Ray Dudley Way was named after a tireless Walthamstow community activist who fought for the creation of a link between the two busy Walthamstow stations, reports Marco Marcelline
A pedestrian shortcut connecting Walthamstow Central and Queen’s Road Stations has celebrated its tenth anniversary this month.
Ray Dudley Way, which was named after a tireless Walthamstow community activist who fought for the creation of a pedestrian link, is used by hundreds of people daily who travel between Walthamstow Central and Queen’s Road. The Way also provides a valuable short cut between the Exmouth Road area and the town centre.
In 1996, council planning permission was granted to the Family Housing Association (FHA) to build the Exeter Road/Edison Close estate on the former Walthamstow power station site.
One of the planning permission conditions was that the developers had to provide a direct link between the stations to replace what was a circuitous route through nearby streets. The old route meant getting from Walthamstow Central to Queens Road by foot took ten minutes longer than it does now.
FHA however reneged on this agreement, and Ray sprang into action by writing countless letters and raising the issue at every opportunity. A lengthy campaign by the Barking-Gospel Oak Rail User Group, of which Ray was a stalwart and long-standing member, also pressured the developers to deliver on their contractual obligation.
In 2004, Waltham Forest Council dismissed a formal planning request from FHA asking it to drop the pedestrian link condition. The council then sought to force the developer’s hands by taking the case to the High Court.
In 2008, the council secured an agreement from developers Solum Regeneration to carry out the work if FHA was charged for it.
According to a 2014 report in the Local Guardian, the council granted full planning permission for the link in 2011, as part of Solum’s development of a hotel (now Travelodge) next to Walthamstow Central. The project, which was meant to have rolled out in June 2014, was pushed back to August, after a station ramp defect was spotted.
The council then decided to honour Ray in naming the pedestrian link road after him. He sadly passed away by the time the link was completed and opened.
Graham Larkbey, chair of Barking-Gospel Oak Rail User Group, told the Echo: “Ray was a tireless and well-known Walthamstow community activist over many years; he also did a lot of work with children’s hospital radio. Beneath his amiable and avuncular manner lay a steely and tenacious determination to get things done.”
The Barking-Gospel Oak Rail Group was founded in the 1960s to fight the railway line’s planned closure. The railway line has since expanded and was rebranded as part of the Overground in the noughties. In February, London Mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed that the line would be named the Suffragette Line in order to honour the Suffragette movement’s history in Barking.
The nearby Liverpool Street-Chingford line will be called the Weaver Line in celebration of the rich history of tapestry, art and design from the areas of Liverpool Street, Bethnal Green and Hackney that it runs through.
Find out more about the Barking-Gospel Rail User Group here
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.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations
