Come to Walthamstow... (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

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Come to Walthamstow...

12:20pm Wednesday 11th February 2009

By Janet Wright »

...but not if you have anything good to bring or money to spend! And if you live here, go away. That’s Waltham Forest council’s message, as far as I can work it out. While our amenities are closing down all around us, the council is eager to provide new ones – unwanted by local people -- for groups from outside the area.

The council’s latest plan is to turn St James Street Library into a centre for drug users from all areas, in the hope of weaning them away from crime. The old people and families who want their library back weren’t consulted. The council is also in talks with the Christian fundamentalists whose meetings turn Finsbury Park into traffic hell, about letting them do the same in Hoe Street. The film-lovers who want the former Granada cinema open again weren’t consulted.

Yet when the council slashed funding to our world-famous William Morris Gallery, the excuse was that the gallery attracted so many people from outside the area!

Not that it was underused by local people, but that it was overused by others. (I know: logic isn’t this council’s strong point.) Never mind the money these art-lovers spent locally, or the value to the borough’s dwindling prestige at a time when our other attractions – the dog stadium, the market – are being closed or whittled away.

Why does Waltham Forest council refuse us the things we have a right to expect? Cinemas, book-filled libraries, the dog track, music venues, a huge and bustling market, expertly staffed art galleries, theatres or anything else we enjoy.

All of these could be saved by Waltham Forest council – without public expense, if they stopped wasting our money on failed schemes and put it into meeting local needs. The borough’s funds pour into the pockets of outside consultants and developers who do nothing for us. Meanwhile, our publicly owned amenities need funding. The others could be saved if the council refused planning permission for change of use, or, in the market’s case, simply stopped undermining it.

Ask anyone around Baker’s Arms or Finsbury Park, about having a Christian fundamentalist group meeting there. They may cause traffic chaos, but they don’t stay to spend their money in local shops or cafes. And I haven’t heard that a drop-in drug centre brightens up an area or provides anything for the local community.

So tell us, Waltham Forest Council. You’re so kind to people who don’t live or work here and don’t do a thing for us. What are you going to do for Walthamstow?

Comments(6)

techiebabe says...
1:59pm Wed 11 Feb 09

If I was playing devil's advocate, I'd say that you are focussing too much on wanting buildings to be returned to their past use, and not able to move on to what they will be in future.

Now actually I think you have good reason to be angry about the loss of a library, and depressed about the loss of a cinema. And I agree - on past record the UKCG are not the people to control the cinema building. Whoever owns it ought to treat the interior features with respect, and keep the organ maintained.

But if you accept that the library has gone - whatever you might wish for - and look forward... Well, there's a drug drop in, and also a centre for teenagers with alcohol problems, in Leytonstone. Both are discreetly marked and I haven't heard of them causing any problems. So the future use of the building might not cause you the problems anticipated.

The cinema is the bigger issue here, I think - and I enjoyed your previous blog about it (if "enjoyed" is the right word!)