Newsletter February 2011

Annual subscriptionsSociety members are reminded that all membershiprenewals are due by July 1. The rate is £8 perhousehold, or £5 for retired/non-working households.If you’d rather pay by direct debit each year, contactSimone Burke (Membership Secretary/Treasurer) atsimoneburke@aol.co.uk, or telephone 0208 530 7417.If you get the answerphone, please leave your nameand address to be sent the relevant paperwork.

The Wanstead Society

Executive Committee Scott Wilding: ChairmanEileen Flinter: Vice-chair Avril Rodriguez-Dizon: Secretary Simone Burke: Membership Secretary & TreasurerShazia Hussain: Press and Publicity OfficerPeter Arben: Conservation Advisory Panel repKaty Clough Billie FiggJack Figg John GoodmanGeoff Horsnell Katriye IbrahimValerie Sayers Marian Temple

Consultant members Gabrielle Collard: Website Manager and SubstituteConservation Advisory Panel representativeRoger Estop: Planning ConsultantRobert Levene: Friends of Epping Forest ConsultantIris Vandenberghe: Residents’ Forum, Cleansing DeptCaspar Williams: Newsletter Editor

Changes in Committee membershipOur Membership Secretary Simone Burke has alsotaken on the job of Treasurer.

Budget cuts – worse off in Wanstead!Redbridge Council has begun a programme ofcuts to the tune of £25 million over three years,which will have a huge impact on Wanstead. Toput it in context, Redbridge has an annual budgetof around £90m. Around £6m has already beensaved in the current financial year, leaving £19mto go. Admittedly, the Council faces an invidioustask. Its grant has been reduced from centralgovernment, and no one wants council tax torise. Over the next few years, we taxpayers andresidents will be getting less bang for our counciltax buck. Below, we’ve set out what these cutswill mean specifically for Wanstead, subject todecisions taken when the council fully decides its2011 budget in March.

• A £117,000 reduction in planned roadmaintenance this year, increasing to a reductionof £150,000 in 2011/12. This will mean largerpotholes, less resurfacing of roads andpavements, and greater damage to vehicles.• No street sweepers or bins emptied in parks onSundays. Expect more litter and an increase inthe rat and fox populations in Christchurch Park.• A 70% reduction in flood defence spending:Increased risk to the river Roding flooding, anddamaging surrounding properties and roads.• Reduction in street cleansing staff will lead totoilets not being staffed fully.• Possible loss of lollipop man outside WansteadCoE Primary School when he retires, becauselollipop men/women will no longer be recruited.• Reduction in planning officers: Slower planningprocess, possibility of planning applications notbeing given full attention, increase inenforcement notices.• Payments and benefits office no longer beingopen at weekends.

All of the above represent savings for the year2010/11, with further reductions due for 2011/12and 2012/13. However, it’s not all bad news. From1st April 2011, £300,000 is being made availablefor highway-related works to improve our streetscene in the High Street area. This could meannew lighting, signage, better pavements, roadsurface improvements, etc. If you have any ideason how this money should be spent, contact yourlocal councillor: Sue.Nolan@redbridge.gov.uk orChris.Cummins@redbridge.gov.uk.

The community voice for Wanstead, Snaresbrook and Aldersbrook

The Corner House Garden

Bits and Pieces The Corner House Garden is the front garden of theAge Concern Luncheon Club on the corner of GrovePark and the High Street. To everyone’s delight, thegarden went on blooming with geranium, poshmarigolds, tawny rudbekia and much more, well intoNovember. “What was the secret of our success?”we were asked. Simple, really – if you don’t getaround to planting things till late, they flower late! Allvery well till the frost and snow struck – and went onstriking seemingly for weeks, after which the gardenlooked brown and soggy. Normal for January, really.However, our stock of flowers will have droppedseed for the coming year. There are stirrings afoot,with bulb shoots appearing, biding their time untilthey decide it’s time to flower. The first will be thetiny mauve Thomassiana crocuses sprinkled around,bringing some delight to January and February. Theyare just the first of the procession, which should takeus through to November – hopefully longer.

