October 2025

Redbridge Council has expanded its use of Hydrorock flood-defence technology in Wanstead after a successful trial in Seven Kings.

Installed beneath the road that connects to the gullies, the Hydrorock blocks absorb rainwater and release it slowly into sewers, preventing surges. Since last year’s installation on Seven Kings High Road, the site has remained flood-free despite downpours.

The system was installed on Hermon Hill and Wellesley Road in June.

Sections of the road were also re-surfaced with permeable paving.

Councillor Jo Blackman shares her concerns about the pressures on parking in Wanstead and the rationale behind the recent expansion of Wanstead’s permit parking zones

As well as being a great place to live and visit, Wanstead is also well placed for access to central London. Wanstead is the closest area in East London to central London without full coverage of resident-only parking controls, as Newham and Waltham Forest are now fully covered by such restrictions.

This means we have vehicles and commuters from outside London coming to park in our area to access central London as well as commercial vehicles from Newham and Waltham Forest. This makes it more challenging for residents and visitors to park and has resulted in growing demand for parking controls to protect resident parking. This has led to a gradual expansion of the permit zones where supported by residents via council consultations.

Most recently, this includes the extension of permit parking controls into Grove Park, The Avenue, Grosvenor Road, Stansted Road and Eastway. This was in response to concerns raised by residents about obstruction of driveways and the long-term presence of commercial vehicles. The one-hour restriction also meant residents were unable to park on their own street.

Redbridge’s parking permit costs are still some of the lowest in London. The first permit for residents is £37.50 and £16.50 for a book of 10 visitor permits – equivalent to £1.65 for a whole day. Our permit application system has recently been updated to ensure a smoother experience, and the feedback has been really positive. Government rules mean any revenue generated by parking schemes can only be spent on transport improvements. The bulk of our revenue goes to road safety schemes and the Freedom Pass and Zip Oyster schemes.

Whilst the controls help protect resident parking, the recent expansion has also created nearly 70 new spaces for visitor parking, including 19 visitor parking spaces (available through RingGo, with one hour of parking free) and 47 shared-use parking spaces available for local permit holders and also via RingGo. This creates more controlled and flexible use of the space, which was otherwise limited to just a one-hour restriction.

Management of parking and highways is often a contentious issue. It is difficult to please everyone as schemes which help one area invariably have impacts elsewhere. Residents have raised concerns about the displacement of parking from the roads with recently introduced controls to nearby roads, including on the Counties estate. Some of these roads are already heavily parked, which may limit the opportunities for additional parking anyway. However, we are happy to support requests for parking controls on these roads, and we’re always happy to hear how we can help manage parking across the ward.

Jo Blackman is a Wanstead resident and Labour councillor for Wanstead Village ward. Visit wnstd.com/blackman

Councillor Paul Canal believes the recent expansion of Wanstead’s permit parking zones is misguided and will put pressure on independent shops and complicate daily life for residents

Wanstead is being slowly strangled – not by a lack of community spirit, not by a failing High Street, but by yet another parking scheme imposed by Redbridge Council. Piece by piece, bay by bay, Wanstead is being hemmed in.

This latest scheme – an expansion of the WD permit parking zone imposed on 22 September – further restricts parking to an even smaller area, making it harder for residents, businesses and visitors to go about their daily lives. It is the latest example of ‘incremental creep’: one scheme leads to another and each new measure quietly chips away at Wanstead’s accessibility.

Our independent shops and cafés already face enormous pressures. The ability for customers to stop by easily is vital for their survival. Squeezing parking options doesn’t encourage people to cycle to the butchers or carry heavy shopping on the bus – it drives people away to retail parks and supermarkets with ample free parking. For high streets like Wanstead’s, where margins are already tight, these schemes risk being the final straw.

It isn’t just businesses that suffer. Many residents have elderly or infirm relatives in Wanstead. Popping in for a cup of tea, to check on them or to provide care has always been an essential part of community life. Yet parking restrictions now make these short visits difficult, stressful or impossible. Family care is being actively discouraged by policies that pay little regard to the human cost.

What is most frustrating is that Wanstead already had a simple, sensible solution that worked: the 9.30am to 10.30am commuter parking prohibition. This targeted approach stopped commuters from clogging up our roads all day, while leaving residents and shoppers free to park at other times. It struck the right balance between deterring all-day parking and supporting a thriving local community.

Instead, Redbridge have chosen to go further and further, pushing through measures that nobody asked for, that are neither needed nor wanted.

Each new restriction may seem small on its own. But together, they add up to a serious erosion of Wanstead’s vitality. The freedom to shop, to visit loved ones, to live in a community that is open and welcoming, is being strangled – one parking scheme at a time.

If the council truly wants to support local businesses, build resilient communities and keep Wanstead alive, it should listen to residents and restore the common-sense approach that served us well for years.

Paul Canal is a Wanstead resident and Leader of the Conservative Group on Redbridge Council. Visit wnstd.com/canal

A survey has shown people are unhappy with TfL’s reorganisation of local buses.

Over 80% gave a rating of two stars or less, while 55% expressed complete dissatisfaction, giving zero stars. Within a week, the survey received 150 responses.

