The former ABC Cinema in Leyton High Road closed in 1979 and will now make way for hundreds of student flats, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

The derelict cinema and furniture shop (left, credit Google) and (right) plans for its redevelopment

A former Art Deco cinema in Leyton will be partly demolished to make way for more than 260 new student flats.

Three new tower blocks, between one and six storeys tall, will be built in Leyton High Road to accommodate an influx of new students.

They were formally approved by Waltham Forest Council’s planning committee at a meeting last week.

The blocks, around a kilometre away from the University of Portsmouth’s new Walthamstow campus, will comprise 63 studio flats and 198 en-suites. There will also be space for shops on the lower floors.

The former cinema’s facade would be preserved, developers J Wool Limited say, which councillors said they supported.

The building dates back to 1938, when it opened as Ritz Cinema. It later changed names to ABC Leyton, before closing in 1979 as the Crown. Today the site is home to a furniture shop and a nursery.

Committee chair Andrew Dixon said he was impressed by the “really strong design” and felt it would “brighten up and renew” the surrounding area.

He added that it would help ease pressure on the rental sector, as students would be able to rely on purpose-built accommodation in an area where housing falls short of demand.

The flats would be split unevenly over the three buildings. Block A would comprise 98 flats, with Block B comprising 129 and Block C comprising 30.

Just over a third of the 261 homes will be designated as ‘affordable’ student accommodation, which are let at a rate below 55% of a certain student’s income.

Only one public comment was submitted, relating to a resident’s concerns about noise and privacy. In response, the council has mandated that a boundary wall be built between the new flats and pre-existing homes.

The scheme was unanimously approved by the committee after a brief debate.

During the same meeting last Tuesday (1st), councillors also approved controversial plans to add an extra floor to a block of flats in Walthamstow.

Landvest Development Ltd successfully applied to expand the Wood Street block by nine flats, after similar proposals were previously turned down.

The flats would mostly be one-bedroom homes, with three two-beds.

Seven residents opposed the scheme, saying they had not been consulted by the developers despite repeated requests for a meeting.

One local, who had lived in the building since 2007, asked the committee to defer the meeting so they could “iron out the last few concerns”.

She and Labour ward councillor Caramel Quin said they “recognised the need” for more housing and supported the development in principle.

Other concerns were raised about disruptive construction work, but the developers said the flats would be built independently and then lifted on the blocks with a crane. This “modern” method would “provide comforts” for residents, they said.

Councillor Jenny Gray said there was “no reason” not to approve it, after the developers agreed they would meet with residents.

The scheme was likewise unanimously approved.

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.