March 2023

Eddie Heath chose the gentrification of Wanstead as the subject of his A level geography coursework. Here, the 18-year-old student presents some of his findings

Recently, as part of my A level geography course, I conducted a study analysing the extent to which gentrification had taken place in Wanstead, and how this was linked to people’s thoughts about Wanstead as a place to live.

The two primary sources of data I collected were surveys to assess people’s views about living in Wanstead, and photos of the area to compare with historical images to see how the place has changed over time. I had over 220 responses to the survey, which significantly helped with my investigation. I then collected secondary data on house prices to help assess gentrification and I also looked at present and historical crime rates to compare with residents’ perceptions of crime in the area. 

Analysing house price data led to some interesting conclusions. The majority of houses tended to increase in price at around £19,000 a year, only slightly above average Redbridge levels and indicating little gentrification. However, one-third of the houses were increasing, on average, at £42,000 a year, more than double the borough’s average, and these houses were in the highest price bracket at the start of my data collection. This indicates that whilst gentrification may be taking place, it is not necessarily happening at the same rate in all of Wanstead. 

Comparing current and historical photos showed there is now more greenery in the streets, as well as more upmarket shops, showing gentrification taking place here. 

The crime data showed that three of the four crimes surveyed have increased from 2010 levels, although levels have stayed relatively stable since 2016. However, this is difficult to compare due to changes in the way crime data is reported. How long someone has lived in the area also affects their perception of how crime has changed; 71% of people who have lived in Wanstead longer than 10 years think crime rates are worsening, compared to just 36% of those who have lived in Wanstead less than two years.

Apart from this, most people’s thoughts on how the area has changed over time were positive, with many people talking about the Wanstead Fringe events, the sense of community and the friendliness of the neighbourhood. Thoughts on the quality of the High Street have also improved, with many people mentioning more upmarket shops and cafés. Most residents enjoy living here, with the three most common words used in response to ‘how would you describe Wanstead in five words?’ being ‘friendly’, ‘green’ and ‘community’.

Finally, thank you so much to all who replied to my survey – it greatly helped with my investigation.

A consultation has been launched on the City of London’s plans for habitat conservation across a number of Epping Forest sites, including Wanstead Flats, Leyton Flats and Gilbert’s Slade.

“We are currently planning the next 10-year programme for habitat conservation in Epping Forest. The work is due to start in 2024 and we would like your feedback on our proposals,” said a spokesperson. The consultation closes on 10 March.

Visit wnstd.com/efplan

More progress has been made on the site of the new children’s playground in Wanstead Park.

“Look up and you will see that 10 bird boxes and six bat boxes have been installed in the trees. Monkey bars, balance rails and picnic benches will follow shortly,” said a spokesperson for the Friends of Wanstead Parklands.

Residents have long called for a playground in the park and over £30,000 was raised through donations to support the project. The Friends has also pledged an extra £5,000 to pay for a wheelchair-accessible path.

The Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society were victorious in the Romford Gold Cup interclub competition held in February.

“It was a print competition between six clubs. We submitted five images from different club members and got 96 points and came first. In addition, David Tyrrell won the best print of the night award with his photo entitled Tranquillity,” said club chair Sue Rosner.

The photographers whose work helped secure the victory were David Tyrrell, Bob Gibbons, Chris Saunders, Luciano Ocesca and Carole Milligan.

A consultation on the planning application for London City Airport’s expansion plans runs until 17 March. If approved, more planes will be flying over Wanstead, says John Stewart of campaign group HACAN East

Wanstead faces the prospect of more aircraft at the weekend if London City Airport’s expansion plans go ahead. The plans are currently out for public consultation. London City wants to fly planes on a Saturday afternoon for the first time. At present, no aircrafts are permitted between 12.30pm on Saturdays until 12.30pm on Sundays, in order to give people a break from the noise.

London City now wants to change all that. It is seeking permission to fly on Saturdays until 7.30pm (6.30pm in the winter months). It also wants more planes during the first half hour of the day. The aim is to carry 2.5 million more passengers by around 2031.

The public consultation started on 15 February and runs for a month until 17 March. It is being conducted by Newham Council, the planning authority for the airport. At the time of writing, Newham has not provided email or postal details of where to send responses. I imagine they will go up on the council’s website.

The reason behind the proposals is London City’s desire to attract more leisure passengers. For most of its 35-year life, City has been largely a business airport, but in the year before Covid, business passengers only accounted for 50% of all travellers through the airport. Post-Covid business travel has been slower to recover than leisure. London City believes that Saturday afternoon flying will help boost the leisure market.

