Last updated: 4 December 2024
Next review: 4 December 2025
Read about our plans to protect and intensify industrial use on the Estate Way Local Strategic Industrial Site (LSIS).
The masterplan has been prepared to guide future redevelopment within the Church Road and Estate Way Locally Significant Industrial Site (LSIS). This masterplan requires development of the site to provide replacement LSIS-compliant industrial floorspace (a minimum of 24,000 sqm) and deliver approximately 700 new homes.
The Estate Way LSIS Framework was completed by Waltham Forest Council in collaboration with the GLA, landowners and businesses in June 2023. It was formally signed off by the GLA in July 2023. The final reports are now available to view below.
What is LSIS?
Locally Significant Industrial Sites or LSIS are identified sites that have a particular local importance for industrial and related function. In such locations, new development must provide industrial floorspace that is greater than or equal to the new existing industrial floorspace capacity.
Local Plan Policy E7 promotes the intensification of industrial capacity in LSIS, and also to free up land to support other planning objectives, such as housing and other non-industrial development, provided that various conditions are met and that there is no net loss of industrial floorspace. Such approaches must be plan-led or developed through an agreed masterplan.
Read the Estate Way LSIS masterplan framework:
The need for the masterplan?
The masterplan covers the existing Church Road Borough Employment Area (Borough Employment Area “BEA6”), which is designated as a Locally Significant Industrial Site (LSIS) in the borough’s draft Local Plan. The site contains a mix of employment uses, and the need for the masterplan emerged in response to interest in landowners to make more efficient use of the land to accommodate intensified industrial use and homes.
A two-stage process was undertaken.
- Stage 1 looked at the whole LSIS, including linkages with the wider borough and neighbouring boroughs. The outcome of Stage 1 was to identify those parts of the LSIS where development is proposed that would enable intensification of industrial uses and co-location to support the delivery of residential uses.
- Stage 2 looked in greater detail at the relevant sub-areas within the LSIS where development can be accommodated.
How will the council manage potential conflict between residential and industrial uses?
Given its planning status as LSIS, priority needs to be given to the provision and protection of space for industry and allowing for its continued activity. This will be protected through good design to appropriately separate uses and avoid conflict with both existing and potential new residential development.
The process of transformation will bring positive benefits for industry. It will provide modern premises which better meet businesses’ requirements and which are designed to better consider their relationship to the wider context, including nearby homes and other more sensitive uses.
If other uses, including new homes, are proposed near industrial businesses they must be designed to adhere to ‘Agent of Change’ principle which places the onus on those proposing the new uses to design out any conflict where possible.
Enhancements to the area
The London Borough of Waltham Forest consider Dagenham Brook to be a key asset in the area. The masterplan includes proposals to introduce a bridge crossing and route along its edge linking Marsh Lane to Lea Bridge Road with associated green space to support ecology.
Existing access points off Church Road are maintained and enhanced to provide landscape screening and connectivity, which improve the appearance and condition of the site. The layout also helps to formalise and ensure safe pedestrian access into the site and enhance public amenity space and links to the wider area
What happens next?
Two masterplan compliant schemes have been submitted to the Council and were approved by Planning Committee in May and June 2023 including the EVO site and Percy Ingle scheme. These will deliver more than 21,000 sqm of modern industrial floorspace, providing an uplift of approximately 2,600 sqm over the existing buildings as well as creating 221 new homes.
The current Estate Way Masterplan is a completed document in line with LSIS policy requirements, which will provide a guidance for any scheme coming forward. Prospective schemes will be expected to adhere to the masterplan principles.