Waltham Forest council plans to refurbish derelict railway arches

A row of derelict railway arches under the London Overground in Walthamstow could be refurbished and reopened as businesses, according to a consultation being carried out by the local council.

The St James Quarter is a key regeneration area in Walthamstow. It includes Courtenay Place, an existing TfL transport hub, and St James Street station. The railway station sits around the corner from the main shopping street, and between them is also the local bus station, which faces the disused railway arches.

It’s a fairly shabby area, and the aim is to make it more welcoming by improving its appearance and pedestrian access to the bus stops. The long row of railway arches could be refurbished to create a row of businesses where, at the moment, they are either bricked off spaces or covered up by overgrowth.

The bus station could also be improved by improving the layout for bus drivers and planting a lot more greenery to improve local water drainage in an area that is basically a large slab of tarmac.

The project to improve the area is part of the Levelling Up Funding Programme, an investment programme to make Walthamstow a welcoming cultural destination. The programme is funded by £17.2 million from the national government’s Levelling Up Fund.

Current layout (c) Waltham Forest Council
Proposed layout (c) Waltham Forest Council

A consultation about the plans is currently open here.

(as with all consultations, commenting on here or social media won’t be read by the council – you need to click on the link above and reply there)