Wansteadium

Occasional correspondent George C Parker writes:

On Valentines evening at the end of a dusky street, in an archway beneath an East London railway line, a cultural era came to its glorious end.

Closing night at the Wanstead Tap began like so many that had come before it. A crowd assembled, the fairy lights twinkled, a band played, and the stories and reminiscences flowed.

Beside the bar, the chalk scoreboard proudly displayed the names of scores of artistic luminaries to have played, spoken, sung or debated in this snug little speakeasy over the years.

People queued for their drinks and to share a congratulatory word and a hug with patron curator Dan and his family members. All too soon, the bar ran dry, the last song was played and the shutters were rolled for the last time.

After twelve years of happenings, cafe culture, craft beer, artistic exploration, performance, election all-nighters, theatre, food and the spoken word, the Tap had become an inimitable and irreplaceable fixture in East London’s cultural life. We will miss her, but we are grateful that she was here (and grateful too that some of her kit will live on through the Wanstead Fringe). Best wishes to Jane and Dan in their life after Wanstead.

We’re beginning to suspect something of a curse. The contractor building the new Wanstead swimming pool and high school buildings has gone into administration, meaning the council is having to find a replacement.

Jerram Falkus, a family building firm which was founded in 1884, announced last week that it had called in administrators (reported here by Wanstead-based Building magazine) . The plan for the renovated Wanstead Leisure Centre and new school buildings is already … ahem… months behind schedule, its original timescale having been utterly banjaxed by Covid. It means a generation of schoolchildren have had their schooling disrupted by building works, though obviously the long-term gain for Wanstead will in the end be huge.

A statement from Redbridge said:

“We were very disappointed to learn that Jerram Falkus — the main contractor responsible for delivering the Wanstead Leisure Centre and school redevelopment project — has entered administration, especially as we were nearing completion.

“Although this setback is entirely beyond our control, the Council remains absolutely committed to completing the new leisure centre that will benefit generations to come, alongside modern classrooms that will give local students the opportunities and learning environment they deserve.

“The Council has now taken formal possession of the site from the Administrator. Additional security personnel have been deployed to ensure the site remains protected, safe and secure. We are also working closely with Wanstead High School to ensure they are fully informed and supported throughout this process.

“We want to reassure parents, staff and the wider community that our commitment to this project has not changed. Work to appoint a new contractor has begun so the final stage of the project can move forward with minimal disruption.

“We recognise that parents, staff and the community will have understandable concerns, and we will continue to provide updates as soon as further information becomes available.”

Just for old times’ sake, here is some background reading.

2022

Wanstead pool ‘not ready until 2024’

Wanstead pool: Is this the year?

2018

The Wanstead pool is coming! And that’s not all

Wanstead residents wanting to object to individual applications for market stalls on Wanstead High Street have been told by council officials that they now have no right to object.

Previously residents were told that although the policy which would permit up to nine permanent stalls to be sited on the pavements in Wanstead was already decided, people would be able to object on an individual basis to specific applications. They have now been told this is not the case.

One Wansteadium reader who wrote to object to an application for a juice bar outside Oxfam was told:

Members of the public cannot make “formal representations” on these street trading applications in the same way that they can under the Licensing Act 2003 or Gambling Act 2005.  Under the Council’s Street Trading Policy, only the authorities listed in section 6.2 are entitled to lodge formal objections to street trading applications.
…
The previous wording on the website about “how to comment on applications” was removed before the applications went live, precisely to avoid creating a legitimate expectation that the street trading process offers the same public representation rights as alcohol, late-night refreshment, or gambling licences.

It now appears that objections can only be made through councillors. It is not clear how, apart from scouring planning applications, people will know what proposals are being considered.

In addition it seems that the grounds on which ANY objections can be raised are limited to a specific set of grounds, namely:

* nearly shops already cater for the proposed goods
* the proposed goods would adversely affect the area
* false statements by applicant or previous misconduct or revocation of previous licence or failure to supply particulars
* insufficient plans for storing goods

Redbridge Borough Council has been asked for comment.

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.

Redbridge has told residents it wants to make all Wanstead streets 20mph zones, in line with many other London boroughs.

The proposal has an inevitability about it – the case made for reducing accidents is a strong one, however much motorists might get frustrated by the limits.

While most of the roads in the new zone are residential streets, the limit will be felt more on more major roads like New Wanstead, Hermon Hill/Chigwell Road and the High Street.

But some Hermon Hill residents will be among those cheering the proposal most loudly – we have documented a number of serious prangs in the past few years where cars have gone off the road, most recently this.

Hermon Hill traffic plea renewed

The proposal includes speed humps on Hollybush Hill, Spratt Hall Road, Nutter Lane, Rutland Road, Grove Park, and Elmcroft Avenue, and speed cushions on Chigwell Road, Hermon Hill and New Wanstead.

Wansteadium’s only thoughts are – whether this is a real consultation at all, and whether the decision has actually been made. And secondly, well even if it has, it’s nice to be asked. We’re not always extended that courtesy. The consultation is online here.

There’s been a pretty hard pruning of one of Wanstead’s magnificent cedar trees, on the junction of New Wanstead with Hollybush Hill. Cedar trees CAN recover from prunings like this, we’re told by a friendly tree surgeon, but it will be years before it has anything like its former shape. It puts Wansteadium in mind of Aslan on the stone table.