Last year we were lucky the way people came outof the woodwork to help with the garden. We got ourlovely trough wall built in front of the old wall thatjoins the house to the neighbouring betting shop.This was done by John Mahon, an experiencedbricklayer who made the raised trough flower bedthere. Others, claiming not to be gardeners butwilling to do the heavy work, shifted piles of earthfrom here to there and there to here, and put downstepping stones. It’s so good to have different peoplecoming and leaving their stamp on the garden. Themore people that have a hand in it, the better. Thisyear we have in mind two little projects on our wishlist that we’d be grateful for someone to take on.They are as follows:

Water Butts and divertersLast summer’s nine weeks without rain highlightedthe need for water butts. We’d like two to catch thewater from the roof – ideally with diverters so that thewater can be directed into a drain during winter.

Unfortunately, the Corner House down pipes are notstandard size, but we do know the size. So we needsomeone who can track down diverters of the correctsize and connect them to the water butts.

TrellisWe want to grow some climbing roses up the oldwall but they will need some support. We don’t wantto use normal trellis as we have a more original idea,but we do need someone with a drill who could fix upthe supports needed.

If anyone feels they could take on butts, divertersand/or trellis, please leave a note at the Corner Houseaddressed to the Wanstead Society gardeners.

Working partiesLots of people ask if we need help with the gardenand some of the High Street flower beds whichwe’ve now taken on. We’re now being a bit morebusinesslike about this, and have a working party onthe first Sunday of every month. 10.30am at theCorner House Garden – no gardening experiencenecessary. A lot of the work would be tidying up, leafclearing, etc, and some planting for those who wishto do so. We’d be happy for people to help as muchor as little as they could, and we always finish upwith coffee and croissants on the Wanstead Society.Next working party 10.30am, Sunday February 6.

The farmers’ market

In our last newsletter, we invited readers’comments on the High Street market on the firstSunday in the month. Sheila Goldberg hasresponded:

“The market brings many, many more people tothe High Street on Sunday, most of whomwouldn't otherwise go there on that day. Whilemooching around the stalls, I see people goinginto Boots and Tesco and other shops. Be morepositive. I like the smelly cheeses and interestingbreads not available in any of the shops.”The WS’ Billie Figg replies:

Hats off to the High StreetTimes are tough for small shopkeepers in local highstreets, but there’s still a lot to celebrate inWanstead. For instance:• Non-stop bustle at Harvey’s greengrocers, becausethe goods look luscious, and the chaps behind themare always cheery.• Loyalty to Londis, where one quick shoppingsession secures all food and home essentials, aswell as cut-price wine offers, surprise specials suchas high-fibre Dorset muesli, and single-portion packsfor folk living on their own. • Going down well – the salt beef at Delicataste,which even draws in regulars from Chingford andWalthamstow. Also pulling in shoppers are thosedelicious crisp French baguettes, especially withJoyce’s cream cheese.

• Now available every day – Percy Ingle’s iced nutring, £1.39 and very more-ish.• Home-makers’ paradise at The Orange Tree.Brilliant cushions, made-to-measure blinds andcurtains, the accessories and know-how to makehome glamorous. And homely.• The Post Office. It’s a privilege, these days, to haveone, and long may we keep it. Along with thepharmacy it lives with, the Post Office generates abuzz of humanity which helps keep our High Streetlively and vivacious.• Going strong – Dennis the Butcher’s imaginativerange of sausages. Choice of 14; wild boar andapple a favourite (no cholesterol, see).

“Thanks for your comment. I take your point –indeed I love the bustle myself. We've just got tohope that the market brings more custom than ittakes away. We are well off for flower shops, forinstance, and I can't help thinking that if visitorsbring in the same plants on a Sunday. it mightopen us up to the risk of losing the displays thatprettify Wanstead all week. However, your pointabout the otherwise unavailable cheeses andbreads is well made. If the market stimulatesmore adventurous choices becoming available allweek, it will have done us a service.”

