Plans have been submitted to tear down the rear extensions on 680 High Road Leytonstone, as well as a former warehouse, and replace them with flats, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

680 High Road Leytonstone, Credit: Google Streetview

Developers are seeking permission to partially demolish a high street building in Leytonstone to make way for more homes.

Plans have been submitted to Waltham Forest Council to tear down the rear extensions on 680 High Road Leytonstone, as well as a former warehouse.

In their place, applicant Bobby Bansal hopes to build a pair of self-contained, two-storey one-bedroom homes.

According to a planning statement, the proposals will see the net gain of one residential unit and an “uplift in the quality of the accommodation” by replacing a “substandard” unit with homes that meet modern standards.

Additionally, the one-bed, ground-floor home set to be demolished “suffers from poor outlook, light and ventilation”. It is also “particularly unattractive”.

The new homes will not be visible from the High Road, which comprises a mix of shops and homes, and will suit the urban character of the area, the statement argues.

The applicant added that the plans will complement the council’s ambitions to see 14,930 new homes built across the south of Waltham Forest by 2035.

Leytonstone town centre has been specifically earmarked in the Local Plan for 1,580 new houses.

No decision has yet been made by Waltham Forest Council’s planning department. The scheme was submitted for consideration on 13th April and a decision is due before 21st August.

Similar plans were refused in late October 2024.

A separate applicant sought permission to tear down the same buildings but build five flats across two blocks.

However, the planning department felt it would constitute “overdevelopment” of the land. The five flats were “unacceptable” as that comprised a “poorly designed, cramped and incongruous scheme”.

The larger scale development would have also been “overbearing” on its neighbours, who would have lost privacy.

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