WALTHAMSTOW: Call for more Arcade site consultation (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

WALTHAMSTOW: Call for more Arcade site consultation

1:59pm Monday 29th December 2008

Print
Email
Share
Comments(5)

RESIDENTS who live near the benighted Arcade site have called on councillors to fully involve local people in its future.

After the council's cabinet member for enterprise Cllr Terry Wheeler finally admitted previous plans for the land on the corner of Hoe Street and High Street, Walthamstow, were dead in the water, those living closest to the site have asked again to be involved.

Residents group Fight The Height, which came together to oppose the plans for an 18-story residential block and retail development, have long complained about local people being shut out of the decision-making process.

They claim Waltham Forest Council failed to properly consult residents when agreeing proposals with property developer St Modwen.

Fight The Height's Simon Munk, said residents welcomed a rethink on the site but still had reservations and the council should not miss a “vital moment” to engage with the community.

“There has been absolutely no public dialogue on the changes - just a terse announcement to other councillors,” he said.

"Despite changes to the retail part of the plan, it would appear St Modwen are still planning a residential tower block that will be out of keeping the low rise character of Walthamstow and against the recommendations of The Prince's Foundation report on Walthamstow.”

The latest concept would put a swimming pool, multiplex cinema and a hotel, with some shops and restaurants.

But the McGuffins Film Society, which wants the neighbouring EMD cinema to be brought back into use, said councillors were saying privately the multiplex plan had also failed.

Spokesman Bill Hodgson said: “All the indications now suggest the multiplex is dead and the entire Arcade scheme will be substantially downgraded, “We’ve consistently argued that a multiplex would be the slowest option for bringing cinema back to the borough. It is now more than two years since the multiplex plan was announced and the EMD sale sabotaged.

“Around £4 million of local taxpayers' money has been spent maintaining the empty Arcade site during that time and this sum alone would have paid for the EMD’s revival twice over”.

The Arcade site has been empty since the council served compulsory purchase orders to the remaining traders in the declining Arcade shopping centre in 2000 and bulldozers moved in in 2003.

Previous council plans for the site included a library and arts centre.

Now Cllr Wheeler is looking for ideas for a temporary use of the site in 2009, which may include an ice rink.

What do you think the site should be used for over the next year? Contact reporter Sarah Cosgrove on 020 8498 3454 or email scosgrove@london.newsquest.co.uk.

Print
Email
Share
Comments(5)

Your Say Your Guardian

Cllr James O'Rourke, Waltham Forest says...
3:51pm Mon 29 Dec 08

It was the Lib Dems who suggested utilising the derelict Arcade site in the short-term, before redevelopment begins, in our motion to Full Council on 18th December which was unanimously agreed.
For more details follow the links below.

http://www.walthamfo
restlibdems.org.uk/

http://jamesorourke.
mycouncillor.org.uk/
2008/12/18/gambling-
with-the-arcade/

Report this post » Register/Sign In »

Touchwood, Walthamstow says...
5:14pm Mon 29 Dec 08

I think a large hole should be excavated on the site and 'Loakes and his Jokes' including 'Terrible Terry Wheeler Dealer' should be interred therein!!

Report this post » Register/Sign In »

PhilipHerlihy, Walthamstow says...
10:14am Tue 30 Dec 08

The Arcade site represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Walthamstow. What would we want there, if money were no object? Surely it would be something more than a private retail space. Imagine the Town Centre without the library, with that space occupied by, say, a pound shop. Unthinkable. Yet the Arcade site has even more potential for the enrichment of our Town Centre, and when the first bricks are finally laid they will stay there for generations. I just don't believe our Council is being ambitious enough. If money were no object I'd want to see a truly public space, a bustling place of gatherings and entertainment.

The latest talk is of a pool, cinema, and hotel. That's a step away from another sock department, and I welcome it. However, money isn't irrelevant, and the difference between councillors and we armchair demagogues is that they have to make things work long-term. A pool would be expensive to build and seems unlikely to harvest much return from the value of the land, and while I long to see the Granada reopen I don't share the view that a dedicated cinema can't make a loss. Instead, I'd like to see a flexible, multi-purpose hall capable of showing films but also suitable for meetings, theatre, concerts and general hire. Add in a fitness centre, bars and restaurants run by the private sector, with a covered roof-garden (restaurant?) on the top, and you have a step up in the quality of Walthamstow life.

