WALTHAMSTOW: New station development plans unveiled

10:29am Wednesday 8th December 2010 in News Photograph of the Author By Daniel Binns, Senior reporter

A computer generated image of the new plans. A computer generated image of the new plans.

A DEVELOPER has been slammed for releasing new plans for a tower block in Walthamstow - including an artist's impression which does not show how tall it is.

Solum Regeneration attracted criticism from some residents earlier this year when it unveiled a proposed £15 million redevelopment of the area next to Priory Avenue, which included plans for 85 homes in two residential units, five shops and a hotel housed in a 12-storey block.

Following a consultation with residents and the council, Solum has now altered the plans – but has attracted criticism for increasing the height of the hotel tower by one floor.

Residents have also accused Solum of trying to mislead the public by releasing images to the Guardian which only show the bottom few storeys of the building.

Sally Stephens, chair of Priory Ave Residents Association, said the computer generated images were a “gross misrepresentation” of what the development will actually look like.

Solum denies the claims, and says it will be sending a newsletter to residents tomorrow which has images featuring the entire height of the building.

It also says it has responded to residents' concerns by lowering the height of two proposed residential blocks in the development from a maximum of 11 and nine storeys respectively to eight storeys each.

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Under the new plans, the hotel will have 99 rooms instead of 88, while the number of homes will be reduced from 87 to 69. The exact location of the planned buildings has been tweaked, as has their design.

The plans also include a pedestrian “link” to Queens Road station and a new public square area.

But residents remain unconvinced.

Caramel Quin, chair of Cleveland Park Residents' Association and one of the organisers of the Fight the Height group, said: “From what we've seen so far, we're still unhappy with the poor quality architecture they have proposed and the height is still ridiculous for a location where the council's own policy recommends a maximum of five to seven storeys.

"It's a very cynical move for Solum to submit the amended plans just before Christmas when we're all so busy.

“It's almost as if they didn't want any objections.”

Peter Hughes from Solum Regeneration said: “The new shop outlets and a hotel will help to strengthen the town centre, providing an extra £1 million local investment and new job opportunities.

"We have consulted with local residents throughout the development of the proposals and have made a number of improvements following recent feedback with the council and local residents.”

The public now has less than two weeks to comment on the plans to Waltham Forest Council.

A meeting to discuss the plans will be held at Waltham Forest Town Hall on Wednesday December 15 at 6.30pm.

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Comments(25)

Walthamstow noob says...
12:51pm Wed 8 Dec 10

I also agree that the images are a gross misrepresentation. There is a distinct lack of abandoned shopping trolleys, sofas, pallets, takeaway cartons and other debris that will no doubt feature before, during and after construction.

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gerald says...
1:51pm Wed 8 Dec 10

it looks fine to me

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AC1975 says...
2:23pm Wed 8 Dec 10

I like the design too. I live on the road next to Priory Avenue and fed up of fight the height campaign this and that. They may have a valid point - height can be a issue - but it's a good thing they didn't live in Manhattan or Hong Kong when it was being developed. But hey guess what, I'm willing to sacrifice a little of the sky if they are regenerating the dump that Walthamstow Central has become. I've more or less lived here all my life and seen it become a horrible place lacking modernity, forward looking and increasingly ghettoised. So stop bloody looking at the sky all the time and worry a little of what's actually happening on the ground. And I'll actually be writing a letter in support of Solum.

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md-j says...
3:03pm Wed 8 Dec 10

How on earth will the traffic destined to access these new buildings cope with the meagre, dangerous single turning onto Hoe St at a particularly bad spot? It's hard enough keeping a cab business moving from that site. The 'pedestrian dominated' access will still be carrying all the through traffic to the car park and flats, as well as the current station-generated traffic, which already can cause gridlock This is gross overdevelopment in a particularly tacky way, which seems to be the hallmark for what this Council will approve.

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JasonOMalley says...
3:14pm Wed 8 Dec 10

I like the idea of this.
People judge an area by how it looks upon exit from transport hubs. What they will see after this will be a mix of modern buildings.