Comments included: “This public body is abusing its powers.” “My elderly neighbour is unable to reach a GP.” “My son can no longer get a bus to school – I have to stop work to drive him.”

The survey was run by residents last month on the first anniversary of the W12, W13 and W14 bus route changes.

TfL is being accused of sabotaging its ‘lifeline’ local route to deter passengers and drop the service. Donna Mizzi reports

TfL is strongly suspected of planning to abandon dependent Wanstead and Woodford bus passengers from quieter roads to chase higher profits on busier routes. That’s the conclusion of rational local residents regarding the W14 (formerly the W12) – an old route used by many local residents with no easy access to any other bus or public transport.

Now, a year after the smooth-running W-bus services were plunged into turmoil by ultra-complex changes, they say the public transport body has failed to adequately improve glaring problems with the W14. That is despite massive outcries from residents, followed up by the local MP, two London Assembly members and Redbridge councillors. Calvin Bailey MP even took the matter to Parliament this year. And former QPR footballer Peter Hucker, who runs a vintage shop on Nightingale Lane, said: “It’s definitely sabotage; people can’t use it.” He was echoing the words of many other residents.

The W12, W13 and W14 were reorganised in September 2024, creating a multitude of problems. But it is the W14 bus, from Whipps Cross to Loughton, that is the most consistently abysmal, say local residents. It has been gradually reduced from a 15-minute to an hourly service that is rarely on time. Two-hour gaps have been common; occasionally, three. Apps often fail to work. Residents with mobility problems have used the bus to go out and been marooned, unable to get back home. Residents say their elderly neighbours cannot wait endlessly in severe weather and others can’t wait as they need reliable transport for work and appointments. Some residents call it the “ghost bus”, saying it’s often empty as it is too unreliable and no longer reaches useful locations. Residents are going back to using cars or having to depend on neighbours – if they can. Many hundreds of households on the Nightingale Estate, spanning Wanstead and South Woodford, and around Snaresbrook Road, say they want their proper service back.

Other major faults with the W14 include:

• It stops short of Whipps Cross Hospital.
• For a full year, the boarding point at the Whipps Cross Interchange has been unmarked and unsheltered with no seats. Calvin Bailey MP has now secured assurances that W14 boarding will be moved to a sheltered stop.
• It does not reach the supermarkets and top side of George Lane, South Woodford.
• Bus stop timetables and mini-maps omit the Nightingale Estate and Snaresbrook Road – again affecting use.

The new W14 was even redesigned to miss the most useful end of Wanstead High Street, but had to head in that direction because local councillors refused to move a traffic island. At first, passengers cried out as the bus passed three useful stops, failed to halt, and then dropped them half a mile away by Snaresbrook Tube. Gradually, TfL relented. However, TfL only agreed to stop the W14 at Woodbine Place, near Wanstead station, on 30 August, despite the bus driving past that vital stop for a year. But, still, the W14 only stops there one way – so many residents can get to the station, but not get back, or vice-versa. Again, the W14 is undermined.

A quick online survey posted by campaigners on the anniversary of the changes asked respondents to give star ratings for TfL. About 150 people responded in a week. The majority selected zero stars.

The new W12 route, which now takes a detour around Leytonstone, does provide a more frequent service along some stretches, but inconveniences others with its far longer, more congested journey to the hospital. Residents say any TfL boasts about the new system are outweighed by leaving many people with no usable services.

Meanwhile, the lack of a W14 at school start and finishing times means many Woodbridge High pupils rely on the W12 instead. But the W12 buses used were too small to take the volume of pupils, and incredibly, they have now been replaced with even smaller electric W12 buses. After some worrying crime incidents, school staff have highlighted safety dangers for pupils when they can’t catch the bus. This issue has been followed up by London Assembly member Keith Prince, who said he plans to take the deputy London Mayor to the school. Slow to respond, TfL is now due to carry out a survey.

TfL chair and London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urging people to give up driving and use public transport instead. “But then, TfL takes away our buses,” say local residents.

What our elected representatives have done so far…

Calvin Bailey MP (Labour): Presented a parliamentary petition after inviting constituents to contact him. Numerous meetings with top TfL officials. Pushed for Woodbine Place stop and proper stop at Whipps Cross Interchange. Has demanded TfL provide its evidence on costings.

Keith Prince AM (Conservative): Arranged for bus route planners to join campaigners on a bus ride around the area last autumn. Lobbied TfL and London’s Deputy Mayor, and helped get the Woodbine Place stop reintroduced (one way). Followed up issues with elderly residents at Eagle Lodge, Snaresbrook, and Woodbridge High School. Raised questions to Sadiq Khan at the London Assembly.

Caroline Russell AM (Green Party): Called a meeting in Wanstead House to hear the issues. Has made the new director of buses aware. Plans to speak to campaigners to find best ways to pursue the issues.

