St Modwen Developments Ltd, in collaboration with Waltham Forest Council, has drawn up plans for the Arcade site that include a landmark building of possibly 18 storeys.  This could also house a multi-screen cinema.  Here is the response of residents who live adjacent to the site, on Cleveland Park Avenue.  It’s written by Simon Munk, Secretary of Cleveland Park Residents’ Association.

“Cleveland Park residents are appalled by the scheme for two reasons.

Firstly, The Prince's Foundation consultation results were clear and reflected local opinion - we don't want tall buildings in Walthamstow. The area's character comes from the market, the terraced Victorian housing, the Warner flats etc. How does an 18 storey tower block fit in that?

The council's own brief said anything above six-eight storeys would be carefully scrutinised. So how have the developers and the council come up with this gigantic monolith that will darken gardens, overlook back windows and blight the entire town?

I think most people round here also think it's not necessary - housing need is for big family homes, not little flats in high-rises (they're tearing them down, still, elsewhere in the borough).

This also makes a mockery of the council's consultations. Waltham Forest spends millions consulting residents, and then ignores every single finding. It isn't real consultation, but it is costly.

Secondly, the Arcade plans don't deal with the Granada/EMD cinema. Local residents fought long and hard to save that building as a much-loved cinema with huge local historical significance. And the council have a golden opportunity now to roll the shabby HSBC bank building and the Granada/EMD into the scheme, and they've got a planning justification for it. But instead they seem set on just leaving the EMD to rot right next door. Right now, local, small cinemas are on the rise, while big multiplexes are on the wane. But does the council care? Apparently not.

In short, most residents don't want the tower, do want the EMD as part of the site and, quite frankly, are none too happy with the council right now.”