It had to happen sooner or later.
A new development for a block of 24 flats and a nursery is being proposed for Evergreen Field, the undeveloped but tatty space opposite the Wanstead High Street shops.
Letters are being sent to residents asking their views on the proposal, which has yet to be submitted to Redbridge planning authorities.
The proposal is for:
- A four-storey building
- Space for a nursery for children up to five-years-old
- “Onsite affordable housing”
- Some land at the back of the development to be “given back to the community”.
The developers promise that full details will be included in brochures which are soon to be delivered.
Though news about the site has been quiet for several years, it was the subject of a previous planning application which did not go anywhere. The reason it can be used for housing is that at one stage (when London had police stations) there was a police house on the site.
It was an early proposal for development on the site which led to the formation of the Wanstead Society, the group which among other things goes through local planning applications on behalf of good taste.
This is the letter which is sent to residents:
Anyone know how much the land is worth? Surely as a community we can agree with the developer to raise enough to buy the land from them and make it into parkland?!
In 2012, the present owner bought it from Furlong Homes for £200k, He subsequently tried to put it on the market for £1M. Quite a mark-up!
Its only worth what u can get on it with planning permission.
Never had a police house on the site eas going to be a police station with stables but went to Woodford It did have houses on the site in the 1960s/70s
Lived in Wanstead from 1965- certainly don’t remember any housing on that land.
Against expectations the demand for housing is still going up, and thus the potential for profit will bring the developers in. The penalty for living in a desirable place is that it’s desirable to other people too. Presumably the Wanstead business community would be all in favour. How about Redbridge Council?
I have always hoped it would become an extension of Christ Church Green. The Liberals, during the recent local elections, mentioned a crowd funding scheme to try and buy it to turn into a public open space. I would anticipate a lot of support for the scheme. Wanstead Village has seen quite a few small developments of houses and flats in recent years. Can we not preserve this last piece of green space left in the centre of Wanstead, that is not publically owned, for nature and recreation!
Oh dear. This is disappointingly monolithic and inappropriate for the feel of the High St. This is going to be very controversial.
Tom Howell is quite right there was never a police house on that site it was a doctors house. They were going to build a police station on that piece of land and then they were going to build a library neither of those happened. My husband and I and many other people donated money to Wiseman Lee solicitors to negotiate the buying of that land in the 70s or 80s. What happened to all that money ?I agree it should be put back as being part of Christchurch Green and that was the plan
It’s a tricky one as the site is a mess and inaccessible. We also need places for people to live. As much as I dislike green space being taken over for building people need to live and I daresay every reader here’s abode annoyed someone and removed some greenspace when it was built.