Waltham Forest: monstrous and eyesore Lea Bridge towers will soon change the skyline near station

The new flats will be spread across a 26-storey tower and a 29-storey tower off Argall Way. The plans also include eight commercial units in a courtyard between the two buildings.

Each of the 387 new homes will be available through ‘affordable’ housing schemes, including London affordable rent, social rent, and shared ownership.

‘Affordable’ housing applies to publicly-owned properties aimed at people who cannot afford a full mortgage or rent. Tenants tend to enter into agreements with local authorities to pay for 80% of the home, while the council subsidises and owns the remaining 20%.

The majority of 310 flats will be built as one-bedroom-two-person and two-bedroom-three-person family homes, with 119 and 191 of each.

The town hall initially proposed 40 one-bedroom-one-person flats, but this was lowered to just one in the new designs.

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The proposals, jointly developed by the council and London Square Developments, were approved by the town hall’s planning committee last night (4th January).

Because the council was involved in its development, the scheme needed to be approved by the committee, made up of four Labour councillors and one Conservative.

Though Waltham Forest Council is desperate to offset what it calls a significant housing crisis, some residents strongly objected to the plans.

The scale of the proposals has controversially grown since they were approved in 2023. The number of flats has increased from 342, and the towers rose in height by three storeys each.

In a local consultation held last December, the two new blocks were branded “monstrous” and an “eye-sore” by locals. Other residents said the increased heights would “exacerbate the already significant impact” on the skylines.

Concerns were also raised that the influx of hundreds of new residents could put “undue strain” on local infrastructure, including schools, healthcare facilities and public transport.

The council previously said the heights were “considered acceptable” as the land had been identified as “suitable” in its own long-term plan for the borough.

The town hall’s ‘local plan’ does not include specific proposals but is intended to guide the development of 27,000 new homes until 2035.

The blocks’ designs are considered by councillors to be “exemplary”.

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Infrastructure pressures will be alleviated by money levied from the developers, the town halls says.

The developers will contribute around £2.3million to the council to boost local amenities and help offset any potential harm. Some £211,980 will go towards healthcare, with a further £118,000 going towards schools. A sum of £401,875 has been allocated for a new playground.

London Square Developments, based in Uxbridge, has been involved with the construction of new homes across the capital in areas such as Wandsworth Common, Spitalfields and Croydon.