New map shows Walthamstow, Leyton, Leytonstone and Chingford areas marked for development

Several sites across Waltham Forest have been earmarked for development over the next decade and a half. Waltham Forest Council is inviting locals to share their thoughts on a list of sites. The council has set an ambitious target to construct 27,000 new homes in the borough by 2035, along with 52,000sqm of offices and 'employment space'.

These homes - across Walthamstow, Chingford, Leyton, and Leytonstone - won't be built by Waltham Forest Council but by private developers who will need to apply for planning permission.

After approving the first part of its Local Plan in February, which will guide builders' plans for the borough, the council is now engaging residents in consultation.

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This second round of consultation, a continuation of the 2021/22 process, will run until October 9. Residents can provide feedback on the scheme via email or through the council’s website.

Part two, which focuses on where the authority plans to concentrate development, is yet to be approved.

A total of 128 sites across the borough have been identified, including Lea Bridge gasworks, where plans for 643 new homes were approved in July, and industrial areas in Lammas Road, Orient Way, and Montague Road that the council deems suitable for tall buildings.

Walthamstow Town Centre is the busiest area, with 14 individual parcels of land earmarked. Proposals include replacing Stow Car Wash and Valeting with 20 homes, building 300 new homes in the St James Quarter, and 30 in Osborne Grove.

The council has expressed interest in converting the Barclays bank in Walthamstow into 65 homes and other 'town centre uses', as well as restoring the job centre on High Street. An additional 55 homes are also planned for the area.

"Being allocated in Local Plan Part 2 does not mean that the site will definitely be redeveloped," the council clarified. The first part of the plan, which was approved by all 60 councillors in February, focused on infrastructure, including proposals for a new rail station on Ruckholt Road, and a preference for 'sustainable' developments.

Despite the seemingly high target of 27,000 homes, Waltham Forest is one of nine boroughs given this goal by the Mayor of London. In the three years leading up to 2023/24, the council has met the Mayor’s target of constructing around 1,200 new homes annually.