Improvement Work FAQs

In January 2023 the council successfully secured £17.2 million of Local Regeneration Funding to support the delivery of the ‘Walthamstow: Culture for All’ project (formerly Levelling Up Fund). 

The funding will unlock Walthamstow’s potential as an inclusive, safe and welcoming cultural destination and will see enhancements to its cultural spaces and hubs including Hatherley Mews, Chestnuts House and Vestry House Museum.

This includes the delivery of public space and greenspace improvements to support venues with better pedestrian connections, including at Walthamstow High Street and Market, Hoe Street and St James Street. The projects include new lighting, improved surfacing, signage, additional planting to make the area greener and improve biodiversity, and opportunities for public art. 

The improvements to public spaces are being delivered alongside investment in Council-owned heritage buildings across the Town Centre including at Hatherley Mews, Chestnuts House and Vestry House Museum, designed to preserve and enhance their historic character and make them more accessible to the community, making Waltham Forest a great place to live and age well. 

The investment draws on extensive engagement conducted with residents, businesses, traders and stakeholders to develop Walthamstow’s cultural offer as a legacy from Waltham Forest being London’s first Borough of Culture in 2019, including findings from our research on Creativity and Culture in Walthamstow.

Led by feedback from residents, businesses and market traders, the improvements will include:

• Supporting local businesses – creation of up to 5 market stall pitches with electric connections to provide new opportunities for local traders and street food.
• Removal of unauthorised parking on the site 
• Improved appearance and layout – creating a new pedestrian public space with high-quality materials including granite paving and weathered steel planters.
• Increasing green space – new trees and in ground planting to create a healthier, greener space with greater biodiversity and climate resilience.
• New lighting and street furniture – providing a safer space and opportunity for residents and visitors to sit and relax.

The improvement works will create a new relaxed pedestrian focused space on the High Street with the opportunity for up to 5 new market stalls. New in-ground planting will run from the High Street to Vernon Mews, transforming the space into a greener and healthier space for residents and visitors to enjoy. Providing a restful space for those visiting the High Street should allow people to stay for longer and increase footfall for local businesses. Improving the layout of Selborne Avenue will also remove the existing issues of unauthorised parking.

Works will include the re-surfacing of carriageways and footpaths as well as landscape improvements such as new planting, benches and installation of services to support potential additional market stalls. 

Before the start of work any vehicles parked without authorisation on Selborne Avenue will need to be removed. There will be no vehicle parking on Selborne Avenue once the improvement works are completed to make space for planting and new market stall pitches. A public Traffic Management Order (TMO) consultation was completed in 2025 to review the proposed changes to vehicle access on site.

All businesses will remain open as usual with site works phased to minimise disruption. During the works pedestrian access to the High Street and surrounding businesses will be retained at all times. Vehicle access will be retained where possible with some periods where vehicles will be diverted to allow works to take place safely. 

High Street Phase 2 public space improvement works are shown in red with the routes in blue showing diversions to provide access to the high street.

There will be some temporary changes to market stall locations in this area during the improvement works to allow this to be carried out safely.

During works there may also be increased levels of noise and dust however these will be mitigated where possible to minimise impact to residents and local businesses. We appreciate your patience and co-operation during this period.

We have informed local residents and business via letter of the overall programme timelines and impacts to your home or business and give you as much notice as possible. 

The contact details of the council’s Area Regeneration Team can be located at the end of these FAQs. Please contact the team directly if you require any support or have further queries regarding the work.

A public drop-in session will be held on the 16 September 2026 at Walthamstow Library in the ground-floor glass meeting room from 5-7pm. This will be an opportunity to discuss the construction works being carried out on site, including answering any questions you may have around access to the site during works.

To avoid disruption during Christmas period all site work will be temporarily paused over the Christmas period. 

Before the start of work any unauthorised vehicles parked on Selborne Avenue will need to be removed. There will be no vehicle parking on Selborne Avenue once the improvement works are completed to make space for planting and new market stall pitches.

A public Traffic Management Order (TMO) consultation was also completed in 2025 to review the proposed changes to vehicle access on site.

Pedestrian and vehicle access will remain the same following the completion of the work although there will be no spaces for vehicle parking.

We do not anticipate any impact on public transport services due to this work.

The work is expected to start in October 2026 and complete in March 2027, taking approximately six months, subject to weather conditions. Work will be phased to minimise disruption with pedestrian access to businesses and market retained at all times. Please note that this indicative programme may be subject to revision, and we will update you to keep you informed of any changes.

Throughout the works, the following addresses on the High Street will be required to present their refuse and recycling in tied-up sacks on the pavement in the alternative locations listed below. These tied up sacks should still be presented on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 6am-9am to be collected.

If you have any mobility issues which will prevent you from presenting your refuse and recycling in these areas during these works, please contact us before the works begin so we can arrange accommodations for your refuse and recycling to be collected.

135 – 143 High Street (odd numbers) 

Alternative waste collection from the corner of Storey Road and High Street in the area circled below in red outside of ‘The Chequers’ pub. No waste should be placed directly outside the pub in the areas outlined in blue.

121 – 133 High Street (odd numbers)

Alternative waste collection from the pavement in front of 12 Palmerston Road, Walthamstow, E17 6PD in the area circled below. Please ensure the sacks you present for collection do not obstruct the nearby bus stop or the cycle lane on Palmerston Road. 

96-110 High Street (even numbers)

Alternative waste collection from Palmerston Road near the junction with Mission Grove in the area circled below. Please ensure the sacks you present for collection do not obstruct the cycle lane on Palmerston Road.

67-107 (odd numbers) and 50-94 (even numbers) High Street

Alternative waste collection from the corners of Mission Grove and High Street in the areas circled below.

43-65 (odd numbers) and 34-48 (even numbers) High Street

Alternative waste collection from the corner of Carisbrooke Road and High Street in the areas circled below.

If you are a business which presents waste for collection on the High Street you should also contact your waste collection provider and arrange for your waste collection to be taken from these alternative locations.

If your address is not included above your waste collections will continue as normal through the works.

Thank you for your cooperation whilst we make improvements to the High Street, it is appreciated. 

If you have any questions on the project or upcoming works, please contact us via the details below: 

Waltham Forest Area Regeneration Team 

email: regeneration@walthamforest.gov.uk