In my opinion crucial to the success of this is getting some quality retailers to the site to bring some diversity to the high street. Some family restaurants would be good so that people get out and about.

I think if my garden was going to be overlooked i would probably be a bit upset but london will grow enormously over the next 10 years and so buildings like this will become commonplace. The key is therefore to make sure the developers are made to reinvest a fair proportion of their profit into the local economy to the benefit of all.

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Chinwagger says...
3:33pm Wed 8 Dec 10

We need this baby for sure, better than what is there. Stop it you NIMBY's please

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RichieA70 says...
4:27pm Wed 8 Dec 10

AC1975 wrote:
I like the design too. I live on the road next to Priory Avenue and fed up of fight the height campaign this and that. They may have a valid point - height can be a issue - but it's a good thing they didn't live in Manhattan or Hong Kong when it was being developed. But hey guess what, I'm willing to sacrifice a little of the sky if they are regenerating the dump that Walthamstow Central has become. I've more or less lived here all my life and seen it become a horrible place lacking modernity, forward looking and increasingly ghettoised. So stop bloody looking at the sky all the time and worry a little of what's actually happening on the ground. And I'll actually be writing a letter in support of Solum.
The problem is, this WON'T regenerate Walthamstow central at all. We're neither short of shops or hotel beds in the area. It's simply a developers lazy way to make a huge profit.

Yes tall blocks certainly do work - but principally when they are clustered together - like in Manhattan and Hong Kong. Unless the majority of the areas Victorian and Edwardian buildings are demolished (and they have weathered far far better than these Solum buildings could) tall blocks will just stick out like sore thumbs in Walthamstow with no relevance to their surroundings.

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Helen, Walthamstow says...
5:06pm Wed 8 Dec 10

To supporters of the Solum scheme - it isn't just about height, it's about design. There is ansolutely nothing of architectural merit in the buildings shown and that jolly picture showing people walking in the sunshine outside the station is all in an artist's imagination.

There is nothing in this scheme that will regenerate Walthamstow.

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myopinioncounts says...
5:11pm Wed 8 Dec 10

Unlike other countries, high rise living proved to be a failure in the UK and billions were spent removing tower blocks from our borough alone.
These will also become high rise slums with families feigning all sorts of ailments to get re-housed.

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gerald says...
5:24pm Wed 8 Dec 10

why do people in walthamstow moan about everything all the time?

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peeg says...
5:40pm Wed 8 Dec 10

Seems fine to me. I would like to see some bars and restaurants included

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Chinwagger says...
6:16pm Wed 8 Dec 10

myopinioncounts wrote:
Unlike other countries, high rise living proved to be a failure in the UK and billions were spent removing tower blocks from our borough alone.
These will also become high rise slums with families feigning all sorts of ailments to get re-housed.
my worry would be stuff chucked down from above onto the street below!

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The Stowaway says...
9:20pm Wed 8 Dec 10

I don't see how the computer generated images can be considered a “gross misrepresentation”
, it is obvious that the building is so high they couldn't fit it all in the picture.

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Redfox says...
1:06am Thu 9 Dec 10

I agree with Gerald's succinct comment - it is totally OK.
Anything that clears away the dreadful clutter of former coal offices and newsagents shops on that corner of Station Approach - lately inhabited by greedy estate agents and **** careless random parking mini cab drivers is a good thing.
As for the pedestrain access to Queen's Road station across Hoe Street station's car park - isn't it hightime the council's planning office took the ENTIRE BLAME for not keeping due watch in 1995 - yes, 1995 - when the developer of Exeter Road power station built houses & gardens blocking his statutory requirement in the planning app to re-instate the footpath link !
Why haven't we had a campaign to open-up somebody's back & front door to allow the right-of-way to return right through their house?
I suggest people also keep a very close eye of the railway footpath at Highams Park station/Larks Hall Road, soon to be closed "for about 3 months" from 4th January. Will it re-open? Will the planning department ensure it does??

