The developer is halfway through the rebuild but hopes to add more than 100 new flats
By Victoria Munro

Marlowe Road estate (credit: Penny Dampier)

The developer rebuilding the Marlowe Road estate in Walthamstow now wants to build even more homes on the site than originally planned.

Next week, on 4th November, Waltham Forest Council leaders will decide whether to let developer Countryside Properties submit a new planning application for the site.

The original plan to rebuild the estate, approved in 2016, was to replace the 298 low-rise flats that surround Northwood Tower, which is not being rebuilt, with 448 new homes.

However, about halfway through the project, Countryside have “approached the council with a proposal to increase the density”, adding an extra 141 new flats to the plans.

If agreed, the new planning application will deliver 13 more social rent flats than initially planned, compared to 85 more for private sale and 43 more shared ownership flats.

The report prepared for the cabinet meeting states: “The council has worked closely with Countryside to redesign the scheme in a form that is financially viable and deliverable for both parties.

“The 13 additional social rent units provide 36 additional habitable rooms that will be available to households on the council’s Housing Register.

“If the council were not to consider the option to increase the density, there is a risk that the scheme could be delayed for an indefinite period.”

The council appointed Carter Jonas to review Countryside’s “financial assumptions”, which concluded the developer would not make “an enhanced profit” by adding the new homes.

If the cabinet agrees to the change, Countryside expects to submit a new planning application late this year and start work on its updated design by next spring.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.