A public protest will be held against plans to build four “monster” high-rise tower blocks, restaurants and shops in a town centre.

Campaign group Save Walthamstow’s Town Centre will meet at the playground in Walthamstow Town Square at 1pm on Saturday (December 9) with banners and placards to voice their opposition.

The group who collected nearly 3,000 signatures against the proposed development are also appealing for people to attend next week’s planning committee meeting where a decision will be made.

They have accused Capital & Regional developers of “greed” and say the hundreds of proposed luxury apartments will not benefit the vast majority of Waltham Forest residents.

The development would see a third of Walthamstow Town Square and Gardens built on and mature trees knocked down.

Campaigner David Gardiner said: “The proposal will do nothing to help local housing problems; the 1,600 people on the housing list will experience no positive benefit, as even ‘affordable’ units, if there are any, will be far beyond the pockets of people on average or below average incomes.

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David Gardiner and Jean Duggleby have spearheaded the campaign against the development since plans were submitted to the council last April.

“The impact on the whole character of the area will be dramatic, with blocks of up to 132.5 metres in height – 15.5 metres higher than Centre Point on Oxford Street – blocking out the light and affecting the microclimate.

“The children’s play area will be replaced by a smaller one which will be closer to the diesel fumes of the bus station.

"There will be a massive environmental impact in terms of overshadowing, wind-tunnelling effects, loss of trees and detriment to air quality, and neither full nor outline planning permission should even be considered without the publication of a full independent environmental assessment and proper public consultations instead of the completely tokenistic ones we have had.”

Campaigners fear the introduction of up to 500 new homes will but GP’s surgeries, schools and transport in the borough under “intolerable strain”.

They say the development is aimed at “maximising the profits” of developers C&R as opposed to benefiting Walthamstow residents.

Mr Gardiner added: "Our last chance to prevent this land-grab of our public open space by private commercial interests is to show up in force at the planning meeting.

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“If outline permission is granted the cause is lost, all they have to do after that is fill in the details.

“Please come to this vital meeting and make your voice heard loudly and clearly - there won't be a second chance.”

Council officers have recommended the plans be approved and a decision will be made at a meeting of the planning committee on Wednesday (December 13) in Waltham Forest Town Hall.

Kenneth Ford of Capital & Regional Plc said: "We are pleased to note the council officers' recommendation that our planning application for The Mall, Walthamstow should be approved, and look forward to the forthcoming planning committee.”

"The exciting vision for this high quality mixed-use development has evolved over many years.

“We welcome the opportunity to once again show how it can revitalise the town centre and deliver a very wide range of long-term benefits for Waltham Forest as a whole."