Wansteadium

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No waiting for December for the start of Christmas tree sales this year, as Wanstead’s usual vendors start to see how they will fare against the Tree Amigos venture on Christchurch Green.

What is that about? The arrival of the tree seller on the Green has enraged many Wanstead residents on social media, many of whom say it is unfair competition for Wanstead traders.

Why is it there? It’s the first time that the Green has been used in this particular way. Like many other spaces, the Green is run by Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure, a charity which operates facilities on behalf of Redbridge Borough Council. Vision is seeking to make more use of the open spaces and also is seeking to raise money, which it undertakes is reinvested in Redbridge facilities.

What does Redbridge say? In a statement to Wansteadium, a spokesperson for Redbridge said:

What do Wanstead councillors say? A statement posted on Facebook by Jo Blackman, Paul Donovan and Daniel Morgan-Thomas says:

We have been assured that the vendor must leave the Green undamaged as part of their agreement; they pay the market rate for use of the space which will be ploughed back by Vision into local leisure and parks maintenance. The fencing is there to protect the stock and help contain the market. We encourage residents to shop locally on our High Street and hope they will also enjoy the activities on the Green this Christmas.

What next: Jo Blackman added she would be monitoring the impact on High Street sellers from the new venture.

Fewer drivers than expected are driving polluting vehicles in the newly expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone, which includes Wanstead.

Good news for: Humans and other lifeforms in Wanstead and other areas inside the North Circular which are being exposed to less pollution. The zone expanded in October.

Unexpected consequence for: Transport for London, which had expected to raise up to £2m a day from charges for drivers who had not updated their vehicles to less polluting models. Cameras within the ULEZ recognise moving vehicles which are not compliant and charge owners £12.50 a day. TfL has lowered its financial expectations to £600m over three years because of “fewer journeys by polluting vehicles being made compared to original expectations”. (Quoted in the Standard here.)

Bigger picture: TfL has had its finances hit by the lockdown with millions of people staying at home rather than going on the Tube or buses. It’s appealing to the Government for extra funding and has warned that bus routes and even an entire Tube line might be closed to save money.

With Christmas approaching, happily events are taking place again (unlike last year, and – who knows? – unlike next year). And the best way to let Wanstead people know about an event is still the Wanstead Events Calendar. After years of faithful curation by Stephanie Pettigrew, it’s now possible for organisers to add and amend events themselves.

How to submit an event: On the links at the top of this page you’ll see “Wanstead Events Calendar”. Beneath that you will see a link which says “Submit an event”. You can also just click this link.

Just follow the steps. You’ll be able to add all details for your event – please add a picture too to make sure it gets noticed. All events have to be approved (to avoid spam) so there might be a delay until your item appears on the calendar.

New shop: The rather impressive new building on the site of the former Joliffe Builder’s office is to be an establishment known as “D’vine Nature”. We don’t yet know what kind of business it will be, but a licensing application has been made to Redbridge for it to have an off-premises alcohol licence.

What is it? We’re trying, with our finger stuck in the air, to work out what it might be… An organic wine cellar? A wholefood shop? Something we can’t yet imagine?

Traditional: As ever, we wish the people behind the venture good luck and hope what they bring will add to rich texture of the High Street.

Flashback: The new building was approved after a previous application, which would have been known as The Cube and would have been clad in green, was rejected. This new development provides seven one-bedroom flats and six two-bedroom flats as well as the new shop.

It’s goodbye to Andrew Farress, longtime Wanstead resident and, for the past decade, manager of the Oxfam bookshop on Wanstead High Street. He’s leaving Wanstead to move with his partner to Taunton, Somerset, where he will be taking up a new role managing the Oxfam shop there.

Under his management, and with the support of volunteers and donors, the Wanstead shop has become one of Oxfam’s most successful and has helped raise hundreds of thousands for the charity. He has also been an enthusiastic supporter of the Wanstead Fringe, hosting several events in the shop over the years.

Good luck to Andrew, and thank you for your service.

Each year we note the first frost of the season, and that was today. Amid extreme weather patterns, this is a small reassuring note of continuity. But please don’t let it lull you into a false sense of security.

2020 – 4 November
2019 – 4 November
2018 – 25 September
2017 – 30 October
2016 – 2 November
2015 – 23 November
2014 – 6 November
2013 – 13 November
2012 – 6 November
2011 – 25 November
2010 – 21 October