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RichieA70 says...
10:00am Thu 9 Dec 10

Redfox wrote:
I agree with Gerald's succinct comment - it is totally OK. Anything that clears away the dreadful clutter of former coal offices and newsagents shops on that corner of Station Approach - lately inhabited by greedy estate agents and **** careless random parking mini cab drivers is a good thing. As for the pedestrain access to Queen's Road station across Hoe Street station's car park - isn't it hightime the council's planning office took the ENTIRE BLAME for not keeping due watch in 1995 - yes, 1995 - when the developer of Exeter Road power station built houses & gardens blocking his statutory requirement in the planning app to re-instate the footpath link ! Why haven't we had a campaign to open-up somebody's back & front door to allow the right-of-way to return right through their house? I suggest people also keep a very close eye of the railway footpath at Highams Park station/Larks Hall Road, soon to be closed "for about 3 months" from 4th January. Will it re-open? Will the planning department ensure it does??
What's so 'dreadful' about the clutter of old buildings on the corner of station approach? They were built with the railway, are complimentary to the station buildings and surrounding area (unlike the Solum plans) and at over a 100 years old are part of the areas heritage as the railway turned Walthamstow from a village into a suburb.

Station approach certainly needs to be smartened up with better surfacing and intelligent landscaping for pedestrian & road users AND the link to Queen's Road station should be re-established. None of this however requires a huge grey hotel tower block and housing where additional cars will gridlock the surrounding roads.#

This is nothing to do with regeneration and all to do about a developer's profits.

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Silent Majority 2009 says...
12:15pm Thu 9 Dec 10

What's really sad about these comments is the view that anything is better than what we have. The whole point of regeneration is to make an area better than it is and these plans are rubbish. The warehouse for storing people overnight will add nothing to the local economy because those using the Travelodge will simply get on the train for the West End. The affordable homes will be a slum in no time as there is no attempt to create a community and to get out of this ghetto will be either a very unattractive underpass or via the very busy main road. The site at the far end is planned to be private housing but who in their right minds will buy a house so inaccessible? Answer - those with the money for buy and let property i.e. absent landlords who will collect their rent and not care about the state the area gets in. The square in front of the station is too small to be commercially viable so will soon become a sordid dropping off point for the station and a quick cup of coffee.
There is no merit in this scheme and as it will be used as the benchmark for the rest of Walthamstow it has to be rejected.
The council, already desperately short of school places, needs to consider how it will accommodate the children from this development, the Stadium and the Arcade site. The last thing Walthamstow needs is more housing as it will just ruin the place for future generations.

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JasonOMalley says...
12:27pm Thu 9 Dec 10

We mustn't forget this is a town centre and so will always be busy with traffic.

I would argue there is little choice over whether something gets built there, london is growing rapidly and people need new homes. It is better to build on brownfield sites with good transport than take up fields. This is not zone 1 and so you cannot expect the buildings to be of prime quality like the new barbican for example.

What we can try and influence is how the profit is used to improve the local community. If good tenants for the commercial units can be found this would be great for the town centre, if not I agree it could have a negative impact. A gym would be great for the town as would some family restaurants. I would urge the council to ensure delivery of such commercial tenants is a condition of granting permission.

We also need to bear in mind that this probably saves the council money, money they desperately need...by moving people from temporary accomodation into good homes can only be good. I don't agree that this will become a ghetto, it is too busy and the development too small for that to happen.....the dog track is another matter though

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Helen, Walthamstow says...
1:32pm Thu 9 Dec 10

Jason says: "Moving people from temporary accommodation into good homes can only be good."

Well, yes and no. Folk are living in cramped conditions and that's not acceptable. But this project will provide limited social housing, and the reality is that as soon as one family moves out of unacceptable conditions another will move in there, putting additional pressure on our already over-stretched infrastructure.

The 99-room (!) hotel will, as Silent Majority says, just be a place for people to sleep before going back to the tourist haunts of London.

