Category: Development & Planning
Still some hope for the Standard Music Venue?
There’s an unexpected glimmer of hope for both local bands and live music fans hit by the closure of the borough’s one remaining dedicated venue, The Standard, in December. It was bought by TFC Supermarkets, a Turkish supermarket chain and the site was boarded up in Mid January. The retention of The Standard was a [...]
£1 Million for lifts at Blackhorse Road station
Thanks to the Higham Hill blog for pointing us in the direction of news that Blackhorse Road Railway station has been awarded funding to install two new lifts. The improvements are being made as part of the Department for Transport’s Access for All scheme which aims to improve access to railway stations. 980k will be spent [...]
TFC Turkish supermarket confirmed for Standard Music Venue
Since the summer the rumour has been that the much loved Standard Music Venue had been bought by a Turkish Supermarket chain, but BAG can now confirm this. Waltham Forest’s only dedicated live music venue – serving the area for over 25 years – is destined to become a TFC supermarket. Where this leaves the [...]
Blackhorse Lane Area Action Plan Meeting + Deadline Extension
If you want to send your views to the council with regards the Blackhorse Lane Area Action Plan, please note that the dealine has been extended untill Friday the 14th Oct at 5pm. The planning department have granted us an extension till then. This was agreed at the meeting we had on Wednesday (5th October) [...]
Umit Supermarket applies to extend opening hours
A piece of planning news from Cllr Clare Coghill: “Hello, I thought you may be interested to be made aware of the below application to extend the opening hours for sale of alcohol at Umit Supermarket. If you have any thoughts on this, please let me know. Licensing Act 2003: Premises licence variation app Umit [...]
Standard Music Venue about to be sold?
Already lacking a cinema, Waltham Forest’s moribund night-time economy could be about to suffer another blow with the loss of its only dedicated music venue? The “For Sale” sign has been pinned to the side of the “Standard Music Venue” for so long now that many happily assumed the gig goers haunt would survive for [...]
£10 million plan to open up Walthamstow reservoirs
The BBC have announced that Thames Water in conjunction with Hackney, Haringey and Waltham Forest Council are hoping to raise 10 million pounds to open up the Walthamstow reservoirs as a nature reserve and wetlands centre. The reservoirs are already open to any member of the public willing to trek down Forest Road with a [...]
WFCouncil wants your views on Blackhorse Lane 20 year area plan
Waltham Forest Council would like to know your views on Blackhorse lane and how it can be improved. Theres a PDF of the questions they’d like answered, but this is what they ask you to answer: I like the following things most about Blackhorse Lane: I think the main problems in Blackhorse Lane are as [...]
Tesco say “Express store planned for December 2011″
A number of residents have been in touch asking for the latest news regarding the former Essex Arms site, and Tesco’s plans to build an Express store and flats on the site. Since the pub itself was demolished in early 2010 there has been no information about the opening date or when building work would [...]
Trio of upto eight storey flats planned at St James Street
UPDATE: The Waltham Forest Guardian says objections to the plans can be submitted up until the 31st of Jan. “Private company PHCC East London Ltd wants to build a health centre in one of the units with 19 flats above, with shops and 45 flats in the other structure. The application states that both blocks, [...]
L&Q postpone Walthamstow Stadium consultation
L&Q have taken a break from organising fixed questionnaires and hidden consultations to accuse residents and elected MP’s of conducting an orchestrated campaign of threats and intimidation. They also portray themselves as working selflessly to give Waltham Forest affordable homes, and attack MP’s Stella Creasy & Iain Duncan Smith as being only interested in campaigning [...]
Walthamstow Dogs – Independent survey
Having left Walthamstow’s much loved stadium to rot for two and a half years, L&Q recently decided to conduct a survey into residents views. Why they needed to do this when residents have made their views clear time and time again is unclear. Now Save Our Stow- the campaign group for the dog track – [...]
Tesco Essex Arms development approved
After twice rejecting Tesco’s plans for the former Essex Arms site on Forest Road, Waltham Forest council approved the Express store and 17 flats at a meeting on Tuesday night (2nd Feb). The Waltham Forest Guardian was at the meeting and reports that the only planning committee members to vote against the development were Ed [...]
Stop the Essex Wharf tower blocks
Join local residents at Hackney Town Hall from 6pm on Wednesday 3rd Feb to demonstrate opposition to plans for 10 storey flats on the site! This Planning Application proposes four 7-10 storey high-rise high density residential tower blocks on the River Lee Navigation opposite North Millfields, in the Borough of Waltham Forest. It will loom [...]