The airport has said that it will only permit the newest available planes to operate on Saturday afternoons and during the early morning. The expectation is that if airlines are required to use the newest planes at these times, they will in due course use them at all times. The new planes are larger and cleaner, but over Wanstead, they will not be noticeably quieter. They are being promoted as about five decibels less noisy on departure close to the airport, but only two to three decibels quieter elsewhere. A reduction of two or three decibels cannot be picked up by the human ear.

Newham has decided to run a very limited consultation. It will hold no public meetings and is just leafleting homes close to the airport. It is informing most of the overflown boroughs, including Redbridge, but the fear remains that most residents impacted by the airport will not know about the consultation.

Later this year, probably in the summer, Newham’s Strategic Development will consider London City’s application. If it gets the go-ahead, the airport aims to have the new plans in place by 2024.

For more information on the consultation, visit wnstd.com/lcaconsult

For more information on HACAN East, visit hacaneast.org.uk

A community talk about the climate crisis will take place at Christ Church, Wanstead this month.

“Do you despair at the government’s failure to act effectively on the climate crisis and their appalling record on protecting our biodiversity? Join us to hear how you can get involved in creating a healthier and safer future for everyone,” said a spokesperson for Wanstead Climate Action, which is hosting the event on 20 March from 7pm.

The group will also hold a general meeting at The Bull on 7 March from 7.30pm.

Visit wnstd.com/wca

Additional efforts are being made to protect the bluebells of Wanstead Park this spring.

“About 50 very large logs have been moved into position to line the paths in Chalet Wood. Some of them were so heavy they needed eight men with ropes to pull them along! Next job was to attach 50 small roundels to the logs, graphically illustrating the message not to tread on the flowers. Lastly, three information boards will appear, explaining why the bluebells need protection,” said a Wren Wildlife Group spokesperson.

Redbridge Museum will open a new permanent exhibition in the spring exploring 200,000 years of local history. In the 13th of a series of articles, Museum Officer Nishat Alam looks at some of the items on show

I’m sharing a timeline of significant points in local women’s history for Women’s History Month this year. This article highlights ordinary women’s stories amidst major events of the 20th century, which saw numerous changes in societal attitudes to women’s rights and roles.

We begin at the turn of the century when social class tended to define women’s roles. Many working-class women at this time worked as servants in Wanstead’s and Woodford’s new suburban houses. Wealthier women did not go out to work, but there were exceptions. Elizabeth Mace-Matthews owned and edited The Bugle newspaper, covering Wanstead and Woodford from 1907 to 1922. This was a unique position but may have been made possible because of Elizabeth’s status as a wealthy, middle-class woman.

Between 1900 and 1914, hundreds of local women campaigned for the vote, joining demonstrations or distributing propaganda in the local area. Radical suffragettes often used violent and illegal campaigning tactics and were arrested. Many went on hunger strikes while in prison, including Sylvia Pankhurst, who would later become a Woodford resident.

More women went to work in wartime, filling in for jobs usually occupied by men or to help the war effort. During the First World War, women became Voluntary Aid Detachment nurses, took clerical jobs or set up fundraising societies. In the Second World War, local women worked in factories, farms or, like Daisy James of Wanstead (pictured here), as Air Raid Precaution wardens.

Between the wars, life for women changed drastically. Winning the vote in 1918 gave them more power, and more women started to go to university and into professional jobs. Trends in fashion and entertainment shifted, giving younger ‘flappers’ the freedom to go out to parties and dances, wearing looser and shorter dresses than ever before. 

The 1950s saw a return to the ‘traditional’ roles of housewife and mother, but many women again went into the workplace soon after the economic boom of the 1960s where they experienced gender discrimination. Their protests, combined with a second wave of feminism, led to the introduction of new laws in the 1970s, including equal pay, maternity pay and protection against racial discrimination – although sexist attitudes lingered. The feminist movement continued into the 1980s and 1990s when working women were a norm, though unfortunately, still not considered equal to men at their level. 

The stories I’ve touched on and more will be explored more fully throughout various displays about the history of our borough in the new Redbridge Museum, set to open in late spring.

Fore more information on Redbridge Museum and to complete a survey about the new displays, visit wnstd.com/rm

Volunteers joined Vision RCL’s nature conservation rangers in February for a community tree planting day in Roding Valley Park, near Charlie Brown’s Roundabout.

“We planted elm trees donated by our partner Butterfly Conservation. These trees will help the white-letter hairstreak butterfly, a species solely reliant on elm trees to complete its life cycle,” said Tajinder Lachhar.

Following the outbreak of Dutch elm disease in the 1970s and 1980s, the UK population of white-letter hairstreak butterflies dropped by 96%.