1. Background
On 24th September 2020 the Council began a consultation “Shaping the Borough Waltham Forest Local Plan LP2 Draft Site Allocations Document”.
Site SA 64 in this consultation includes “the land to the rear of Larkswood Leisure Centre” and recommends that it should be developed for housing and recreational uses. This tract of land borders Larks Wood and is currently scrub and woodland. To all intents and purposes, it is effectively part of Larks Wood. The site is an important greenspace used by many local people who enjoy walking and exercising in the woods. It also affords a panoramic view across north London not visible from Larks Wood (the land is shown as Site A and bordered in red in the drawing below).
The Friends of Ainslie and Larks Wood believe Site A should be excluded from Site SA64 and have responded to this consultation by applying to the Council to have Site A designated as a Local Green Space and formally incorporated into Larks Wood. You can view a copy of the application by clicking on this link: Application to Designate the Land to the Rear of Larkswood Leisure Centre as Local Green Space.
2. How you can you help?
The Council has the power to designate the land to the rear of Larkswood Leisure Centre as a “Local Green Space” in the upcoming new Local Plan. If the land is designated as a Local Green Space it will make it very difficult for anyone to develop on the land in future so it is worth lobbying hard for this as part of the consultation response.
This could be our only chance to save this green space and wildlife habitat from development, once it is gone, it is gone for ever. Please read on for more details about how you can help.
Please help prevent the loss of this valuable green space to the rear of Larkswood Leisure Centre by responding to the Council’s consultation on the ‘London Borough of Waltham Forest Local Plan’ and encouraging everyone you know to do so as well.
We need as many people as possible to respond to the Council’s consultation before the deadline of 5pm on Monday 14th December 2020, but please respond NOW.
If you are short of time please send a simple email to the Council’s Planning Department stating that you wish to respond to the consultation and want the Council to designate the land to the rear of Larkswood Leisure Centre as a Local Green Space; this should take you no more than a few minutes.
The email address is: planning.policy@walthamforest.gov.uk
Please include this wording in the header of your email “Shaping the Borough Waltham Forest Local Plan LP2 Draft Site Allocations Document”
And, please include your name and address at the foot of the email
If you have more time, it will be more effective to write a longer email setting out the reasons why you want the land to be designated as a Local Green Space, with particular reference to the criteria in the National Planning Policy Framework, namely:
- the green space is in reasonably close proximity to the community it serves;
- the green area is demonstrably special to a local community and holds a particular local significance, for example because of its beauty, historic significance, recreational value (including as a playing field), tranquility or richness of its wildlife; and
- the green area concerned is local in character and is not an extensive tract of land.
This should not take too long – we have set out below some pointers for a draft email that you might want to use as a starting point:
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Dear Sir/Madam
“I wish to respond to the consultation Shaping the Borough Waltham Forest Local Plan LP2 Draft Site Allocations Document. I would ask the Council to designate the land to the rear of Larkswood Leisure Centre as a Local Green Space.
There are some suggestions between the square brackets below of issues you may wish to include in your email using your own wording!
{Please then give your reasons why you feel the land should be designated as a Local Green Space. Please reference some or all of the criteria for Local Green Space designation as set out in paragraph 100 of the National Planning Policy Framework:
a) The land needs to be “in reasonably close proximity to the community it serves”
This probably speaks for itself – you may wish to point out you live close by and use it frequently.
b) The land needs to be “demonstrably special to a local community”
Please explain why you feel the land is demonstrably special to the local community e.g.
• Beauty: “Please explain why you think the site is beautiful for example you may wish to comment on the wild nature of the site, the wild flowers, the number of trees wildlife etc and how it links with Larks Wood.”
• Historic significance: “You may wish to comment on the land historically being part of Larks Wood and before that part of the greater ancient woodland of Epping Forest.”
• Recreational value: You may wish to comment on the number of recreational activities e.g. walking, children’s dens, views, bird watching and how this affects your own well being
• Tranquility: You may wish to draw attention to the tranquility of the site and how the site offers an oasis of calm in an increasingly busy and suburban area or that it is a truly unique area due to its wild nature
• Richness of wildlife: Please comment on any wildlife you are aware of in the area and how it acts as a buffer land between developed land and Larks Wood.
c) The land needs to be “local in character and is not an extensive tract of land”
Again, this probably speaks for itself clearly as the land is self-contained with boundaries on all sides. It is not an extensive tract of land being only 2.94 Acres and much smaller than other Local Green Spaces that have been designated (such as Larks Wood and Larkswood Playing Fields).}
Kind regards”
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3. Other ways to respond to the consultation include:
• online: https://walthamforest-consult.objective.co.uk/kse/event/35642
• by email to: planning.policy@walthamforest.gov.uk
• by post to: Planning Policy Team, First Floor, The Magistrate’s, 1 Farnan Road, E17 4NX
4. Details of the Council’s Consultation
Click here to see a pdf copy of the consultation document: LBWF Site Allocations Consultation Document
