Interviews

Council leader: ‘The London skyline is always changing’

Grace Williams said tall housing developments were a net-positive for residents if developers also invest in public transport and infrastructure, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Waltham Forest Council leader Grace Williams, Credit: LDRS

The leader of Waltham Forest Council says more housing in the borough will improve residents’ lives, despite fears it will detract from its character.

Councillor Grace Williams, who took on the top job in 2021, said the council is facing a “housing emergency” and building more homes is the “only way to deal with it”.

This month alone, the authority has given its backing to more than 6,000 homes.

Councillors greenlit proposals for 643 flats on the former Lea Bridge Gasworks on Tuesday (16th July), having approved provisional plans for 5,400 new homes in Leyton Mills the week before.

Despite wider acknowledgement of the need for housing across London, some residents have been opposed to the new tower blocks being built in Walthamstow.

Two, under construction by the market square, have been likened to “monstrous spaceship[s] that landed from another planet” by campaigners from the Socialist Party.

Cllr Williams told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the key was “finding that sweet spot” and a “good trade-off” between new infrastructure and denser housing.

Councils can ask developers to pay them a levy in order to build in their jurisdictions, which will be spent on ‘community infrastructure’.

She added that development in the town centre would facilitate the planned improvements to Walthamstow Central station, including a new entrance. She said: “Allowing development at The Mall [17 and Central] allows us to fund the first bit of that.

“It also includes 99 key worker homes – this is really important stuff.”

While other critics have lamented the changing skyline around the historic mile-long market, she said this was typical of the capital.

She said: “We live in a city that is constantly changing. The London skyline is always changing.

“If it was investment housing, I would be against it. If it’s going to ease housing needs, fuel the town centre and improve the Tube, then I’m for it.”

She added: “Can you imagine if we were to provide [27,000 new homes, per the Local Plan] by adding one storey or two storeys extra to existing buildings? We just couldn’t do it – there just isn’t enough land.

However, she acknowledged development needed to be “appropriate” to its area.

Residents in Chingford, which is far less dense than Walthamstow, “want to see more investment” in their area but the “height you see in Walthamstow” would not be suitable, the Labour group leader said.

In some cases, residents have opposed new housing plans on logistical grounds. Plans for a 17-storey block in Walthamstow were criticised over fears it would shut out light for residents by St James’ Square.

Residents previously told the LDRS the “monolithic” tower would “plunge them into darkness”.

The council did not directly comment at the time, and Cllr Williams now believes public opinion is shifting in favour of new housing developments.

She said: “When you check social media, you’ll see someone asking why land is being used for development and they don’t want it here.

“But equally, other voices are coming through: ‘I’d like to support this development, because I know a young person who needs housing.’

“Generally, most people who object to planning applications want to raise an issue with that specific application.”

The new Labour government, headed by prime minister Keir Starmer, has laid out plans to build 1.5million new homes in the UK over the next five years. However, it will be up to private developers to deliver them.

In recent years, Waltham Forest has been facing “unprecedented pressure” on its services, such as adult social care, children’s services and housing.

It will need to make £15m in savings this year, and £15m next year, while attempting to keep statutory services running.

Cllr Williams says it will be “hard work” for the borough to avoid getting into dire straits by 2027, but she remained “confident”.

She said the council’s “number one responsibility” was balancing the budget, even if that meant taking “tough decisions”.

She says the borough has always been “insufficiently funded” compared to others in the capital, owing to its smaller economy, its relative lack of development, and its position in outer London.

As a result, the authority has been faced with “fundamental inequalities,” including a high number of people in need of housing and lower salaries for teachers compared to those in Newham or Haringey.

The leader told the LDRS: “Where something costs more than we have, we have to take those tough decisions to reduce outgoings.

“Our number one action in the town hall is to look at everything we’re doing and check we’re not wasting money on it.

“At the moment, we have services we’ve not changed in quite a while, and they may not be meeting residents’ needs.”

That has included offering council staff voluntary reduction – which will save up to £2.5m – and selling off council-owned public assets.

Cllr Williams said she disagrees with the term “cuts” as it implies a service will “get worse,” and prefers to see the changes as an attempt to “make a service cost less and work better” within a smaller budget.

However, some proposed changes have been met with fierce opposition from residents and local campaigners.

A consultation is currently underway on the future of the Markhouse Centre, a day centre for disabled adults. The council plans to close the building in an effort to “move away from a building-based approach,” which will also reduce the strain on the coffers.

A counter-petition has been launched online, urging Waltham Forest to reconsider and prevent “friendships being ripped up”.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose party won with a landslide in the 4th July election, has been sympathetic to struggling councils’ plights but said he would “not turn the spending taps on”.

Waltham Forest closed out the last municipal year having overspent by £18m and Cllr Williams told her cabinet that “tough decisions” lay ahead. Councillor Paul Douglas, the cabinet member for finance, said: “We can’t be in this position again in twelve months’ time.”

It overspend is projected to reach up to £30m by the start of 2026/27, which could financially cripple the north-east London authority.

Havering Council signed off a budget with a £32.5m gap in February this year, and is now being forced to sell off public assets and could end up relying on a £54m loan from central government. Leader Ray Morgon says the fundamental issue facing the council is a lack of appropriate funding from central government.

Waltham Forest’s controlling Labour group passed a motion during last Thursday’s full council meeting (18th July), warning it “desperately needs” to address its budget shortfall over the next year.


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