Response to Blackhorse consultation

The Council’s consultation on “Annexe to Planning Obligations - SPD Blackhorse Lane Planning Obligations Strategy” or in English, the Blackhorse Road development consultation closes Friday (8 August).

You can read the document and electronically comment on the Blackhorse Lane Regeneration site.

Please send your individual responses via email to the Council (email).

BAG have sent local councillors our response to the consultation, see the document below, or Download the PDF.

At present the scheme appears to be experiencing delays, but we’re keeping an eye out for any news and will keep residents informed as soon as we hear anything!

Blackhorse Action Group’s response to the consultation
Annexe to Planning Obligations SPD - Blackhorse Lane Planning Obligations Strategy
By email - 6 August 2008

Dear Sirs

I am writing on behalf of the Blackhorse Action Group (BAG) in response to your invitation to comment on your proposals for funding the infrastructure required to support the new development in the Blackhorse Lane and Blackhorse Road area.

I would like to state from the outset that BAG has serious reservations about the proposed developments which straddle Forest Road and Ferry Lane and would appreciate the opportunity to discuss these with you in further detail.
We are particularly concerned that there is a lack of clarity about how the stated Objectives are going to be met and the extent to which the proposed tariff and other funding streams are going to contribute to an improved environment which is sustainable and which will result in the creation of a vibrant community of which we can all be proud.
There’s more, click here to read more…

A couple of hundred people, tv crews from BBC & ITV News, and lots of feedback from locals concerned about the glut of tower blocks planned for Walthamstow. Sunday’s demo (June 1st), organised by Fight The Height was a resounding success.

With leaflets winging their way around the area, the first part of BAG’s campaign against the 23 storey (230ft high) tower block at Blackhorse Road is also well under way and we have to say a big thank you to all the appalled and mostly unaware residents who have submitted comments. PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING (see a selection below the form)!

TO STOP A 23 STOREY TOWER BLOCK BEING BUILT AT BLACKHORSE ROAD WE NEED LOCAL PEOPLE TO SUBMIT THEIR VIEWS, ALONG WITH THEIR NAME AND EITHER AN EMAIL OR HOUSE ADDRESS. WE CAN THEN PROVE TO COUNCIL PLANNERS THAT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WANTS MORE THAN JUST HUGE TOWER BLOCKS.
WE WILL NOT CLOG UP YOUR EMAIL OR DOOR MAT WITH JUNK! ALTERNATIVELY BECOME A MEMBER OF BAG HERE.

Here’s a taster of the comments you’ve been sending us (we’ve shortened some to fit. Please let us know if we’ve altered the meaning in any way!):

“I know housing is short,but this is the most stupid thing I have heard for a while…its hideous.”

“I’m especially concerned that there seems to be nothing socially useful to the wider community being planned. we need facilities for the young people, shops, green spaces. somewhere to eat would be nice!”

“It seems to answer a brief that called for the design of a sink estate. It needs to be stopped in its present form and redesigned to reflect the nature of the surrounding houses and neighbourhood.”

“Will be out of keeping with the areas renowned Warner style of two-storey terraced dwellings“

“I will do all that I can to help stop these ludicrous plans.”

“Offers nothing to the existing community. It will put further strain on transport to have thousands more people living in the tower blocks”.

“We simply don’t want to see these monstrosities… huge ugly buildings that will look out of place in this community. We are worried about the additional traffic, both foot and mechanised that will be part of this”

“This is not an acceptable development for the area. Tower blocks are an awful addition… but also have been the cause of much social living discontent, that is why most of them have been knocked down. No logic to this.“

“If this is really what is planned… then this is appalling, and will cause serious problems for the area. How can the plans have gotten this far without addressing the issues of capacity, services etc?”

“I agree with developing the area but only with low rise accommodation (4 stories max)“

“Too many blocks built in a small area and will add to overcrowded transport.”

Please keep them coming! Here’s the Fight the Height Demo on BBC News, for more pics visit our flickr site.

