The centre of improvement

Walthamstow is a vibrant suburban town centre that boasts a diverse community and historic housing stock proving increasingly popular with commuters wishing to take advantage of excellent public transport accessibility. The centre currently meets many of the daily needs of much of the community, and is the primary town centre for the borough. However, there are opportunities to further increase the town centre’s appeal and the provision of services. The town centre faces a number of key challenges including concerns about community cohesion, retail competition from ever expanding sub-regional shopping areas (especially that proposed at Stratford City), the Olympic (and legacy) development area, sustainability issues and rising property prices threatening the balance of the community.
These challenges will require a new and innovative response, particularly in relation to changing demographics and the changing planning and environmental agendas. This is why the council has entered into a partnership with the Prince’s

Foundation for the Built Environment, the GLA and the LDA in planning to improve the future of Walthamstow. The council aims to:

- Build on the physical development progress made to date
- Build on Walthamstow’s strengths, particularly as a town centre servicing a diverse community and, its position as an important transport node with a distinct retail offer
- Accommodate over 2,000 new homes
- Improve the quality of the public realm and the environment
- Create a sustainable, vibrant and distinctive mixed use town centre
- Make this piece of work an exemplar for others seeking to plan for the future of their town centres in outer London.

It was felt that the future viability and competitiveness of Walthamstow could be reduced unless there was a clear policy framework for the future development of sites within the town centre. The Council therefore decided to develop an Interim Planning Policy Framework (IPPF). This IPPF is a non-statutory document which provides policy guidance that bridges the Unitary Development Plan 2006 (UDP) and more recently adopted national and regional policy.

It seeks to ensure that during preparation of statutory planning documents, such as the Local Development Framework and Area Action Plan for Walthamstow, development proposals will not prejudice the long-term vision and viability of the town centre, but contribute positively to the town centre.

The IPPF provides a shared vision agreed by, local residents and businesses and other key stakeholders, building on the Council’s key priorities identified later in this document, and adopted by the Council.

The Council entered into a partnership with The Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment to develop a masterplan for the town centre. The masterplan was developed through an innovative process called ‘Enquiry by Design’ – a collaborative planning and design tool that engaged community stakeholders, to create a vision for the town centre both pre and post formal consultation.

Waltham Forest Council have exchanged contracts with the national retail developer, St Modwen plc for the mixed use redevelopment of the town centres key site previously known as the Arcade at the eastern end of the High Street. It is hoped that this scheme will include a multi-screen cinema as well as key retail anchors and residential units in a high density, high quality landmark scheme. Further development opportunities throughout the town centre are under discussion on both privately owned and Council owned sites.

The final consultation process for the IPPF is now coming to a close and adoption of the IPPF is expected in the next few months.