Author: Wansteadium

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “Now I love this idea! This solves the ‘where to keep the dustbins’ problem with some style. I was passing this house near Christ Church when I spotted this lovely wooden ‘shed’, the best part of it of course is that it has a planted living roof. I have seen similar on eco houses but never on dustbin refuge but then why not. Brilliant, well done.”

Magazines and newspapers published by councils are still a topic of controversy, with the government aim to crack down further on them. The government believes they are often used for council propaganda, and can be unfair competition for local newspapers.

Some boroughs are insisting on publishing, however, saying that they are a useful form of communication with their residents.

When the new restrictions were applied, Redbridge reduced the frequency of its newspaper Redbridge Life, and now prints and distributes it just four times a year. Each copy costs 10p per house, and the council says 65% of residents read it, with more than a third saying it was “their main source of information about the Borough”.

The council has now launched an iPad app for the newspaper – and is one of the first councils to have done so. Though development costs of apps can be high, distribution of material is much cheaper. Whether it will reach a significant audience remains to be seen, but other councils will no doubt be watching to see if it is a success.

Nature notes. It’s not been a good summer for hedgehogs, with just a single sighting reported by the readers of Wansteadium. And there were no reports at all of anyone keeping a hedgehog as a pet, despite claims that more people are doing so. But lovers of Daddy Long-Legs, if such a thing exists, will be happy: the wet spring and unusually dry summer has been great for crane flies and on some evenings Wanstead feels like it’s under attack from them.

Not the Wanstead Guardian, but the actual Guardian. Wanstead takes centre stage in its “Let’s move to…” feature. Author Tom Dyckhoff makes much of how Wanstead could have been a very different place if the original Wanstead House had not been demolished, but nevertheless concludes that Wanstead is doing very nicely thank you. He says:

[H]istory may turn again for Wanstead. Spots west of the river Lea now fetch prices not dissimilar to those of Knightsbridge, St James’s Park or Richmond, eyes are turning to this, the real East End.

Our Lady of Lourdes and Nightingale primaries get nods for being rated outstanding. Wanstead High ‘”requires improvement” but is “taking effective action”‘.

He adds: “Hang out at… No end of options: Time for Tea for cakes after a walk in the park, The Larder for a light lunch and the super Provender for posh.”

And he gives this summary of property matters which George C Parker, our property blogger, may comment on in the coming days:

The “village” has pleasant Victorian terraces (£500,000-£750,000) and even the odd Georgian off the high street, but it’s most attractive around Wanstead Park, with broad avenues of Victorians and later (detacheds £750,000-£1.5m, semis £500,000-£1m). The Aldersbrook estate is marginally cheaper. North of the A12 has fine late-Victorian and Edwardian terraces and semis around Spratt Hall Road. More leafy suburbans on and around the Counties estate and Nutter Lane. The Warren estate has fine 1920s/1930s semis. Rentals: three-bed house, £1,500-£2,000pcm; one-bed flat, £900-£1,250pcm.

Property features obviously hunt in packs – the Evening Standard gave Wanstead a good write-up in January which we deconstructed here.

Wansteadium reader Sue Mutter poses an oft-uttered thought, the answer to which might include a bit of nudge theory. She asks:

How can we encourage late night users of the park benches to enjoy this lovely space but clear up after themselves?!

Geoff Wilkinson writes on Wanstead Daily Photo: “I came across this guy trimming a hedge in Wanstead the other day. I admire the fact he appears to have great balance plus a head for heights. I personally got dizzy just thinking about it while I was taking the picture.”