OTHER POSTS ON THIS SUBJECT (CLICK BELOW)

Do you want the future of Blackhorse Rd to be tonnes of high-rise concrete and more congestion?

The 23-STOREY, 230 FEET HIGH BLOCK is part of a planned ‘super-density’ housing development near the station, with OVER 400 FLATS for up to 1,000 people in 10 TOWER BLOCKS, squeezed into only 1.7 hectares (thats less than two football pitches).

The huge buildings are far higher than any other in the area (mostly two storey Victorian terraces) and will create a precedent for more tower blocks in Walthamstow. It will also add hundreds more people to the rush hour crushes in cars, buses, tubes and trains. There’s also a much larger development planned for the area north of Forest Road, adding even more people and cars to the Blackhorse Rd bottleneck.

TO STOP A 23 STOREY TOWER BLOCK BEING BUILT AT BLACKHORSE ROAD WE NEED LOCAL PEOPLE TO SUBMIT THEIR VIEWS, ALONG WITH THEIR NAME AND EITHER AN EMAIL OR HOUSE ADDRESS. WE CAN THEN PROVE TO COUNCIL PLANNERS THAT THE LOCAL COMMUNITY WANTS MORE THAN JUST HUGE TOWER BLOCKS.
WE WILL NOT CLOG UP YOUR EMAIL OR DOOR MAT WITH JUNK!  ALTERNATIVELY BECOME A MEMBER OF BAG HERE.

BAG WANTS THE DEVELOPMENT TO BE….
…on a smaller scale; less dense; better designed; sustainable; sympathetic to the area; with community spaces, facilities and services; meeting the needs of residents.

WHERE WILL IT BE?

WHY IS IT PLANNED?
The council wants to build 2,000 flats in the Blackhorse Lane area. Over 400 of these are earmarked for the site next to the tube station. Many more flats are planned on the north side of Forest Road.

WHEN IS THE BUILDING DUE?
After an inadequate public ‘consultation’, planning permission may be applied for in summer 08 and building could start as early as autumn 08.

THE OWNER & DEVELOPER
Government agency English Partnerships owns the land. The developer is the Key London Alliance, which is private house-builders Barratt Homes and Inspace, and housing associations Circle Anglia and Notting Hill Housing Group.

JOIN THE CAMPAIGN TO SAY NO TO THE ‘CONCRETE AND CONGESTION’ PLAN AT BLACKHORSE RD

1. TOO HIGH
Developers haven’t learnt from the anti-social, alienating high-rises of the 1960s and 70s. If this 23-storey block gets consent, it creates a precedent for more in the area.
The tower block contradicts what the council has said about taller buildings being: “out of keeping with the character of the area” and “particularly inappropriate”* when they’re close to greenbelt land like the Lea Valley Special Protection Area right next to it!

2. TOO DENSE
Over 2,000 new flats are planned for the Blackhorse Lane area. Over 400 of these are proposed for a small area of 1.7 hectares next to the tube station.  This is much denser than other local housing, and has no significant open spaces.

The proposal is…
3. TOO RESTRICTED
The proposal only includes housing. There are no shops, businesses, communal facilities or usable open spaces for people. This is a recipe for social alienation and anti-social behaviour.
The development will add more traffic to the jams at the Blackhorse Road cross-roads, and swell the crowds on our pressured tube, buses and trains.

4. ADDS TO OVERCROWDED TRANSPORT

The development will add more traffic to the jams at the Blackhorse Road cross-roads, and swell the crowds on our pressured tube, buses and trains.

5. POORLY DESIGNED
The height and bulk of the buildings will tower over the area and local housing. At ground level it will be walled in and used mainly by vehicles rather than as landscaped open space. There are no shop fronts, communal and work spaces, services or other facilities to bring the place alive for local people.

6. SPOILING THE AREA
This is a super-dense bunker. It will dominate the existing two-storey homes nearby and damage the character of the nearby streets.