More in storeOn the subject of what goods are available inour area… In our July 2010 newsletter wenoted the uncertainty hanging over the futureof Heads N Tails, the pet shop at 23 HighStreet, due to the redevelopment ofneighbouring properties numbers 21 and 23.Well, there’s good news. At the beginning ofFebruary we learned from Heads N Tailsproprietor Mas Beg that when the makeover isdone, he and his assistant Trevor will move nextdoor into the bigger premises at number 21,formerly The Antiques Emporium, because –and here’s the really good part – he wants toexpand his range to include the stuff we canno longer buy in Wanstead. Hardware, homeneeds, tools, maybe? Breadboards and bowls,teacups and trays, doormats and dustbins –what would you like to see on Mas’ shelves?Mas wants local residents to nominate itemsthey’d like him to stock. It’s Wanstead’s chanceto have a really useful pets-cum-plants-cum-hardware shop. Write to us with your ideas andwe’ll pass them on, or drop Mas a note whilehe’s still at his current premises.

Conservation signageWanstead High Street is a conservation area, notthat you’d know it. Most boroughs are proud toflag up their most prized areas with appropriatesignage, but not ours. We’ve been askingRedbridge Council for conservation signage forsome time, to no effect. And now that cuts arethe order of the day, our proposed signage iseven easier for the council to sideline, despiteour offer to contribute towards the cost.

Signage is important, however. Conservationstatus comprises guidelines as to how shops maybe lit, the size of their fascias, etc; which affectappearance and which would contribute to asmart, well-maintained High Street for residentsand visitors to value and enjoy.

And so we’ll keep on asking. But despite Cllr.Sue Nolan’s promise to us that she’d ask for thematter to be put on the agenda for January 24’sArea 1 Committee meeting, it was not. One ofour committee members was present, and got alukewarm response when she raised the subject.She did at least get the promise of a quotationfrom Highways Manager Steve Grayer. We’ll keeppressing on this issue, and keep you posted.

NHS latest news by Geoff Horsnell

At the meeting of the Joint Committee of PrimaryCare Trusts (JCPCT) on December 15, it wasdecided to approve the proposals for the NHS inNorth East London. In order to be able to make thisdecision, the proposals had to pass the four keytests as laid out by Sir David Nicholson in an openletter last year. These four key tests are:1. Ongoing public consultation2. Local GP involvement3. Clarity on clinical evidence base4. Consistency with patient choice

As the public consultation had ended in March 2010,since when the proposals had undergone furtherdevelopment, the idea of “ongoing” public consultationis farcical. Add to this the fact that my and severalcolleagues’ requests for local GPs’ thoughts hadreceived little by way of reply, and it would appearthat local GP involvement is not what is was reputedto be either!

The day before the JCPCT meeting, a letter wasreceived from NHS London which stated that, in theirview, the four key tests had been met, paving theway for the decision to be taken. Unfortunately, asNHS London forms an intrinsic part of the proposalprocess, it is extremely unlikely to voice a dissentingopinion. The assessment would have been fairer andmore meaningful had it been made by a completelyindependent (ie; non-NHS) body.

On attending the meeting on 15 December, at thedoor I was given the agenda for the meeting: fourbound volumes, several inches thick, printed double-sided and weighing 7.5 pounds. Clearly, anyoneattending as an observer (as I was) wasn’t expectedto read the agenda prior to the meeting, and certainlynot to understand all the detail it contained (releasedfor the first time in these documents). I subsequentlydiscovered that the JCPCT members themselveshad only received the material by courier at 8:30pmthe previous Friday night, December 10. There is noway they could possibly have read and understoodthe material by the following Wednesday when themeeting took place!

Some public comment was allowed at this meeting.Several people were given just two minutes each tovoice their concerns. At the end of this period, publicinvolvement ceased, and the meeting “proper” started.It was announced that, as the various parts of theproposals came up for discussion, the publicspeakers’ concerns would be addressed. However,with no scope for further comment, there waseffectively no attempt to provide any proper response.

During the meeting it became clear that all councilscovered by the region encompassed by the JCPCT(comprising 7 local PCT areas – 3 in Inner Londonand 4 in Outer London) had negotiated some dealout of the proposals, with the notable exception ofRedbridge. All Redbridge committee members

remained silent throughout the entire evening. “Averitable stitch-up,” as one member in the publicgallery was overheard to say as the meeting ended!

