In its place, a developer hopes to erect six new flats – four one-beds and two two-beds – housed in a five-storey building, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter
Plans have been submitted to tear down a Walthamstow dentist and hairdressers to make way for a five-storey block of flats.
F.C. RE Ltd is seeking permission from Waltham Forest Council to level a three-storey building in Wood Street, which is also home to two one-bedroom flats.
The standalone building is emblazoned with the popular “We are Wood Street” mural, against a backdrop of blues, pinks and browns.
In its place, the developer hopes to erect six new flats – four one-beds and two two-beds – and a single commercial unit that will house the dentist’s clinic.
According to a report due before councillors next week, the developer is said to be negotiating with the Wood Street Dental Practice on a new lease agreement.
It will need to relocate during the construction of the new flats, with Waltham Forest pointing to several empty units along Wood Street that may provide a temporary home.
The council considers demolishing the building acceptable as it has no “designated architectural or historical merit,” while the mural is “temporary” and lacks “significant heritage value”.
A total of eight objections were received from locals, focusing on the perceived “excessive height” and the potential high cost of the new flats.
In response, the council wrote the block had been “sympathetically designed and taken hints from the surrounding area in terms of building height, massing and materials”.
However, because there will be fewer than ten homes built, there is no statutory requirement to build ‘affordable’ housing aimed at lower-income Londoners.
Residents also expressed concern over the potential impact on parking, but the council reassured them it will be a car-free development and should not increase the number of vehicles on the road.
Wood Street has been identified in the council’s Local Plan as a zone for 400 new homes, and it is of high priority for the council that the plans will increase the volume of housing in the borough.
Waltham Forest borrowed £19million in April to cover a budget shortfall that had been formed in part by overspending on temporary accommodation – the result of a shortage of homes.
A final decision will be made on the proposals next week, at the first planning committee meeting under the new Green Party administration.
You can see the planning application here
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