7. UNSUSTAINABLE
The design is to a minimal level of sustainability for energy efficiency, water/ waste management and countering climate change. This level of sustainability is well below what owner English Partnerships champions on other sites.

*Waltham Forest council’s Unitary Development Plan, March 2006

The Blackhorse Action Group (BAG) is the residents association for the Blackhorse Rd area. We are not a party political group.

OTHER POSTS ON THIS SUBJECT (CLICK BELOW)

Interesting article in the Waltham Forest Guardian this week claiming that the proposed development of a 18 storey tower block on the former Arcade site has hit prices for houses in its shadow.

“When a resident next to the site went to a surveyor she discovered the preferred design that St Modwen has suggested for the site would overshadow her garden, meaning her home will be worth £10,000 less than if situated elsewhere.”

Caramel Quin of Fighttheheight.co.uk had been told that earlier plans for a seven storey development would have boosted prices: “property experts told us the area would be improved and prices would go up“.

Developers will of course make plenty of money from the new tower blocks planned at the Arcade, and the 23 storey Blackhorse Road development.

When residents who currently look out on playing fields and reservoirs find that view replaced by 23 storeys of flats, will they also find the price they can get for their home has fallen too?

Send the developers PR team your views on the proposed Blackhorse Land development here.

As previously reported Prince Charles’ Foundation for the built environment has stated (here) that high rise’s are both unnecessary and inappropriate for Walthamstow.

“Waltham Forest called in the foundation to masterplan the Town Centre of Walthamstow. (Foundation executive) Dittmar says the foundation was interested to explore how Walthamstow, in an outer London borough, could meet mayor Ken Livingstone’s target for affordable housing and how greater residential density was compatible with Walthamstow’s Victorian terraced houses.

Dittmar asks: ‘How can you increase density without sticking people into tower blocks? If you ask Londoners about tower blocks, you find that they are only liked by investors in property.’

The foundation looked at other boroughs and concluded that the four-storey houses of St John’s Wood or Swiss Cottage and the mansion blocks of Kensington and Chelsea provided density without towers”.

The battle to find out which high rise will be the largest, most unpopular, and least wanted by the community is on. 18 storeys are planned on the old arcade site, along with the 15 and 23 storey flats planned for Blackhorse Road.

In response local campaigners have set up a website Fighttheheight.co.uk to try and pressure the council to retreat from their mission to build them high, pack them in, and whatever you do, don’t ever include community facilities!

The site spotlights the much heralded Prince’s Foundation report on the redevelopment of Walthamstow, and how it specifically stated that housing development should be “compatible with Walthamstow’s Victorian terraced houses“.

In an interview with Property Week, Prince Charles & the chief executive of his Foundation, Hank Dittmar talk how high rise housing is inappropriate in an area such as Walthamstow.

They recommended a maximum height of 8 storeys for Walthamstow Town Centre, and neatly summed up the views of the community as: “If you ask Londoners about tower blocks, you find that they are only liked by investors in property“.

Read the interview with Prince Charles in Property Week (scroll towards the end for Walthamstow).
Visit Fighttheheight.co.uk for more on the opposition to high rises in Walthamstow.
The Walthamstow Town Centre Consultation website
Send the developers your views on the 15 & 23 Storey block’s of flats planned at Blackhorse Road.

The exhibition of plans for the Blackhorse area may be over but there’s still time to let the developers know your views. Visit their website to enter feedback and also join the debate here by adding a comment.

Many residents have expressed horror at the high rise plans which include a 23 storey block of flats that the developers themselves boast “can be seen from Tottenham Hale“.

Most agree that the site needs redevelopment, but question how a 23 storey building can possibly be inkeeping with an area with no other buildings over 4/5 stories, not to mention on the doorstep of a Ramsar-listed nature reserve, canals, and the SSSI Walthamstow Marshes!

There are also major concerns that all traffic from the site comes out straight onto Edward/Hawarden Road (see plan here).

