22nd February 2006

News that Waltham Forest will receive more than £6 million of funding to boost regeneration plans has been welcomed by the Council.

The ODPM (Office of Deputy Prime Minister) announced today that four schemes in the Borough have earned a share of a £235 million pot of Growth Area Funding.

The projects are:

  • Blackhorse Road station hub - £2.32 million
  • Sutherland Road area (Higham Hill) - £3 million
  • South Grove (Walthamstow) - £514,000
  • Blackhorse Road area (project led by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority) - £500,000

Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Cllr Simon Wright, said: "This is excellent news. It shows that the hard work we have put in developing ambitions and a vision for Waltham Forest is bringing rewards. Our ambitious plans for improvement are recognised and supported by the Government.

"We have won nearly £6.5m of investment for this Borough and will use it to improve the lives of our residents, particularly those facing deprivation and poverty. We desperately need better jobs, better homes and better businesses in this Borough and this money will help make a huge leap forward."

The funding will boost ambitious plans to create a gateway to the Borough around Blackhorse Road station. This is a proposal strongly supported by local people during a recent consultation exercise.

The consultation saw almost 2/3 of the 550 people who responded say they were in favour of the most extensive regeneration plans as well as expressing strong support for redevelopment of the station area.

The projects will create new housing and jobs, by improving the local infrastructure and regenerating existing commercial sites.

A project to support improved access in the South Grove area of Walthamstow town centre also got the green light from the ODPM. The funding will be used to improve connections with the main town centre in order to boost businesses, jobs and housing opportunities.

Waltham Forest will also benefit from the success of Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) which has secured a total of £1.8million for initiatives to improve access to the park area.

Of this, around £500,000 will be spent in this borough to increase residents' access to green space by investing in walking and cycling paths from Blackhorse Lane to Tottenham Marshes and the re-opening of Chalk Bridge.

David Anstey, Director of Regeneration for Lee Valley Regional Park Authority said:

“We are delighted that our bid for funds has been successful. The funding will bring significant benefits to this area of the M11 growth corridor. We have been awarded over 10% of the £24 million funding specifically to provide strategic green infrastructure across the Growth Area.

“We will continue working with all of our partners to ensure that the Regional Park provides the environmental support needed to ensure that the regeneration and planned housing development in the Lee Valley is accessible and available”.