Local Liberal Democrat councillors have used a major meeting of Waltham Forest Council to place on record their concern at the ongoing delays in the redevelopment of the Aracde site in Walthamstow.
During a debate at the latest Full Council meeting in Waltham Forest Town Hall, the Lib Dems asked fellow councillors to publically express their dissatisfaction that the project continues to take so long to complete.
Liberal Democrat members also asked opposition councillors to agree to look at ways in which the land left vacant at the Arcade site can be usefully used prior to work on the redvelopment getting underway.
The Liberal Democrat proposals were accepted unanimously after Labour councillors withdrew a planned amendment congratulating portfolio holder Terry Wheeler for the work he has led so far on the vacant site.
High Street councillors James O’Rourke and Johar Khan led for the Liberal Democrats during the debate, and both were quick to raise residents concerns regarding what Cllr O’Rourke described as the redevelopments “moving goalposts”
Cllr O’Rourke said:
“If we try to explain to residents that a possibly unprecedented economic downturn, a local collapse in property prices and a growing recession are not going to have an effect on planned large scale redevelopment projects, I think that residents would question our grip on reality.
And I can tell members about the reality in Walthamstow and in my ward, High St.
The reality is a huge, ugly expanse of fenced-in, derelict, unused scrubland at the heart of Walthamstow – bordering our High St, our main shopping precinct and the borough’s busiest transport terminus.
That is a reality that is simply not good enough for residents”.
Liberal Democrat leader John Macklin’s calls for reassurances regarding the development have recently featured in the local press. Concerns about the viability of the development have been heightened by the news that Waltham Forest has suffered one of the worst property price crashes in London.
Cllr Macklin said:
“The collapse in property prices is bound to have an effect on regeneration projects in the borough and I will be looking for clarification from the relevant portfolio holders regarding the timetables for work on these projects, “
“As I have said before a series of unused ‘land banks’ across the borough awaiting generation is just not acceptable.”
As always, High St councillor James O’Rourke’s excellent blog has more news and opinion on the progress of the Arcade site development.
[…] led the Waltham Forest Liberal Democrats successful attempt to get councillors to express their concern at the ongoing delays in the Arcade development in his ward with a speech which highlighted the realities of the current condition of the […]