London Square Developments have submitted plans for three residential-led buildings over 1.13 acres in Waltham Forest.
The detailed plans submitted in mid-august propose 345 homes across three plots separated by the junction of Argall Way/Orient Way running north to south and Lea Bridge Road/Beck Square which runs east to west.
The scheme proposes 345 new homes which are tenure blind, of which 50% is deemed as affordable which is split equally between Shared Ownership and London Affordable Rent, which is rents at no more than 80% of local market rents. The scheme is expected to be managed by built and owned by London Square Developments, but managed by the housing association One Housing.
As seen with other developments, this scheme will be car-free with only 12 disabled blue badge residential spaces (3.5% of total homes). The site is currently served by rail services to Tottenham Hale and Stratford as well as direct bus services to the City of London and West End.
The three irregular-shaped plots are referred to within Waltham Forest’s strategic site allocation as the Lea Bridge Station Sites (LBSS), to which the local authority seeks to deliver a minimum of 300 homes within the wider context of 1,800 per annum within the wider borough more broadly.
Following the reopening of Lea Bridge station in 2016 which previously closed in 1985, has been an area for increased housing development following the completion of Motion by Pollard Thomas Edwards in 2020, which delivered 300 new homes including those for Shared Ownership.
Waltham Forest hopes to use the economic uplift of the proposed scheme to fund upgrades to cycling infrastructure to Cycle Superhighway standards, and build the recently approved plans for an improved station at Lea Bridge.
This scheme like other schemes is not without its controversies, with two of the sites referred to by Waltham Forest as sites 2 and 3 which contain 125 mature trees on Orient Way Pocket Park (site 2), will need to be felled to make way for the proposed development.
This has resulted in local conservation groups, coming out in force on the bank holiday weekend to protest against the proposals. If approved locals still have unfettered access to eight parks within 800 meters, including the more notable Hackney Marshes and Lea Valley Park. There have also been objections surrounding the height of the two towers for private sale, which are required to cross-subside the discounted living, which is set to top out at 23 and 26 floors.
Prior to the detailed plans were submitted in mid-august, the scheme has gone through five design alterations including the one in March of this year which will see a net increase in the number of trees provided throughout the site, which includes those provided within the resident’s exclusive amenity space. The scheme also provides an improved public square outside of the Lea Bridge station to better manage the planned increase in passenger numbers following the eventual completion of the scheme in 2025.
