Local campaigners have reacted angrily to plans submitted by developers Solum Regeneration to build eighty-five homes, a hotel and five retail units in the area around Walthamstow Central station. If the proposals are approved, building work will begin on the £15 million project next spring.
Solum Regeneration, a partnership between Network Rail and Kier Property, was created to oversee the £500 million regeneration of seven London train stations. Their plans for Walthamstow, featuring buildings of varying heights including a twelve-storey tower block, were put on public display in April. Anti-high rise campaigners have complained that the display was deliberately under-publicised and that, as a result, only a very limited public consultation has been conducted.
The developers, who have so far adhered to public demand by reducing the tallest building from fourteen to twelve storeys, believe the development will give local commercial spending a £1 million boost. Campaigners disagree, insisting the plans are not consistent with the council’s Interim Planning Policy Framework (IPPF) or the town centre masterplan.
Caramel Quin, joint-co-ordinator of the Fight the Height group, saw the plans in April: “Our campaign might be called Fight The Height, but we object to these plans for much more than its inappropriate 12 storeys. We also feel it’s a faceless, poor-quality design that bears no relation to the surrounding area and will not integrate with central Walthamstow,” she said.
“It’s a classic example of a developer piling it high and selling it cheap, and we hope the council will refuse the planning application and push for a better development with a positive impact on the local area. A good quality development would bring people and wealth into Walthamstow, but by not linking with our town centre this looks to be designed for hotel guests and commuters who will simply hop on the tube and spend their money elsewhere,” Mrs Quin added.
