Area 3: High Street public realm improvements

Background

In 2023, London Borough of Waltham Forest Council successfully secured £17,200,000 from the UK Government to support the delivery of the ‘Walthamstow Culture for All’ project. In securing this funding, we are positioned to make significant investment in areas of our public realm and heritage assets.

As a part of the UK Government funding, we are delivering improvements on Walthamstow High Street, as well as Hoe Street, including Rosebank Villas & The Scene, and St James Quarter. The funding will enable Walthamstow High Street to realise its full potential as a distinctive, enjoyable, and safe destination and support the local economy.

As an area with a rich cultural heritage and diverse communities, as well as arts centres such as the William Morris Gallery and the upcoming opening of Soho Theatre, celebrating and reflecting what makes Walthamstow unique will be at the heart of designs.

This work will build on extensive engagement already undertaken in relation to this area and will look to prioritise.

  1. Providing much needed planting and greening along the high street to create cleaner and more sustainable spaces.
  2. Increasing safety and accessibility by improving lighting, creating areas for people to stop and rest, and making sure the high street is an inclusive place for everyone.
  3. Maximising space for businesses, market traders, events, and play, and increasing visitors and footfall by making it easier to walk and cycle to the high street.
  4. Improving signage and artwork to celebrate the area’s unique heritage and culture, including the famous Walthamstow Market.

Engagement

Over the course of the summer, we held 2 drop-in sessions and undertook an online survey to understand the need from the local community when visiting the High Street.

Designer drop-in sessions

Session 1 (Walthamstow Central)

  • Wednesday 26 June (6pm-8pm) at Walthamstow Library, Walthamstow High St, London E17 7JN

Session 2 (St James Street)

  • Saturday 29 June (2pm-4pm) at The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Ln, London E17 7HA

We have now collected all the data and analysed the responses received, on the right hand side you can view the full engagement report.

Next steps

We will take all the comments and feedback to the next stage of the designs and will engage on the final designs before we go into construction expected in 2025.


Background

In 2023, London Borough of Waltham Forest Council successfully secured £17,200,000 from the UK Government to support the delivery of the ‘Walthamstow Culture for All’ project. In securing this funding, we are positioned to make significant investment in areas of our public realm and heritage assets.

As a part of the UK Government funding, we are delivering improvements on Walthamstow High Street, as well as Hoe Street, including Rosebank Villas & The Scene, and St James Quarter. The funding will enable Walthamstow High Street to realise its full potential as a distinctive, enjoyable, and safe destination and support the local economy.

As an area with a rich cultural heritage and diverse communities, as well as arts centres such as the William Morris Gallery and the upcoming opening of Soho Theatre, celebrating and reflecting what makes Walthamstow unique will be at the heart of designs.

This work will build on extensive engagement already undertaken in relation to this area and will look to prioritise.

  1. Providing much needed planting and greening along the high street to create cleaner and more sustainable spaces.
  2. Increasing safety and accessibility by improving lighting, creating areas for people to stop and rest, and making sure the high street is an inclusive place for everyone.
  3. Maximising space for businesses, market traders, events, and play, and increasing visitors and footfall by making it easier to walk and cycle to the high street.
  4. Improving signage and artwork to celebrate the area’s unique heritage and culture, including the famous Walthamstow Market.

Engagement

Over the course of the summer, we held 2 drop-in sessions and undertook an online survey to understand the need from the local community when visiting the High Street.

Designer drop-in sessions

Session 1 (Walthamstow Central)

  • Wednesday 26 June (6pm-8pm) at Walthamstow Library, Walthamstow High St, London E17 7JN

Session 2 (St James Street)

  • Saturday 29 June (2pm-4pm) at The Mill, 7-11 Coppermill Ln, London E17 7HA

We have now collected all the data and analysed the responses received, on the right hand side you can view the full engagement report.

Next steps

We will take all the comments and feedback to the next stage of the designs and will engage on the final designs before we go into construction expected in 2025.