The first stage of a £30m cycling scheme labelled ‘bold’ and ‘inspiring’ has been voted through by a unanimous decision at Waltham Forest council’s cabinet meeting.

‘Mini Holland’ will be rolled out across the borough over the next three years, restructuring many of the road networks to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

Today, the council’s cabinet voted to give the green light to the first stage of the project which will transform the Village area of Walthamstow.

Six people spoke at the meeting about the controversial scheme which has divided the community.

Three were in favour and three were against.

Mark Harrington, village resident, said the consultation was flawed and should be independently verified before major changes are made in the village.

He said: “The true figures could have been as low as 5,000 cars reduced to 3,000 during the trial. We were lead to believe there was more traffic than there really was.

“A W12 bus or car could have been counted as many as five times in one journey.

“The consultation needs to be re-run.”

Amanda Parnell pointed out there have been only ten recorded accidents in the last ten years in the village.

However, the pro -camp gave speeches on the benefits of the scheme on public health, the local economy and Chairman of the Waltham Forest Cycling Campaign called it an ‘unparalleled opportunity to set the ball rolling for safer residential streets’.

Councillor Clyde Loakes gave an impassioned speech about the benefits.

He said: “We didn’t want to paint a few new lines. We won the money because we had a bold and ambitious plan.

“We want people walking, we want better pavements and we want safer streets – all of this mini Holland delivers. We want children to be able to walk to school with their parents.

“Forty-two per cent of households no longer have access to a car in Waltham Forest. This is a project which starts to put those people first.

“It is not just about the village, it is about all the town centres, linking them together.

“We have talked, we have listened, we have discussed. I am sure there are more big discussions to come.

Work will begin in Walthamstow Village later this year.

Other areas of the mini Holland scheme in the rest of the borough, including Lea Bridge Road, will come before cabinet later in the year.