Personally, I'm not against building higher in the Town Centre - it's a pity we can't bump NatWest up a floor and squeeze a (trendy) wine bar underneath. The Arcade site will need to maximise return on the value of the land by selling space, and more floors means more return. So I'd say build it high, and pack the upper floors with offices, a hotel and premium flats if it'll help deliver something we can be proud of.

Report this post » Register/Sign In »

Technomist, Walthamstow says...
10:58am Tue 30 Dec 08

I would love to agree with you Philip Herlihy that the Arcade site represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Walthamstow, but the fact is that we have already had this guff about a 'one-off' opportunity sold to us several times in the past nine years and I just can't get excited by yet another process of lies, spin and opportunities for corruption, fake 'consulatations' and lobbying by unrepresentative groups and entrenched interests which the arcade site has become.

Personally, I do not think we should rule out anything, but the idea of a multi-use hall the usual suspects would fight over fills me with dread. The borough has such a venue already next to the Town Hall-its so expensive that the local orchestra can barely afford to go there. As for more bars - well, do we really need more places for the consumption of alcohol locally? I would agree with anyone who said we need a few more of the existing ones to pull thier socks up, but I am not so sure we need yet more places which young people and families are not able to enjoy full access to of an evening.

Your argument that a pool would be expsensive applies to any of the projects which you mention, and as a reason to dismiss it, seems a bit odd given your opening remark "What would we want there, if money were no object?". I personally think that a pool need not be expensive if the corrupt faces who usually get their faces in the trough can be driven from power and influence.

It would be nice if we had somewhere fun (for God's sake can we keep the kill-joys and Olympic Sports Nazis out of the equation). I would like the place to be accessible to the many normal people in the borough, where having a quick dip was easy. A pool would be an asset for Walthamstow. Other ideas might be a 10 pin bowling alley or to sell the current Town Hall (which is really wasting a vast amounft of space) and move the offices and council chamber to the arcade site where the public can keep an eye on it. (It need not be very big - no space for faux Parliamentary processions, meeting foreign delegations, plywood pannel robing rooms or other pretentious flummery would be required).

I would love to agree with you Philip Herlihy that the Arcade site represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Walthamstow, but the fact is that we have already had this guff about a 'one-off' opportunity sold to us several times in the past nine years and I just can't get excited by yet another process of lies, spin and opportunities for corruption, fake 'consulatations' and lobbying by unrepresentative groups and entrenched interests which the arcade site has become. Personally, I do not think we should rule out anything, but the idea of a multi-use hall the usual suspects would fight over fills me with dread. The borough has such a venue already next to the Town Hall-its so expensive that the local orchestra can barely afford to go there. As for more bars - well, do we really need more places for the consumption of alcohol locally? I would agree with anyone who said we need a few more of the existing ones to pull thier socks up, but I am not so sure we need yet more places which young people and families are not able to enjoy full access to of an evening. Your argument that a pool would be expsensive applies to any of the projects which you mention, and as a reason to dismiss it, seems a bit odd given your opening remark "What would we want there, if money were no object?". I personally think that a pool need not be expensive if the corrupt faces who usually get their faces in the trough can be driven from power and influence. It would be nice if we had somewhere fun (for God's sake can we keep the kill-joys and Olympic Sports Nazis out of the equation). I would like the place to be accessible to the many normal people in the borough, where having a quick dip was easy. A pool would be an asset for Walthamstow. Other ideas might be a 10 pin bowling alley or to sell the current Town Hall (which is really wasting a vast amounft of space) and move the offices and council chamber to the arcade site where the public can keep an eye on it. (It need not be very big - no space for faux Parliamentary processions, meeting foreign delegations, plywood pannel robing rooms or other pretentious flummery would be required).

Report this post » Register/Sign In »

Walthamster, Walthamstow says...
11:08am Tue 30 Dec 08

This time we need genuine consultation, not the expensive and dishonest shams we've had during the past few years.

We've had one in which residents asked to vote for various schemes, but the council then ignored their clear choice inf avour of one of the others, Henry Boot. Why bother asking us if you're going to ignore our choice?

After the Henry Boot scheme came to nothing (despite the council having spent a fortune by then), we had a couple more consultations, all equally bogus.

Could I remind the council that the point of "consultation" is to find out what people want, not just for your chosen consultants to fill their pockets?

Report this post » Register/Sign In »

Your sayYour Guardian

comment Add your comment

Register for a FREE East London and West Essex Guardian Series account and you can have your say on today's news and sport by adding comments on articles we publish. The best comments may even get published in the paper.

Please register now or sign in below to continue.

WALTHAMSTOW: Call for more Arcade site consultation (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

Waltham Forest News RSS Feed