The path is open all day and night, and it will be made step-free in February

Fellowship Square and Waltham Forest Town Hall

The council has opened an “all-weather” footpath linking Fellowship Square to the Feel Good Centre on Chingford Road.

The path cuts through Chestnuts Field behind the Town Hall, and is part of a major renovation of the area. The path is open all day and night, and it will be made step-free in February, the council said in its weekly residents newsletter.

The footpath comes as the council works to make part of the field into “commemorative and sensory gardens” in time for Spring. The garden is set to include a memorial for the late Queen Elizabeth II. Speaking after the memorial was approved by the council following her death in September 2022, council leader Grace Williams said the garden “will be a place of calm, a place for residents to reflect, a place to take in some peace and quiet”.

The council has proposed to make the north-east corner of Chestnut Fields into a wetlands.

We're pleased to announce that a new all-weather footpath with lighting, has been installed linking Fellowship Square to the Feel Good Centre via Chestnuts Field. This path is now open for people to use 24 hours a day, and step-free access will open in February. pic.twitter.com/H2m0JIrVlv
— Waltham Forest Council (@wfcouncil) January 3, 2024

Not everyone is a fan of the footpath. A user on X, formerly Twitter, remarked that a “traditional straight footpath with attractive flower beds either side” would have been a “more congruent approach” given the Town Hall’s classically-inspired design.

The land around Waltham Forest Town Hall is currently being redeveloped by developer Countryside to add over 400 new flats and new council office space.

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.