Councillors Jo Blackman, Daniel Morgan-Thomas and Joe Hehir (Labour): Councillor Blackman states: “We have particular concerns about the adverse impact on hospital patients, schoolchildren, the vulnerable and elderly residents who relied on the W12 [now the W14] and believe that TfL’s over-reliance on data fails to take their needs adequately into account.” Redbridge Council Leader, Councillor Kam Rai, has also been involved in talks on the issue. Councillors opposed and showed concerns for bus changes, held a small Wanstead meeting, established the hospital did want the W14 within its grounds when TfL claimed it didn’t, and have spoken out in committee meetings. They liaised with the MP to achieve more stops by W14 in Wanstead.

But the big pivotal question was posed by another local councillor: “TfL won’t listen, so what can we do?” The answer may be pursuing much stronger controls over TfL, say campaigners.

To share your W-bus stories, email donnamizzi@btinternet.com

A member of the Woodford and Wanstead Photographic Society has won the nature category of the Redbridge Photography Awards 2025.

“I took this photo in Claybury Park. I’ve photographed a lot in there over the years and through the seasons. This time, I was hoping for a few photos of the sunrise. Although I took this photo in the autumn, I hadn’t planned for the mist, nor for the dog walkers. It was one of those occasions where everything came together just at the right time,” said Alan Simpson.

Last month’s Wanstead Fringe saw nearly 4,000 tickets sold for over 100 events across 13 local venues.

“This Fringe had the most variety of any so far. We saw real originality and creativity in theatre and music, with the highest standards and biggest audiences. We set out to prove something was happening in Wanstead and we weren’t disappointed!” said Fringe chair Giles Wilson, who is seeking more volunteers and supporters.

“We want Wanstead to become a hub for arts and culture all year round.”

Visit wnstd.com/fsp

Redbridge Council has announced plans to overhaul household recycling collections.

“As part of our longer-term plans for improving household waste collections, we’ll be introducing single wheelie bins for dry mixed recycling, replacing the multiple boxes currently in use. This will make recycling easier, increase recycling capacity for households, reduce spills and further improve safety for our refuse collection crews. The changes will start in 2028 when our contract with the East London Waste Authority comes to an end.”

Redbridge Council launched a new website last month.

Built on the same platform as gov.uk, the redesigned site features a trial AI assistant to help answer questions.

“It has been built with residents at its heart, offering a faster, smarter and more accessible way to connect with local services and information. Give it a try and share your feedback via the link at the top of the new site,” said a spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/rc

Redbridge Council is inviting feedback from residents as plans are made for next year’s budget.

“As we plan for the 2026/27 budget, we’re starting the conversation early to make sure your voice is heard. We want your ideas on how to make the most of our resources, tackle local issues and build a brighter future together. Have your say and help us lobby for fairer funding. Your input matters,” said a council spokesperson.

Visit wnstd.com/2627

The Wren Wildlife and Conservation Group’s Tim Harris reports on a successful breeding season for the Skylarks of Wanstead Flats, where simple protection measures are helping these ground-nesting birds

He rises and begins to round,
He drops the silver chain of sound
Of many links without a break,
In chirrup, whistle, slur and shake.

The evocative opening lines of English poet George Meredith’s The Lark Ascending perfectly capture the essence of a male Skylark’s spring song-flight. The poem, written in 1881, inspired Ralph Vaughan Williams to compose his single-movement work of the same name on the eve of World War I, with a violin beautifully playing the role of the lark.

The Skylark’s song epitomises the British countryside, an exuberant outpouring of joy to herald a new spring. Although, sadly, changes in agricultural practices have resulted in the species’ population declining dramatically in recent decades, we still have a few birds on Wanstead Flats. Since they are ground-nesters, Skylarks face more problems than most birds during the breeding season. Rats, foxes and crows may take the eggs, and people and dogs disturb the nesting sites. A rat eradication programme has helped, but not much can be done about the foxes and crows. By 2021, the lark population on the Flats – the closest to the centre of London – had fallen to just three pairs.

With the larks on the brink of extinction locally, the City of London Corporation, supported by the Wren Group, fenced off two areas of the Flats where they breed between March and the end of August. Initially, they used unsightly green plastic, but for the last two seasons, rope has been strung between the wooden fenceposts instead. This is less visually intrusive, can be reused – and it works. Human and canine footfall within the roped areas has been virtually eliminated in the sensitive spring and summer months.

Early in the spring, each male lark makes prolonged song-flights, spiralling ever higher while constantly emitting Meredith’s unique “silver chain of sound.” Counting the number of singing males is the best way to determine bird numbers, and this year, the season started with three. Apart from the song-flights and occasions where the birds feed on the shorter grass of the model aircraft runway, it is notoriously difficult to work out what the birds are doing. Since most of their activity – feeding, building nests, laying eggs and feeding young – is conducted in thick grass, which grows taller as spring turns to summer, long, patient hours of observation are required.

This year’s three breeding pairs made five breeding attempts, at least four of which got to the stage of adults feeding young. An end-of-season walkover of the two roped-off areas produced a count of between eight and 10 birds, meaning that a minimum of two (and possibly four) young were fledged this year. Growing the population on the Flats will take time, but I’m hopeful that our three pairs will increase to four next spring.

For more information on the Wren Wildlife Group, visit wnstd.com/wren