Supporting existing and future communities

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Posted 5 years ago

Early consultation on the Lea Bridge Station sites

Engaging the local community on ideas for the Lea Bridge Station sites began back in 2017.

The engagement led by Waltham Forest Council has informed the draft Local Plan for the borough. The Local Plan will set out the Council’s planning policy for the next 15 years.

The emerging Local Plan identifies an ‘opportunity to create a safe, sustainable neighbourhood centred around […] Lea Bridge Station’ and sets out, specifically, what the Council would like to see built on the three sites (referenced as Site Allocation SA07).

These requirements and expectations for the Lea Bridge Station sites have been influenced by the public engagement with the local community. Other actions the Council took in response to public feedback include:

• Commissioning further surveys, including a tree survey and a Flood Risk Assessment
• Removing the proposed pedestrian access route connecting Elm Park Road and Orient Way, due to security concerns raised by local residents
• Including a requirement for the scheme to achieve Secure By Design accreditation
• Testing the viability of including a high proportion of affordable (including social rented) homes with further testing to see the impact on the housing mix from a reduced height scheme
• Stronger wording in the development brief about the requirement for high quality green infrastructure
• Researching alternative locations for a health hub in the Lea Bridge area
• Stronger direction on the approach the council expects from developers on the commercial and cultural elements of the scheme
• Including active consideration of Community Land Trusts and other forms of innovative provision of affordable housing within the development brief to reflect changes to the council’s wider policy on housing provision

These parameters set by Waltham Forest Council, in consultation with the local community, have informed our design principles and early ideas for the Lea Bridge Station sites.

Working with the Lea Bridge community

We want to create a development that supports both existing and future communities of the Lea Bridge area. We therefore need to ensure that our ideas for the three sites respond to the physical characteristics of the immediate area (existing buildings, highways, etc.) and the social needs of the local community.

We recognise the importance of understanding what local people need and would like to see in your area.

We will be providing you with lots of opportunities to feedback on our ideas. In time, this will include commenting on our designs for new buildings and outdoor spaces, and what a dedicated space for the Lea Bridge community could be used for.

London Square is hoping to submit a planning application in late summer 2021. Until then, we want to work with the local community as we develop detailed proposals for the Lea Bridge Station sites. We are committed to keeping you informed and engaged as the process continues beyond that.

Survey

We want to know hear your thoughts on our public consultation process. This is also an opportunity to let us know about your experience and tell about the places you value in the local area.

The survey should take three minutes of your time and is available below.

For information on how your data will be stored, please click here.