The council hopes that almost 5,000 new homes will be built as part of its development proposals, reports Josh Mellor, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans for eight new high-rise towers on the edge of the Lea Valley are part of Waltham Forest Council’s long-term plan for housing developments in Leyton.
In total, the council hopes that almost 5,000 new homes will be built between Leyton station and New Spitalfields Market, next to Hackney Marshes.
Within this area, the council has laid out eight sites with a “proposed opportunity for high-rise development” of more than 18 storeys between a number of other residential blocks between five and 17 storeys tall.
Although the council has not published exact heights in its public engagement documents, a skyline study from 2021 suggests the tallest buildings in the area could reach up to 30 storeys.
Local focus on towers has grown in recent months as residents have noticed the arrival of the first of two huge new lift shafts from The Mall development on Walthamstow’s skyline.
Details of the huge developments were buried on the final page of a public engagement document summarising its “Leyton Mills Supplementary Planning Document”, which will guide development over the next fifteen years.
In July this year, Waltham Forest Council quietly consulted residents on the plans, but the page on building heights included only a birds-eye-view map of the tower locations.
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However, this engagement document was based on a 141-page “Leyton Mills Development Framework” that includes more detailed images showing a wall of towers sandwiched between the Lea Valley, the A12 and the Eurostar train depot on Orient Way.
The council says building heights would include “sensitive boundaries” with neighbouring areas and open spaces such as Hackney Marshes and the River Lea.
It adds: “These buildings would need to achieve the highest level of design quality, address their impact on the skyline, include active ground floors, and satisfy safety, wind and micro-climate assessments.”
This includes taking a “considered approach” to where tall buildings will go by respecting “sensitive surroundings” such as the marshes and existing residential neighbourhoods.
Waltham Forest Council hopes the homes will be built around a new overground station called Ruckholt Road, on the line connecting Meridian Waters to Stratford Station.
A timetable suggests building work would begin on about 1,700 homes at the Leyton Mills Retail Park, which is owned by Asda and Aviva Investments.
New Spitalfields Market, which is owned by the City of London, would follow with about 2,400 homes once the fruit and vegetable market has been relocated to Dagenham.
Finally, the Lea Interchange Bus Garage, owned by the Department for Transport, would be redeveloped into a depot for electric buses underneath residential towers containing about 650 homes.
To follow the plans, including a statutory public consultation due to start later this year, visit the council’s website
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