The news comes as a planned new entrance at Walthamstow Central is still not fully funded, reports Marco Marcelline
The first residents will move into The Mall towers in Walthamstow in the “Spring”, the project’s developers have confirmed, as money for a planned step-free upgrade at Walthamstow Central is yet to be fully secured.
The development, next to Walthamstow Town Square, is rapidly approaching completion, with developer Long Harbour telling the Echo it expects the first batch of apartments to go on the market “shortly”.
Of the 538 one and two-bedroom flats in the 34 and 26 storey towers, 99 count as “affordable” because their rent is 20% cheaper than local rents on the private market.
As well as new housing, the scheme is projected to add 8,000 square metres of retail space to shopping centre 17&Central, previously known as The Mall.
The redevelopment, which was first approved in 2017, has faced vehement local opposition who objected to the scale and size of the development, the height of the proposed towers, and the environmental impact of cutting down trees and concreting over one third of Walthamstow Town Square to make way for it.
A planning condition attached to the redevelopment states that construction of a new entrance for often overcrowded Walthamstow Central Station must commence before work on the second phase of the development, which includes the new retail space, is completed.
At present, fully funded works have begun on the “first section” of the station box which is an underground concrete box-like structure the station will be encased in. Waltham Forest Council has told the Echo it expects those works to finish in the Spring. It remains unclear if funding will be secured for the rest of the works, however.
According to Transport for London (TfL), there is a construction deadline of summer 2025 “at the earliest” for the remainder of the station box.
The project has faced significant funding troubles since it was first announced as part of the redevelopment of The Mall.
In 2018, TfL said funding it had committed towards the new entrance was no longer available “due to budget constraints and other factors”.
Then, in 2021, the government rejected the council’s request for £20m to “enable construction” on the project, though the council has since stated it is hopeful it can secure funding through “future capital funding settlements from the government”.
The Department for Transport did not immediately respond when asked by the Echo if it would welcome any discussions about funding the new entrance.
This story is published by Waltham Forest Echo, Waltham Forest's free monthly newspaper and free news website. We are a not-for-profit publication, published by a small social enterprise. We have no rich backers and rely on the support of our readers. Donate or become a supporter.
In 2020, the council estimated the full cost of constructing a new station entrance would come to £41.5m. For its part, the council has raised £5.3m towards the ticket hall and committed a further £3.9m “backstop” if alternative funding cannot be found.
Capital and Regional (C&R), who won planning permission for the The Mall redevelopment before it was bought by Long Harbour in 2021, has put £1.5m towards the station entrance.
C&R did not respond to repeated requests from the Echo asking if it would increase that amount in light of the ongoing funding gap.
In a statement, a council spokesperson said it “remained committed to developing a funding strategy in partnership with TfL” to complete the second phase of works.
The spokesperson added: “There have been no changes to the council’s current funding offer for the project, with contractor details to be made public at the conclusion of contractual processes in the coming weeks.
“While projected costs still align with pre-construction estimates, they remain commercially sensitive at this time.”
TfL said: “[We are] working closely with the developer, and Waltham Forest to ensure that these station improvements can be delivered alongside the wider development in the most efficient and cost-effective way.”
Meanwhile, major works to make Leyton Station step-free have been pushed back, as Transport for London (TfL) is still to award a construction contract.
In December last year, TfL announced that improvement work on the Central Line station would begin in “summer 2024”, with a view to opening the new facility in “2026”.
The upgrade project, financed by government Levelling Up funding worth £13.7million, and £9m from Waltham Forest Council, will see the station gain a new ticket hall, two new staircases, and two lifts.
A TfL spokesman updated the Echo on the planned upgrade, saying that “detailed design work” was “nearing completion” ahead of the construction contract being awarded “later this year”.
TfL had previously projected the design work to finish in early 2024, with the construction contract awarded in the summer.
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
