Wansteadium

We predicted this would happen. When Redbridge was overruled on its rejection of digital advert boards on Wanstead High Street, we wondered what could stop the whole place getting littered with them.

Well BT has applied to replace its eyesore phone box (which is so filthy you’d have to be absolutely desperate to use) with, you guessed it, digital advert boards. Though obviously following a lot of consideration it’s referring to them as “Global Street Hubs” and its application says it will:

provide a sleek and modern answer to the demands of a digitally connected society… The Street Hub will help future proof the high street making them smarter, safer, and more sustainable

One might conclude this is colossal hogwash. One hopes our planning officials asks specific questions about how the boards will make the high street smarter, safer or more sustainable? Or what difference they can possibly make to a digitally connected society.

The site will be about 20m away from the existing board oustide the Lighthouse chip shop, directly outside City Place Coffee. Will Redbridge have the ability to refuse the application, even if it wants to? We shall see. Application number 0283/26 at Redbridge Planning site.

TFL has found someone prepared to repair the stairs up to the westbound platform at Snaresbrook station, which will be welcomed by early morning commuters who are having to go a needlessly long way round to get to the trains. Fingers crossed.

The Wanstead Fringe will return in September for its 14th year, another celebration of music, theatre, books, food, local history, film, comedy and more. You might like to make a note of these dates:

FRINGE 2026 – Saturday 5th to Saturday 26th September.

Key dates:
Eve-of-Fringe Charivari – Friday 4th September
Duke Street party – Saturday 5th September
Open air Kinema – Saturday 12th September
Wanstead Festival – Sunday 13th September
Family Book Day – Saturday 19th September
Jumble Trail – Saturday 26th September
Finale party – Saturday 26th September

There will be dozens of events, coordinated by a group of local volunteers who operate as the Wanstead Fringe, a not-for-profit community interest company. Funding comes from the support of its sponsors, Petty Son & Prestwich, Edwards Duthie Shamash, North London Loft Rooms, The Duke, East London Brewery, Compassionate Funerals, City Place Coffee and Two Toms. And also from the Friends of Wanstead Fringe who support it with subscriptions.

Organisers are currently seeking anyone interested in making things happen, particularly:
* helping with the running of plays at the Wanstead Curtain and The Bull
* film-lovers who yearn to help show films
* friendly folk who are happy to check tickets and help people to their seats
* the publicity-minded who can make sure everyone in Wanstead and beyond knows what’s happening.

Also… it’s not too late if you want to run an event. Ask the Fringe team for advice and what kind of things fit.

For any of these, get in contact with the organisers at info@wansteadfringe.org or use this form.

The volunteers who clean up the River Roding come what may got a moment in the sun with this C4 News report.

Someone’s got a new toy.

And yet… the more Wansteadium thinks about the new look for these Redbridge vehicles, the more it feels a bit unnecessary.

The blue and yellow checkerboard marking, known as the Battenburg livery, was developed in the 1990s to make police cars, ambulances and fire engines uniformly recognisable across the country. It’s already been somewhat co-opted by private ambulances, highway management and private security.

Redbridge Neighbourhood Enforcement is responsible for dealing with:

• fly-tipping
• graffiti
• littering
• overgrown front gardens
• illegal advertising
• drinking in places where it’s forbidden by a public spaces protection order
• unlicensed street trading
• some traffic violations including blocking the highway
• other offences – there’s a full list here

But does any of that require looking like an emergency vehicle?

Labour has held Redbridge with a reduced majority. The Conservatives remain with five seats, and the Greens also now have five seats for the first time.

Two of those five Greens were elected in Wanstead wards, where familiar Labour councillors Jo Blackman, Daniel Morgan-Thomas and Emma Sheppard-Mallinson will now be joined by Sue Whitehead and Milli Richard-Clack. Congratulations to all the winning candidates.

And a hat tip to another familiar Wanstead figure, Paul Canal, who for the first time in many years was not elected as a councillor – he was standing for a South Woodford seat.

One seat in Hainault was won by a Reform candidate. Full results for all of Redbridge are available here.

Wanstead Village

BLACKMAN Joanna Clare	Labour Party	1715 Elected
WHITEHEAD Susan Imelda	Green Party Candidate	1478 Elected
MORGAN-THOMAS Daniel Huw	Labour Party	1415 Elected
ALI Md Kabir	Green Party Candidate	1306
KRISHAN VITHLANI Neal	Labour Party	1254
TEHSEEN Rabiya	Green Party Candidate	1230
GITSHAM Mark	Liberal Democrats	782
SCANNELL Mark Evan	The Conservative Party Candidate	726
SMITH David	The Conservative Party Candidate	716
D`ALANNO Corbyn Leon	The Conservative Party Candidate	683
COLLINS William John	Reform UK	649
DAVIES David	Reform UK	621
LEWIS Sharmon	Reform UK	577
SAIR Humza	Liberal Democrats	568
UDDIN Mohammed Ohid	Liberal Democrats	455

Wanstead Park

SHEPHERD-MALLINSON Emma Selina	Labour Party	1183 Elected
RICHARDS CLACK Milli	Green Party Candidate	1156 Elected
GILANI Nadir Iqbal	Green Party Candidate	1102
MILLER Simon John	Labour Party	1047
JOYCE Andrew Malcolm	Reform UK	384
PHOENIX Yit Chan	Reform UK	353
SMITH Paul Anton	The Conservative Party Candidate	349
THOM David Alexander	The Conservative Party Candidate	324
THOMAS Alan Howard	Liberal Democrats	175
HEPWORTH Neil	Liberal Democrats	161