do make a difference, in being able to ameliorate plans of developers but lack of power against Government (as in the case of the Olive School), or the need for housing at reasonable cost (Woodberry Down), gets the upper hand. However, it is my opinion that in fairness, members of the public should be able to have more than a paltry five minutes (which might have to be shared with others), and a chance to come back to an argument as development representatives are permitted to.

As to whether the on-line participation works, I would say, that it is better than nothing. During this Hackney Planning Sub Committee, where observers were off mic and off visual, you did feel a bit frustrated as part of the "silent minority". However, the practical sides of the system, with a couple of technical exceptions worked well. I was slightly taken off guard, when the Chair asked observers, for an assessment of how it went.

NEWS FROM OTHER CAMPAIGNS..

The Waltham Forest group, Save Our Square campaign, has added to its long-standing fight against the development of the Shopping Centre and attached square, has been reporting on plans for a 10 storey development next to Higham's Park Station and a plan to develop the current central  HOMEBASE  site for a housing development of 700 units in 18 storey blocks! Question: "Is Waltham Forest wanting to challenge Croydon by becoming the new U.K> Dallas"? We hope not.