Resident Helen points out that the development offers nothing to the local community in the way of mixed use or community facilities and is a council led attempt to cram as many living spaces into a small area as possible:

“418 units are proposed ie very high density - no community facilites or mixed use - one way sytem proposed all traffic for the site will enter via Blackhorse Rd and exit at corner of Hawarden and Edward Rd therefore this proposal will definitely impact on traffic/ noise / pollution on all of Edward Rd. I found them quite reasonable - it is clear that they are working to a specfic brief from Waltham Forest as to how many units must be fitted in to this site. More evidence of this council’s subterfuge and dirty dealings since for the best part of a year Waltham Forest refused to answer my specific questions raised at the Walthamstow West Community Council about the amount of units planned for this site on the grounds that they hadn’t had a planning application“.

Diana, another visitor to the exhibtion pointed out that the “trend country-wide is to move away from the concept of high-rise residential blocks“.

WILLOWFIELD SCHOOL

The developers have not been consulted on the councils renewed plans for the school on Douglas Ayre Playing Fields. They stated that their plans allowed no access to a school through the development. They also questioned the feasability of a school on a 3A Flood risk site (High Probability).

Resident Helen again writes:
“They have not been informed that school is being considered again for Douglas Eyre. I spoke at length about this issue to more than one rep from the stakeholders and they were of the opinion the Council would not get the go ahead because the Environment Agency would block it. A huge school will obviously affect the prices they can get for their units as it will mean hordes of students walking through their estate. and of course more traffic. They are not at all in favour of the school proposal. This is the second attempt by Waltham Forest to sneak through this proposal without giving proper consideration to alternative sites which would cost more money“.

Please give your feedback and opinions to the developers on their website, which should contain more examples of the plans. Also join the debate here by adding your comments.

Want to know what the developers have in mind for Blackhorse Road?

The “revised” plans for the redevelopment are going on public display for three days only.

If you have objections, opinions, or even just fancy a nose, this is your chance. Decisions on every aspect of Blackhorse Road’s future are being taken, from the number of storeys flats might have right through to access to reservoirs and green spaces.

Thursday 28 February from 6pm to 8.30pm
Friday 29 February from 6pm to 8.30pm
Saturday 1 March from 10am to 2 pm

Venue:
Stoneydown Park Primary School
Pretoria Avenue, Walthamstow E17 6JY - MAP here

Should you miss the public display, you can also submit your views to the Blackhorse Road developers website.

On their website the KLA invite all residents to come along and give feedback on the plans. The only slight snag being - as of today - the website doesn’t actually give any address for the exhibition! Also has anyone received any information through the post that might actually inform residents its on?

All of which brings to mind Douglas Adams on public planning displays:

“But the plans were on display …”
“On display? I eventually had to go down to the cellar to find them.”
“That’s the display department.”
“With a flashlight.”
“Ah, well the lights had probably gone.”
“So had the stairs.”

(UPDATE: One day before the exhibition and an address has now appeared).

The Walthamstow Guardian reports that Councillors Loakes and Rayner might not agree on stuffing the area behind Hawarden with tower blocks… article here.

Here’s hoping you all had a fantastic Christmas - great food, company and, who knows, even useful presents!
If you didn’t have the opportunity to go to the exhibition and comment on the plans developers are proposing for BHL2, you can still do it by sending your views by e-mail, fax or post to Harry Hudson. Please submit your comments by the 4th of January.

Harry Hudson
Green Issues Communications Ltd
Freepost NAT22750
Reading
RG1 4BR
e-mail: harryh@greenissues.com
fax: 0118 959 8244

Reminder: this is about the proposed housing (see plans here) and not the school. We’ll let you know more on that score as we find things out.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Green Issues have posted their exhibition boards from last week’s consultation on their website. You can see them here. You can also download a pdf version of them here. It gives some useful explanations.

For those who were unable to make it, it’s worth taking a look - you won’t really appreciate what is proposed until you’ve looked over the design ‘concept’ given there in glorious technicolour. Those who did go might want to download a copy for their own records.