Wansteadium

Redbridge Council has announced that the consultation on changes to parking – which was won by residents after a passionate campaign in January – is to take place next month.

Letters will be sent to “every resident, business, school and nursery in the affected area” says the council, and there will also be an online consultation and face-to-face interviews on the street.

The leader of the council, Councillor Jas Athwal, said: “Parking in Wanstead is a real problem, and we want to find a solution that is right for the area, that deals with the present and future pressures on parking spaces but also takes into account the needs of businesses, residents and shoppers.

“It is a very difficult balancing act, we have to take into account many factors and try and find the best way forward. We know that means we can’t please everybody but we have to do what we think is best for the whole area. We’re looking forward to sharing the consultation with everyone when it is ready.”

He said the consultation would be “full and thorough” and the results would be published online when the data has been collected. He said the results would be fed into a final report before a final decision was made.

The appetite for a tidy up in Wanstead is spreading with no shortage of volunteers for Dan Slipper’s spring clean effort.

And on Saturday morning (25 Feb) there is a chance to join in a tidy-up of Tarzy Wood, the woodland behind the war memorial on Wanstead High Street. It is taking place between 10am and 1pm, and will be happening again on 18 March. Refreshments will be provided by the Epping Forest Rangers and all are welcome. Details from Tarzy.Tidy@gmail.com.

Good to see Judith’s new sign, and better still that the poster in the window has now been removed.

Another day’s strike on the Central Line means another day of patience from commuters is in order. And motorists had better join in too, bearing in mind the long traffic delays in recent days in Wanstead thanks to the closure of Hollybush Hill and roadworks on New Wanstead.

It’s the kind of day when our page #wansteadtravel comes into its own. It has tweets about the service at Snaresbrook and Wanstead, TfL service updates, information about the A406, and a live-ish picture of Charlie Brown roundabout.

But best of all are your comments and gems of wisdom. You can find #wansteadtravel here – and if you include the hashtag #wansteadtravel in tweets they will appear there too.

Domino’s Pizza has applied to open a branch in the old Dunhuang Chinese takeaway at the top of the High Street. A sign in the window announces the application to Redbridge Council for opening until midnight.

The last Wanstead heard of Domino’s was in 2013 when it was applying to take on what is now Long Horn. At the time there was much opposition on the grounds of potential traffic disruption, and the application was withdrawn.

(Thanks Tom King.)

 

Amid talk of closures, it’s good to celebrate something new – and the Wanstead Coffee Company is just that. Rather than opening a cafe, Patrick Pearson is roasting beans and supplying them to cafes, including the new Poppy Pantry in the City of London Cemetery. He’s also running a stall at the Wanstead Farmers’ Market.