The Local Plan is a statutory requirement all local authorities have to create for their areas. Waltham Forest is in the process of developing their plan. It involves developing policies for the Borough about its future growth. The Government lays down its Planning Policies and the GLA uses this as the basis for the London Plan. The GLA then divides up the housing target and passes it to the 32 Boroughs.
NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK
To ensure the public are involved a consultation period is given for the public to comment on the Local Plan. The Waltham Forest proposed Local Plan sets a “requirement” of 1,800 new dwellings to be built each year. The Plan is intended to apply for 15 years, making a total of 27,000 new dwellings in Waltham Forest. The requirement imposed on Waltham Forest by the Government and the London Plan is 1,264 new dwellings per year. The extra (536 extra new dwellings each year for 15 years) is being chosen by the administration of Waltham Forest Council.
(The Homebase development is for 583 flats and Coronation Square is 750 flats)
To ensure the plans are compatible and legal the Planning Inspectors have to examine it in detail. Last year, at the PUBLIC INQUIRY the Inspectors questioned the feasibility of the plan providing so many more homes than was required of the council.
The Planning Inspectorate has refused to approve the proposed Local Plan, questioning the target of 1,800 new dwellings per year. The Council has submitted more evidence to justify their target of 1,800 per year. The SECOND INQUIRY gives residents an opportunity to persuade elected Councillors to reject the higher target and for the Council to adopt the lower target of 1,264.
Part of the plan shows the sites the council think will become available for development:
MAP OF WHERE TALL TOWER BLOCKS WILL BE LOCATED
The hope is the Inspectors will find against the council and the lower target will have to be used. This will then reduce the need for huge tower blocks. As the plan stands now there will be tower blocks over 30 storeys along the River Lea Boundary and 18 storey blocks on the Whipps Cross Hospital site over looking Epping Forest. In addition the Tesco site at Leytonstone will have high tower blocks looming over Leytonstone totally changing the nature of the area. Car parks will be built over as the London Plan deems them wasteful of land.
What doesn't seem to be considered in increasing London's population by 3m , as the London Plan requires, is the congestion on the roads and in particular the North Circular. If Waltham Forest's plan stands there will be 27,000 more homes in the Borough in addition to the 10,000 being created in the Lea Valley by Enfield's Meridian Water development. This will have a huge impact on the congestion of the North Circular from logistic and construction traffic.
View of plan for Blackhorse Lane Uplands Business Park to name but one development:
38 storey block
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