Redevelopment

LBWF’s Making Places programme and the strange case of the Cann Hall side-wall: four residents speak and £40,000 of public money goes west UPDATED

October 22, 2018 Cllr. Keith Rayner, Cllr.Patrick Edwards, Cllr.Sally Littlejohn, Redevelopment

In the summer of 2017, LBWF put out an open call to architects, artists, designers, and landscape artists, inviting them to take part in a programme called Making Places, which it was funding from its own resources to the tune of no less than £1m.. The objective was to commission ‘community arts’ projects for ‘unloved spaces’ in each of the borough’s 20 wards, thus generate ‘places which are brighter, safer and where residents and visitors enjoy spending time’, and so ultimately make ‘a lasting impact on local communities’. Those bidding were encouraged to think imaginatively and promised a bu... »

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LBWF and government funding to encourage social cohesion (1)

August 24, 2018 BNI Community Cohesion Projects, Redevelopment

In recent months, the government has awarded LBWF two large sums of money to help boost social cohesion, and this, and a succeeding post, look in detail at the justification for such funding, and how the money is being spent. The first award was announced late last year, came from the government’s rather oddly named Controlling Migration Fund (CMF) (for which see https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP7673#fullreport) and is worth ‘£1,015,080 for the period to August 2019’. In bidding for CMF, LBWF submitted a ‘summary of key proposals and council outcomes’, and th... »

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‘London Borough of Waltham Forest: “a property empire with a sideline in local government”’ – the movie

June 18, 2018 Redevelopment

The trailer from Limitedscope. Other Limitedscope productions can be found at vimeo.com/limitedscope   »

Redevelopment in Waltham Forest: the shocking fate of Section 106 ‘planning gain’ UPDATED

April 18, 2018 Redevelopment

In recent years, there has been growing unease in Waltham Forest about the character of redevelopment, particularly in terms of the balance between public and private good. While LBWF in theory is charged with advancing the interests of local residents, there is a feeling that all too often it has tiptoed around the big property companies now operating in the borough, meaning that what is built tends to cater for those with ready money, and overlook those without. Readers will no doubt have their own views on these matters, but one important detail that has escaped much attention is the so cal... »

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Cllr. Khevyn Limbajee’s register of interests form: another case of Waltham Forest-itis?

March 11, 2018 Cllr. Khevyn Limbajee, Mark Hynes, Redevelopment, register of interests, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

Over the years this blog has periodically revealed that LBWF councillors have surprising difficulty keeping their register of interests forms as accurate and up-to-date as the agreed standards require, a very obvious example of Waltham Forest-itis. Now another possible case of this unfortunate malady may be on the cards. Cllr. Khevyn Limbajee is the Cabinet portfolio holder for housing, who, with his estate agent chic and penchant for social media, syncs so perfectly with the ongoing middle-class takeover of the Labour Party. As of today, Cllr. Limbajee’s register of interests form, post... »

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Fred Wigg and John Walsh Towers update

November 13, 2017 Fred Wigg and John Walsh Towers, Redevelopment, Uncategorized

This blog has previously covered the disgraceful situation that is ongoing regarding the ‘redevelopment John Walsh and Fred Wigg Towers in Cann Hall. Pasted below are two updates prepared by the residents. They eloquently speak for themselves. »

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LBWF Leader Clare Coghill’s MIPIM muddle (2)

October 20, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Redevelopment

After this blog’s previous posts about Council Leader Clare Coghill’s 2016 and 2017 visits to Cannes for ‘real estate’s Glastonbury Festival’, the Marché International des Professionnels de l’Immobilier (MIPIM), various correspondents have written in requesting further details, particularly about the cost. It is worth noting that in her ‘registered gifts and hospitalities’ declarations, Cllr. Coghill lists the Cannes trips, but as of today provides little elaboration. However, LBWF’s response to a Freedom of Information inquiry (reproduced as received) reveals som... »

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Redeveloping Waltham Forest: some experiences from the periphery

September 22, 2017 Cllr. Keith Rayner, Cllr.Patrick Edwards, Cllr.Sally Littlejohn, Redevelopment, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

As a previous post indicates, LBWF is currently engaged in a major public-private programme to redevelop the borough. Much of the publicity about this programme centres on a few key hubs, principally Walthamstow. Far less is known about what’s happening elsewhere. So to rectify this situation, the following paragraphs focus on an unsung ward, Cann Hall, in the borough’s poorer south. First, some background. Cann Hall is not far from Stratford and the Olympic Park, and to some extent is beginning to share their glamour. Newcomers are flooding in, house prices are going up, and the old solidly w... »

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LBWF Leader Clare Coghill’s MIPIM muddle (1)

August 7, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Redevelopment

In 2012, the Waltham Forest Guardian reported that councillors were finding the requirement that they fill in and then update their register of interest forms to be challenging. Some had missed out crucial details, with, for example, the Leader, Chris Robbins, neglecting to mention his family home. Others – incredibly – overlooked their party membership. A few had simply failed to keep their forms up to date. In response, LBWF stated that it was introducing ‘a new website’ which would ‘be easier to use, with less duplicated information’. On the quiet, it also trimmed what councillors in ... »

London Borough of Waltham Forest:  ‘a property empire with a sideline in local government’?*

August 2, 2017 Cllr. Clare Coghill, Fred Wigg and John Walsh Towers, LBWF, Redevelopment, the Labour Party in Waltham Forest

In March 2016, then portfolio holder for economic growth and high streets, now Group Leader, Clare Coghill travelled to Cannes in the company of LBWF CEO Martin Esom and ‘Assistant Director, Investment and Delivery’ Jonathan Martin, to attend Marché International des Professionnels de l’Immobilier (MIPIM), ‘the world’s leading real estate event for property professionals’. Their mission? To sell investment opportunities in Waltham Forest to the assembled movers and shakers. No record exists as to whether Cllr. Coghill et al. were successful, but it is surely significant that subsequently they ... »

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