A plan to demolish the row of shops including Wanstead Hairdresser’s on Woodbine Place has been submitted to Redbridge Council.
The plan would replace the kebab shop, the barbers and children’s clothes shop Bambini with a three-storey block containing shops at street level and offices above. Wansteadium believes shop owners knew nothing of the plan until planning notices were put on lamp-posts on Wednesday.
The planning documents say of the plans:
Overall, the design achieves a balance between timeless simplicity and contemporary refinement, reinforcing the prominence of the High Street frontage, while complementing and elevating the character of
the local context.
It is believed a hairdresser’s has stood on the spot in the current building for at least 100 years. The row of shops is part of the Wanstead Conservation Area, but the documents indicate Redbridge planners are open to a redevelopment. One of the documents discusses the importance of the corner site, currently Churchill’s, but adds “the single storey shops to the rear lack the same visual interest”.
It says: “Being located at the corner at a visually prominent location, the buildings add little to the conservation area and its character. Their scale and appearance does not represent the important corner location.”
If approved, combined with the development currently under way on the Evergreen Field, the overall effect will be of a massively changed central Wanstead.
Will it be anorther bit of Wanstead that we know and love gone SHAME
A kebab shop, estate agent and barbers. We have 17 of theirs along the high street.
No, please leave it alone. We moved to the area because of the unique attraction that is Wanstead high street and its surrounds. To replace the existing with another monolithic block would be awful bordering on criminal!
Here we go again! No thought for Wanstead being a conservation area.As always with this council it’s always about money with no regard for local peoples views. We’re still waiting for completion of the swimming pool plus the Elmcroft centre both much needed community places. I’ve lived in Wanstead for 51 years and I’m do sad at the recent decisions ie market stalls on high street and the mosque and school on Cambridge Park. This is just another money making scheme,
This application is by the private owner of the building, not by the council.
So a conservation area had to contain a kebab Shop does it?
You should explain or say why you hold these views. My first reaction is this comment:
How lovely overlooking the park. Put the price up. Electric buses too.
The shops ‘lack visual interest’? The proposed new building doesn’t add any visual interest either. Could be any place, anywhere. Nothing special at all
We need housing but the shop fronts are a bit bland
There is no housing in this proposal – it’s ground-floor commercial units with offices on the first and second floors.
I agree with the comments raised. What is really disappointing is the appalling design. It is possible to build a three storey building that is aesthetically pleasing. It really isn’t hard. The council newspaper has mentioned the quaint high street but seems intent on destroying it. Local elections in May…..
This application is by the private owner of the building, not by the council.
obviously
But they would grant approval or not to planning
Terrible idea, as if Wanstead needs more office space!
I hope it remains as it is and a historical part of Wanstead
It’s not like they’re real Tudor buildings from the 1500s
The mock Tudor stays in this proposal, by the way. But there is interesting history of the tudor building in the documentation in the report. We may make a separate post on this later.
The proposed replacement building is ugly, already dated (looks like those dreadful office blocks that proliferated in the 1980s, unnecessary (offices? Really?) overbearing and totally out of character for the area.
Reading through the application and speaking to one of the shop keepers in this parade who hasn’t been informed of the development it’s also hard to see that the new leaseholders of the kebab shop have made all those improvements for just 5 months trading…… that if it to believed that the developers want to start in May this year, an 18 months trading build!!!. Who are the owners of this site, obviously not people who live in Wanstead. Interesting to see how this develops. Took ages to find on the Redbridge web site….. even with the planning number.
Noooooo.. Thr council hates Wanstead. Market stalls and ugly buildings on The Green, on the High Street. That is a lovely corner, calm, peaceful and pretty. I can’t bear what they are doing to the area.
It’s not the council proposing this. It’s the private owner of the private building
ANY DEVELOPMENT IN A CONSERVATION AREA HAS BY LAW TO PRESERVE AND ENHANCE. THIS VERY GENERIC PROPOSAL DOES NEITHER AND CLASHES WITH THE CORNER BUILDING. THE REPORT IS NONSENSE – THESE VERNACULAR SINGLE STOREY BUILDINGS SHOULD BE LISTED AS THEY ARE REALLY UNUSUAL IN A LARGE CITY AND GIVE A VILLAGE FEEL.
PLEASE PUBLISH LINK SO WE CAN EASILY OBJECT EN-MASSE.
https://planning.redbridge.gov.uk/redbridge/search-applications/results?criteria=%7B%22reference%22:%223335%2F25%22%7D&page=1
THIS IS THE LINK TO OBJECT. PLEASE DO SO. YOU CAN USE MY COMMENT ABOVE AS A TEMPLATE.
That is a horrible idea! The building as it stands is a useful AND A BEAUTIFUL part of Wanstead! Leave it alone!
What’s always great about these developments is that the new building seamlessly blends in with the adjacent buildings.
What is it with architects? “A carbuncle on the face of a much-loved friend”, said someone with loads more clout than me, so they had to listen.
Snaresbrook car park, Evergreen field, now this. People like Wanstead, so instead of preserving what people like the council allow it to be ruined.