Lea Bridge Station Sites Redevelopment - Update

 

Pocket Park

Dear Councillors

Re: the Update on Lea Bridge Station Sites

1. Additional staircases should have been designed in from the beginning
   

The proposed raising of the heights of the towers at Lea Bridge Station Sites is cited as being prompted by the inclusion of additional staircases. I note however that the Lea Bridge Station Sites scheme has long been planned by the Council, in association with an appointed developer, and has had the time and opportunity to design additional staircases without waiting for new Building Regs to come into force. At the Cabinet meeting or 20^th June 1917, which was two months after the Grenfell high-rise tower tragedy, I spoke raising concerns about the long-term implications of planning and fire safety in the construction of Motion (97 Lea Bridge Road) and other proposals in the Lea Bridge and Leyton Vision (which included tall buildings at the station). I pressed for construction to be halted until detailed investigations were made. The then Leader, Cllr Clare Coghill being absent from the meeting, the Chair was taken by Cllr Jenny Gray who told me that I should only speak about the Lea Bridge and Leyton Master Plan and no other development projects. See the record from Cabinet Minutes 20/06/17 - six years ago - below. 

No credence was given to the points I made.

Cabinet Meeting Minutes

In the meantime, Motion was built with no additional staircases in any of the three towers, and now the LBSS towers have been planned without regard for what happened at Grenfell, in spite of the widespread national reporting and analysis as to why many residents could not escape the dreadful fire that consumed their homes.

2. Raised height of the LBSS towers will impact on residents of Motion and on the life and utilisation of the Marshes

Many original objections to this development, including my own, included the grounds of the height of the buildings.  These objections came both from residents who will be affected – and that affect was both noted and overruled in the original application - and from groups and individuals further afield who made environmental objections. The Station Sites' unprecedentedly high blocks will define the views eastwards of people making use of the Marshes. Adding even one storey to that will amplify the adverse effect because of the interplay of visual perspectives. Crucially it will also impact on that open space's wildlife habitat, especially the routes of migratory birds. The image below illustrates the scale of the new buildings in relation to Motion and the nearby low-rise buildings. This will cause newly-significant impact on Motion residents' light, which the Council declined to inform prospective purchasers about in spite of existing local residents raising the issue formally with the then Cabinet member.

3. Environmental issues

I draw to your attention some serious environmental issues. Energy conservation for the purposes of cooling and heating is made more difficult the higher a building rises to the sky. In the case of LBSS towers their isolation on the wide open space of the Marshes means their heat loss and susceptibility to cold wind and hot sun is exacerbated - the top two storeys being the most impacted. Again the image above illustrates this.

I ask whether both the EIA and the Financial Viability surveys will be thoroughly re-examined in the light of this.

4. Aviation

Looking at the Trium LBSS EIA Scoping Report I note that the proposal to SCOPE OUT Aviation was approved on the grounds of LBSS not being within London City Airport Aerodrome Safeguarding area and the tallest building not exceeding +99.3m AOD. As objectors stated originally, this clause in the Scoping Reports omits any mention of helicopters. During the construction phase of the raised towers the 99.3m AOD is likely to be exceeded.  I note that Waltham Forest is one of the most flown-over boroughs because of its position under flight paths of three airports, and its proximity to helicopter ports including the roof of London Hospital in Mile End and the Police heliport in Essex. Residents experience frequent helicopter flights over this part of Lea Bridge due to the incidents of accidents and crime in the area and the opportunity for landing spots - for instance the very nearby Jubilee Park has been used by the Air Ambulance more than once and also the crossroads at the centre of the LBSS. In considering that on 16 January 2013, an Agusta A109 helicopter crashed in Vauxhall, south London, after it collided with the jib of a construction crane attached to St George Wharf Tower, when the pilot and a pedestrian were killed, I urge that the topic of Aviation needs to be SCOPED IN.

Conclusion

I believe it would be erroneous to consider the raising of heights of the LBSS towers as an incremental matter since it will incur critical changes to the original plans. I am therefore writing in advance of the planning application during the time that, as I understand it, the design of the additional staircases will be approved as non-material amendments. I appeal to Councillors to take full consideration of the critical points I have made when overseeing the proposed non-material changes.

Regards

Claire Weiss

Resident