It feels like it’s been coming a long time, but the inevitable planning application for a block of flats on the Evergreen Field – at the heart of the Wanstead Conservation Zone – has been submitted to Redbridge Council.
The plan includes a new children’s nursery and 24 flats and is currently being considered by officials. There is also an area described as a “new public open space” including a pond. Public comments are open until 24 August – the papers can be seen at this address.
Evergreen Field, the land next to Christ Church which has for decades been unused, is currently fenced off and overgrown. The lack of development on that side of the High Street has been credited with part of the open feeling of central Wanstead, allowing views of the church.
Previous applications have been rejected by planners and have been controversial with locals to say the least. The shortage of available housing is however putting pressure on planners – a large development on Snaresbrook station car park, which few expected to be approved, was given the green light.
Is there a reason why the residents of Wanstead aren’t organising a community purchase of the area from the current owner?
As lovely as it is to maintain “the open feeling of central Wanstead, allowing views of the church” we need places for people to live. And I bet pretty much everyone who enjoys these views lives in a flat/house that when built disrupted someone else’s lovely views.
It is a sadly wasted inaccessible site so having places to live, as long as is done appropriately, is an inevitable need. The public open space next to is is massively larger and plenty enough.
I think my issue is that there are 100s of properties empty across the capital as they were bought in order to ‘park money’ as opposed to live in them. Time would be better spent reclaiming those properties, putting laws and legislation in place to stop that kind of practiced and therefore protecting the environment from more polluting building work.
I couldn’t agree more
Absolutely agree. Also, the idea that 24 homes on a green field site will help the housing shortage in anyway whatsoever is quite ludicrous. We need a proper national plan. Covid has actually given us an opportunity in this respect. All those empty office blocks now people are working from home should be compulsory purchased by the government and turned into council flats.
Well said
How can you get 24 flats and a nursery on such a small site, or is the development to be as high as the Shad to accommodate such an ambitious plan