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…

Tesco have leafleted residents of the Blackhorse Road area about their plans for a Tesco Express store on the site of the former Essex Arms pub on Forest Road. For those that don’t know the location it’s about a 2 or 3 minute walk up Forest Road from Blackhorse Road tube (or about 0.1 miles) (see map).

We’d like to know what residents think? Are you pro or anti Tesco building a 3,000 sq ft store in the Blackhorse Area? Let us know your views either by leaving a comment or emailing us. Tesco would also like feedback either by returning the form on the questionnaire or for more information email Carol Leslie.

The proposed store would have 9 car parking spaces, secure bays for 14 bikes and would be open between 7am and 11pm.

“We want to bring this site back into use for the local community to use and enjoy”

The leaflet is obviously designed to sell the store to the community, Tesco say up to 30 full and part time jobs will be created and that the new store will regenerate what is a semi derelict site. Deliveries would be restricted to two or three lorries a day, between 7am and 4pm (this does not include deliveries by other suppliers e.g. milk, newspapers etc).

More questionably they claim the local store will “boost local businesses”. In their view, new Tesco stores give other local businesses a boost by encouraging more customers to the area.

For a balance to the Tesco PR side its worth visiting the Tescopoly website. It was set up in 2005 “to highlight and challenge the negative impacts of Tesco’s behaviour… on small businesses, on communities and the environment“.

Their view would be that Tesco destroys small independent stores, that the money spent in Tesco’s does not remain in the local community and independent stores have a greater bond with their area:

“A shopkeeper is likely to notice when the old lady from number 26 doesn’t come in to pick up her paper. But checkout 13 is not going to do that.”

As a community group we want to represent the opinions of the local residents, so let us know what you think?

The council wants your views on the Blackhorse Lane re-development, and more importantly who pays for and is obliged to provide what. Here’s what the council says:

“The draft Planning Obligations Strategy for Waltham Forest has now been published for consultation. As part of this there is a specific area based strategy for Blackhorse Lane which sets out how developers will be expected to contribute to the cost of schools, parks, public transport and street improvements through ‘Section 106’ payments“.

Fully understood..? Don’t worry its much less clear than it at first appears!

Essentially building lots of housing is guaranteed (it’s where the money is (or at least was). Everything else like access to green space, improving the night time economy (the council had promised to reprovide The Standard Music Venue), community spaces, etc etc is up for argument over who provides what and who pays.

The Council will charge a set Section 106 contribution for each new residential unit and per new square metre of commercial floor space. BAG questions whether the payment of a tariff will effectively mean that developers will not have to provide ANY infrastructure provision, including community facilities, themselves?

Visit the council site here to submit your views
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)

There are plans to locate three of six new waste processing plants required for north London in Waltham Forest (with one planned for Blackhorse Road).

The framework document for these plans is the North London Waste Plan. This document will be finalized following a number of public consultation meetings held at various locations in the borough earlier this year.

As far as BAG is concerned, the opportunities for public consultation were not widely advertised and therefore, quite possibly, missed by many people who are concerned about this issue.

We have therefore asked NLWP to hold one more public meeting at which local residents can get information about these plans and express their opinions.

Anyone concerned with plans to site Incinerators and waste facilities in the Blackhorse Road area and other places in the borough should come along to find out more and get their views across to the NLWP.

North London Waste Plan meeting details:

Tuesday, 15 April 2008, at 7.15pm

The church hall of Blackhorse Road Baptist Church
Blackhorse Road
Walthamstow
London
E17 7AS.

(Google Maps)

After the recent presentation of plans for the BHL2 section of Blackhorse Lane re-development, BAG has sent the official response of our residents group to Harry Hudson of Green Issues.

We look forward to hearing their reply to residents concerns. 

Download: Word doc: BAG’s response to developers proposal for BHL2

Feedback from the Blackhorse Action Group

Following your recent second public open evening, I am writing to you on behalf of the Blackhorse Action Group, the Residents’ Association for the area bounded by and including Blackhorse Road, Hawarden Road, Lloyd Road, Cornwallis Road, Courtenay Road, Edward Road, Coppermill Lane, Elmfield Road, Salop Road, Stephenson Road and Leucha Road.

As well as providing feedback on the design, housing mix and traffic plans (as you have requested), we believe that there are two other important issues that need to be addressed: local amenities and community safety and crime prevention. We have covered these as well, insofar as they relate to the proposed development.

We have some major concerns about the proposed development because of the following issues. We do not think that the proposals respond adequately to the vision set in:

• • the Government’s Planning Policy Statements and Guidance;
  • the London Plan; and
  • the London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Interim Planning Policy Framework and UDP.

and because of this do not offer a robust strategy for sustainable development. In addition, we are concerned that little regard seems to have been paid during the open evenings to the views of local residents or to their suggestions and the proposals have been put forward as more or less a done deal.

We sincerely hope that this is not the case and herewith offer our own considerations. We would appreciate it if you could please respond to the questions we have raised.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Chair
Blackhorse Action Group

Read on for full document…

There’s more, click here to read more…

The Waltham Forest Guardian reports that the government is to fund redevelopment in the area to the tune of 7.6 million. Much of the grant (which has been previously announced) will go on 2 roads to access the industrial area behind Blackhorse Lane, and to bypass the main junction by the station.

On the readers comments, Dave from Chingford amusingly enquires if they’re using gold bricks?

Money has been allocated for compulsory purchases in the area:

“The council has also set aside £700,000 to buy land in the same area, where it hopes to tackle the borough’s housing shortage with 2,000 new homes”.

WALTHAMSTOW MARSHES

“Cllr Wheeler said the council was very interested in the Thames Water waterworks plant on Walthamstow Marshes.”

A slight chill passes down the spine when hearing the council declare themselves “interested” in another site by the marshes? Anyone for some more houses, a nice big tower block perhaps, with a lovely view of the wildlife?

Read the Waltham Forest Guardian story

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.