Area 2: St James Quarter Improvements

Project Introduction

St James Quarter is a key regeneration area in Walthamstow and includes Courtenay Place, an existing Transport for London (TfL) transport hub and the St James Overground Station.

Waltham Forest Council has appointed a design team to reimagine the public spaces and a series of railway arches at Courtenay Place. Our goal is to enhance the area making it safer, more inclusive, more active, and greener for the local community.

This will include the delivering improvements to public spaces and the refurbishment of railway arches in Courtenay Place.

The project is part funded by UK Government and forms part of the Walthamstow ‘Culture for All’ Programme of projects being delivered by Waltham Forest Council.

Over the past few months, we have spoken to residents, businesses, and visitors about the improvements and what they would like to see, including: Improve Courtenay Place to create a safer, more inclusive, more active, and greener space for the local community to use:

  • Create spaces for independent and local businesses to operate, and in turn activate public spaces.
  • Increase green space, biodiversity and make the area more climate resilient, including new planting and trees.
  • Opportunities for new public artwork.
  • New lighting to improve visibility and make the area feel safer.
  • Clearer signage to direct people to transport hubs, cultural attractions, and points of interest.
  • New street furniture including outdoor seating.


Public Engagement

Thank you for your participation in the public engagement events and online survey. These were carried out through 2024 as follows:

24th June 2024 – Invited Stakeholder Group Workshop

12th July 2024 – High Street Pop-Up Event

12th July to 18th August 2024 – Online Survey

This engagement sought to capture feedback from the local community and visitors on the proposed improvements.

Overall, there were high levels of support for the proposals, particularly the possibility to opening the existing arches for businesses. Your feedback was used to refine the design of the arches for the planning application which has now been submitted and will continue to influence the proposals to improve the public space at Courtenay Place.

You can view or download the reports on the Courtenay Place engagement by selecting the links on the right of this page.


Planning Application – Long-term Vision

A planning application was submitted in September 2024 which seeks approval for the conversion of 16 arches which sit beneath the St James Overground Station for use as offices, workshops, shops, small food and drink establishments and other small-scale business use.

This can be viewed on the Waltham Forest Planning Portal by following this link:

Courtenay Place Planning Application


Project timeline

As part of the Walthamstow ‘Culture for All’ Programme Funded by UK Government, the delivery phase will see landscaping improvements made to Courtenay Place as well as a smaller number of arches opened or improved by December 2025.

The number of arches and extent of improvements will depend on the results of structural surveys and ongoing work with rail infrastructure providers and landowners.







Project Introduction

St James Quarter is a key regeneration area in Walthamstow and includes Courtenay Place, an existing Transport for London (TfL) transport hub and the St James Overground Station.

Waltham Forest Council has appointed a design team to reimagine the public spaces and a series of railway arches at Courtenay Place. Our goal is to enhance the area making it safer, more inclusive, more active, and greener for the local community.

This will include the delivering improvements to public spaces and the refurbishment of railway arches in Courtenay Place.

The project is part funded by UK Government and forms part of the Walthamstow ‘Culture for All’ Programme of projects being delivered by Waltham Forest Council.

Over the past few months, we have spoken to residents, businesses, and visitors about the improvements and what they would like to see, including: Improve Courtenay Place to create a safer, more inclusive, more active, and greener space for the local community to use:

  • Create spaces for independent and local businesses to operate, and in turn activate public spaces.
  • Increase green space, biodiversity and make the area more climate resilient, including new planting and trees.
  • Opportunities for new public artwork.
  • New lighting to improve visibility and make the area feel safer.
  • Clearer signage to direct people to transport hubs, cultural attractions, and points of interest.
  • New street furniture including outdoor seating.


Public Engagement

Thank you for your participation in the public engagement events and online survey. These were carried out through 2024 as follows:

24th June 2024 – Invited Stakeholder Group Workshop

12th July 2024 – High Street Pop-Up Event

12th July to 18th August 2024 – Online Survey

This engagement sought to capture feedback from the local community and visitors on the proposed improvements.

Overall, there were high levels of support for the proposals, particularly the possibility to opening the existing arches for businesses. Your feedback was used to refine the design of the arches for the planning application which has now been submitted and will continue to influence the proposals to improve the public space at Courtenay Place.

You can view or download the reports on the Courtenay Place engagement by selecting the links on the right of this page.


Planning Application – Long-term Vision

A planning application was submitted in September 2024 which seeks approval for the conversion of 16 arches which sit beneath the St James Overground Station for use as offices, workshops, shops, small food and drink establishments and other small-scale business use.

This can be viewed on the Waltham Forest Planning Portal by following this link:

Courtenay Place Planning Application


Project timeline

As part of the Walthamstow ‘Culture for All’ Programme Funded by UK Government, the delivery phase will see landscaping improvements made to Courtenay Place as well as a smaller number of arches opened or improved by December 2025.

The number of arches and extent of improvements will depend on the results of structural surveys and ongoing work with rail infrastructure providers and landowners.