September 2021

High Street Wanstead will be closed to traffic between Grove Park and Wanstead Place on 12 September to create a car-free Wanstead Festival.

“This will allow for easy movement between High Street shops and cafés and Christchurch Green,” said Councillor Jo Blackman. The community event – which runs from 11am to 6pm – is making a return this year along with the Wanstead Fringe (3 to 19 September). “These events highlight the best of Wanstead, so we wish organisers every success.”

Visit wnstd.com/festival21

Redbridge Council is inviting local shops to apply for a one-off grant payment to support them with the cost of improvements to ‘beautify their business’.

The High Streets Improvement Grant Scheme will cover 50% of the work costs carried out, with a maximum grant award of up to £10,000.

The online grant application process will be open until 30 September, and all work must be completed by September 2022.

Visit wnstd.com/hsigs

The East London Waste Authority (ELWA) is working in partnership with Redbridge, Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Newham councils on a new Joint Strategy for future waste management.

The strategy is being developed to inform services from December 2027, when ELWA’s current contract for managing waste disposal comes to an end.

A consultation is open until 20 September.

Visit wnstd.com/elwa

Following concerns expressed on social media over the health of the oak trees in Wanstead Park, the Friends of Wanstead Parklands asked Epping Forest for its take on the well-being of these iconic trees.

“This year, winter moth caterpillar numbers were very high. Many oaks were completely stripped of their spring leaf emergence. Most oaks we have been observing recovered well. However, this later regrowth – which did not get going until mid-June – is highly susceptible to mildew, which has also been more prevalent than in recent years. We suspect the Wanstead Park oaks are looking poor due to this defoliation-mildew combination. In future, we are likely to have more fluctuations in annual vitality as climate change exerts a greater influence on our seasons,” said an Epping Forest spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/fwp