L&Q ignore residents, councillors and bidders for Walthamstow Dogs
On Saturday (16th Jan) in a tiny backroom at The Holiday Inn, London & Quadrant unveiled their plans to turn Walthamstow’s iconic stadium into high density housing. Touted as an opportunity to listen to local views and adapt the plans accordingly, the “consultation” was only open for 2 brief 4 hour slots. Despite miserable weather [...]
Tesco submit 3rd planning application
There’s an inevitability about the third application submitted by Tesco for the conversion of the former Essex Arms pub site into a four storey Express store/residential flats. View all three applications so far Latest (18/11/09) planning application Last month BAG spoke to the council planning officer who refused Tesco’s second application. He expressed frustration at [...]
Essex Arms Tesco Express plans refused
View Larger Map Waltham Forest Council have surprisingly refused the latest plans for a Tesco Express and flats on the Forest Road former Essex Arms site. On Thursday (8th Oct) they published 14 detailed reasons for turning down the application. Speaking to BAG the planning office expressed frustration that agents and architects for Tesco did [...]
Tesco Express plans resubmitted
UPDATED (SUN 26th JULY): Back in December Tesco withdrew their plans to replace the Essex Arms pub with a Express Store and flats. A few weeks ago the fences were taken down, and residents have complained that the building has been occupied by squatters. Many people have questioned why Tesco allowed the site to become [...]
Liaquat Ali: E17′s leading satirist
Swift, Hicks, Hislop… all notable satirists but did any of them ever pen anything as comical as the letter Liaquat Ali posted through residents letterboxes today. A little background adds to the humour. Plans to turn St James Street Library into a drug treatment centre were scrapped on Tuesday when four Labour councillors realised they [...]
Drug Centre scrapped? Library to be Sold
The Waltham Forest Guardian reports that the drug centre described by Council Leader Chris Robbins as a “wonderful addition” to the local community has been scrapped. Faced with continued protests from ungrateful locals who perversely thought having a library was wonderful, Cllr Robbins announced the building will not now be a treatment centre. Any residents [...]
“Gimme Cinema” say Jagger & local kids
We are very late in reporting this but Mick Jagger has given his support to the campaign by Walthamstow residents to save the Granada/EMD Cinema in Hoe Street. Jagger said: “Cinemas and live venues like The Granada in Walthamstow where the Stones played in the early days, learning our craft on the way, are the [...]
St James Street Drug Centre plan to go ahead?
On the 2nd of March Coppermill School played host to the first ever Community Council with a queue to get in! An eagle eyed regular had spotted the council trying to sneak though the conversion of the Library building into a drug centre, hidden away at the end of an economic report. Residents many of [...]
Willowfield Planning brief ignores residents views
Back in March BAG organised a well attended public meeting about the propsed Willowfield school development. At that meeting Cllr Robbins promised to convey to cabinet the unanimous opposition of all stakeholders (residents and parents and teachers) to plans for the school to be higher than 3 stories, and for housing either next to or [...]
600 residents hold vigil to save EMD Cinema
OTHER REPORTS ON THE PROTEST Walthamstow Guardian coverage as “600 residents protest at council plans” McGuffins organised the vigil and took pictures on the night BBC News report on “Fight to save Hitchcock cinema” Telegraph piece on the fight to “save cinema where Alfred Hitchcock saw first films” The Independent tell the story of “Hitchcocks [...]
Hope for the Standard Music Venue or as comment on FB said "seems as likely as a dogtrack opening in the cinema"? http://t.co/lXQe4x5D2 weeks ago
@BlackhorseAG Kevin Williams could have been saved at Hillsborough in 1989. Please Sign+RT to fight for justice http://t.co/k7lVEJut4 weeks ago
RT @fabsternation: #awesomestow new cultural attraction on NorthcoteRd/CarisbrookRd @ Cllr Liaquat Ali HQ @WFGuardian @stowscene @Warpdog http://t.co/WcCGV0FE4 weeks ago
£1 Million for lifts at Blackhorse Road station - funding awarded for two new lifts http://t.co/SFLHkepX via @HighamHill2 months ago
@stowscene @BlackhorseAG £980k for 2 new lifts in Blackhorse Road Station! http://t.co/43yrcGM02 months ago
Read @darrenhayman's tribute to Rodis cafe @ Blackhorse Rd. A small family business selling up after 100 yrs of service http://t.co/Th9KjDbz2 months ago
