Wansteadium

Legal notices have been posted on the former NatWest on Wanstead High Street where, it is understood, squatters have been in occupation for the past two months. The Order for Possession was granted by the County Court with “Hamish and 1 Other” being named as the defendants.

The building has been standing empty since the NatWest closed three years ago on Saturday. It’s at least the third high profile example of squatting in Wanstead, with the George being occupied briefly before it was reopened, and most notoriously, in 2016 the former Barclays Bank which was going to be converted into a Sainsbury’s but which then became Gail’s.

Work starts next week to install road humps and cushions, along with signs, to make much of Wanstead a 20mph zone.

Redbridge has announced that work will begin next Monday, 2 November, on adapting the roads in roads around Wanstead Park and Aldersbrook. Most of the roads affected are residential, but the plan also includes Blake Hall Road, which will inevitably cause drivers to emit a hollow laugh that the chance of getting up to 20mph would be a fine thing.

A parallel plan would see the same restrictions being adopted for the Snaresbrook end of Wanstead. But these are the roads in the initial plan:

WANSTEADIUM DATA · TRANSPORT

Wanstead 20mph zone

Zoom in to explore the council’s mapped zone.

↺ Whole zone⛶ Expand map

20mph zone boundary

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Map by Wansteadium. Boundary manually traced from Redbridge Council’s published plan; approximate and not a definitive street-by-street legal designation. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors; basemap by OpenFreeMap.

The plan follows a consultation which took place last year. 364 people, the majority of whom were residents, responded to the consultation. More than three-quarters said they “had concerns about road safety” in Wanstead. But only 12% supported the plan. Objections included that:

• speed humps could increase noise pollution and cause vehicle damage
• traffic calming would cause congestion
• council resources would be better spent elsewhere
• 20mph should not apply to main roads
• 20mph should be increased to 30
• the plan would not be effective without enforcement.

The council responded to those objections in the following summary of points:

Conclusion of consultation

The Wanstead Area Road Safety Zone consultation revealed strong community concerns about road safety, particularly on Blake Hall Road, with 18% of respondents expressing this sentiment. While there was broad recognition of the need for interventions, many residents had concerns over the effectiveness and impacts of the proposed traffic calming measures. Residents felt that the proposed measures would increase pollution levels and fail to positively impact road safety in the area.

Residents’ concerns about road safety in the Wanstead area are acknowledged, and it is anticipated that the proposed scheme will make a significant impact in improving road safety through reduced traffic speeds, resulting in fewer and less serious collisions on all roads in the area, including Blake Hall Road. Experience of introducing similar schemes in the Borough, as well as research on similar schemes nationwide, suggests that the proposals should be effective in achieving improvements in road safety. Current research on the effects of air pollution as a result of the introduction of traffic calming measures is inconclusive. Although there may be small increases or decreases in pollution levels locally, it is felt that the overall effects are likely to be minimal.

In addition to the proposed measures, residents called for alternative and complementary approaches, such as speed cameras, increased police presence, and additional pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure to be introduced in the area.

The Council has acknowledged these concerns and reassured the community that all feedback is being carefully considered as part of a wider review of road safety improvements. It is committed to exploring additional measures to reinforce the proposed scheme and ensure a more comprehensive response to the issues raised.

An FAQ provided by the council points out that any revenue from enforcement (ie fines from drivers who break the new 20mph limit) would not go to Redbridge but would rather go to central government.

It is not known when the plan will extend to other parts of Wanstead.

A detailed plan of where exactly speed humps will be installed is provided by the council, below. Click or tap for a detailed view.

• And anyone wanting to keep track of when work will be taking place in a particular road can now consult the new Roadworks in Wanstead page, available from the top navigation of this site.

Here are the latest planning applications registered in Wanstead Village and Wanstead Park during the previous week. These details come from Redbridge Council’s public planning register; applications may change as they progress.

For the wider archive, visit Planning in Wanstead. Always consult the official Redbridge application record for the latest information.

Elmcroft Ave is, for the next week, a roadworks nightmare.

If only there was a way people could know about how long roadworks would last, what they were for, whether they were overrunning or even – and here’s the Holy Grail – what roadworks are planned.

Well, lucky readers, another new service from Wansteadium: a roadworks dashboard, using data straight from the Department of Transport which shows where work is taking place, what’s coming up, how long it’s supposed to last, who is doing the work, and the level of disruption which might be expected. The data will update as the official information updates, often during the day.

A full list is available here, and it is always available via the menu of links at the top of the page.

(Note for data nerds: this tool is contained within WordPress and does not use AI in its day-to-day operation.)

UPDATE 5pm
Elmcroft Ave has reopened, work apparently at least partly completed.

Social media is gradually dying as ordinary people post fewer items online and become passive consumers of posts made by “content creators”, AI slop and far-right cover groups.

But we still love looking at photos of local things. How can this circle be squared?

Well, Wansteadium has decided to make it easy to share photos of Wanstead-related subjects with other local residents. It’s easy.

• Submit photos to us. You’ll promise they aren’t AI generated.
• We’ll choose interesting ones and publish them as posts here.
• There will also be a page with ALL the photos on it.
• You retain the copyright.
• It’s that simple.

To take part, just go to our new Submit Wanstead Photos page.