And all this talk of nice restaurants, a gym etc is pie in the sky. There just won't be enough room for much of that sort of thing, who wants a quality restaurant beside a railway station and this being Walthamstow whatever does open is likely to be a fast food chain.

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Sigi from Walthamstow says...
3:08pm Thu 9 Dec 10

The correct height of the development MUST be shown.

Otherwise it's deliberately misleading.

This development looks so boring and ugly. We deserve better in Walthamstow. See what's going on around Bethnal Green and Hackney! New buildings but with style. And tell me - are these buildings energy saving, green and low carbon footprint? Or are they just cheapo builds created to make a quick buck for a big company which doesn't care about the area?

BTW
Solum Regeneration is a partnership between Network Rail and Kier Properties. And we all learned the hard way how useless Kier can be ....

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Sigi from Walthamstow says...
3:40pm Thu 9 Dec 10

Have a look at the other Solum Regeneration projects! Tehre are protests against them.

In Twickenham local residents protested because the buildings are too high:
http://www.richmonda
ndtwickenhamtimes.co
.uk/news/8725763.Sta
tion_campaign_gather
s_pace_ahead_of_crun
ch_meeting/

And in Epsom?
Big protests against Solum because of planned night-time work
http://www.epsomguar
dian.co.uk/news/8638
180.Night_time_works
_at_Epsom_station_re
jected/

I advise local Walthamstow campaigners to get together with fellow campaigners in Twickenham and Epsom.

And by the way - the Solum buildings in Walthamstow are much too high, too.
They simply shouldn't get past The WF Planning Department.

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JohnForestman says...
4:12pm Thu 9 Dec 10

It seems to look a bit like this development near the junction of Oxford Street and Tottenham Court Road in London.

I'll leave you to form you own opinions about both, obviously!

http://www.centralsa
intgiles.com

You can see it partly developed in this Google StreetView image, on the left. On the right, there is a lovely old pub, and further round to the right a nice old church ( which can be seen by rotating the view):

http://maps.google.c
o.uk/maps?f=q&source
=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&
q=New+Oxford+Street,
+Camden+Town&sll=53.
800651,-4.064941&ssp
n=22.087036,51.28418
&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=N
ew+Oxford+St,+Greate
r+London,+United+Kin
gdom&layer=c&cbll=51
.515593,-0.128132&pa
noid=_zqK7Dbbp1gL_pP
8402ZwQ&cbp=12,88.77
,,0,0.53&ll=51.51523
3,-0.127679&spn=0.00
2828,0.00626&z=18

Other Images:

http://www.google.co
.uk/images?um=1&hl=e
n&biw=1565&bih=967&t
bs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=C
entral+Saint+Giles&b
tnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=
&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

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JasonOMalley says...
4:56pm Thu 9 Dec 10

Completely share the sentiment. It would be great to have some of the buildings like hackney but a) they will probably sell for double the price. b) hackney council is effectively bankrupt is it not?....they are rolling the dice to a very great extent

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Robert19 says...
7:24pm Thu 9 Dec 10

This is a totally inappropriate building, poor presentation, too high and in the wrong place. To see what tall buildings can do to an environment which is badly planned, and they don't relate to each other, go to Croydon. I don't see how the mix of social housing and hotel accommodation would work. There needs to be some new master planning of the town centre area and developers should work from that.

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E17006 says...
8:44pm Mon 13 Dec 10

@JohnForestman Are you joking?!

Central St Giles is a lovely building designed by one of the greatest living architects! This on the other-hand, has been knocked together on the back of a fag packet...

Cheap and characterless, as are all Solum's redevelopments all round the country.

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E17006 says...
8:44pm Mon 13 Dec 10

@JohnForestman Are you joking?!

Central St Giles is a lovely building designed by one of the greatest living architects! This on the other-hand, has been knocked together on the back of a fag packet...

Cheap and characterless, as are all Solum's redevelopments all round the country.

Report this post »

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