Waltham Forest Council is consulting on converting two former offices in Walthamstow and Leytonstone into temporary housing units, reports Marco Marcelline
Waltham Forest Council is planning to convert two more vacant council‐owned buildings into temporary accommodation, as the borough continues to grapple with a deepening housing crisis.
The plans, currently out for consultation, would see Cedar Wood House in Walthamstow and 90 Crownfield Road in Leytonstone refurbished and brought back into use as short‐term homes for local families who have become homeless. Both buildings are currently empty and were previously used for council services.
According to the council, Cedar Wood House would be turned into 16 self‐contained flats, while the conversion of 90 Crownfield Road would provide 14 housing units, eleven of which will be “larger family homes”.
As with earlier schemes, the focus is on internal refurbishment rather than major external alterations, with upgrades including “new windows, doors, heating systems,CCTV and secure entry”.
In its consultation Q&A, the council says the buildings were chosen because they are already in council ownership, currently unused, and can be converted “relatively quickly” without the need to purchase new land.
It adds that the homes would be managed directly by the council and used as temporary accommodation until families can move into longer‐term housing, usually in the private rented sector.
The move follows similar proposals earlier this year to convert Rowan House in Leytonstone and a former adult social care home in Trumpington Road, Cann Hall.
Those schemes, if approved, will create 31 self‐contained homes between them, with the council arguing that reusing its own buildings is the “quickest and most cost‐effective way” to increase housing supply.
At a consultation meeting for the previous proposals, residents raised questions about safety, anti‐social behaviour and the impact on local services.
The council has in turn assured residents that homes will be managed by a dedicated housing team, have CCTV, and will be regularly inspected. The council has also stressed that households placed in the homes will be local residents who have already been assessed by the council as homeless.
The number of Waltham Forest households living in temporary accommodation has almost doubled in three years, rising from around 900 in 2022 to 1,700 by last autumn. The previous Labour administration warned the council faces a £14.4million overspend on temporary housing this year, driven by rising rents, shrinking supply and increasing homelessness.
Consultations on both Cedar Wood House and 90 Crownfield Road are open until Monday 20th July, with planning applications expected to follow in the autumn. Have your say here
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