Throughout the period that the NHS proposals werebeing developed, the Redbridge Health Scrutinycommittee has been critical of the approach beingtaken. Most recently they had a meeting on January 4at which they passed a series of resolutions to beforwarded to the main Redbridge Council. The maincouncil had an emergency meeting immediately afterthe Health Scrutiny committee and was supplied witha copy of their resolutions. Again, the public wereallowed to voice their concerns to the council. HelenZammett, chair of the Counties Residences’Association spoke on behalf of that organisation andthe Wanstead Society. The council determined thatthey had been misinformed, and resolved that nowwas the time for action. An outcome of the meeting isthat the council now wish for a totally independentbody to review the proposals and the conclusions. Atthe same time, they wish to write to a list of peoplesuch as all local MPs to express their disgust at theway the process has been conducted.

At this stage, we await further developments withinterest. At long last, local people are realising thatthese decisions have been taken in their name by anuntrustworthy group of PCT members. Rememberthat, by Government decree, the PCTs will all bedisbanded by 2013, when the funding that theycurrently control will be administered by consortia oflocal GPs. Yet this major decision has ignored orbypassed those very people who will eventually beresponsible for the health and welfare processesdetermined by the PCTs just before they disappear!

Hidden in the detail of these proposals are a numberof actions which, if widely advertised, would seriouslyalarm most locals. The closure of the A&E andMaternity units at King George Hospital has beengiven local press coverage, but the imminent closureof the two rehabilitation wards at Wanstead Hospitalwas afforded just half a sentence in a 60-page report.A joint campaign by the Wanstead Society and theCounties Residents’ Association has resulted in apublic statement being issued that no action will betaken over Wanstead Hospital without further publicconsultation. This is certainly good news. However,there was one financial “bombshell” that wasdropped at the JCPCT meeting – namely that itwould cost a mere £39m to implement the proposals.It was further stated that one option to raise thiscapital would be to sell off unwanted land currentlyowned by the NHS. The prime candidate for this hasto be Wanstead Hospital. As the main hospital hasalready been converted into flats, the only remainingparts are the two rehabilitation wards, Heronwoodand Galleon, and the Phlebotomy and Physiotherapyunits current preferred by local residents overalternatives such as Whipps Cross. The argument islikely to be that these remaining facilities are toosmall to constitute a viable sized unit.

The Wanstead Society is therefore making a stand,together with the CRA, to support our local hospital,and to oppose any motion to close it. After all, thelast development in the Physiotherapy unit was a newheated swimming pool. This has not yet been used,as it transpires that the existing boiler and pipeswere not upgraded at the same time, and are unableto sufficiently heat the pool. How much money didthis cost? Presumably this too will become “wasted”expenditure if Wanstead Hospital is to close.

Planning application updates

Advertisement consent for Majestic Wine The Majestic Wine Warehouse in Wanstead HighStreet has submitted a planning application for aninternally illuminated sign. As this property lies withina designated conservation area, we have objected tothe application. The rules of acceptable modificationsare different within a conservation area, in order toretain the overall appearance. These rules do notallow for any form of internally illuminated sign. We await the results of this action.

Loft conversion at 10 The AvenueThe sheer size of the dormer extension, comprisingtwo additional bedrooms, each with en suite facilities,struck us as obtrusive. In addition, the proposedJuliet balcony was considered to promise anunacceptable loss of privacy to nearby residentialproperties. The council agreed with our findings, and have refused permission for this application.

First floor side extension at 10 Grove ParkWe objected to this development as the property liesin a conservation area, and we felt that the scale ofthe proposed development would be obtrusive. Inaddition, the conversion of an existing balustrade tobalconies front and rear would seem to compromiseneighbours’ privacy. Conditional consent was granted,and the use of the front extension was barred frombeing used as a balcony because of the privacyenjoyed by nearby properties. The surrounding treesand bushes were also given protection in order tomaintain the existing vegetation at the site. A success for the Wanstead Society!

Rear of 33-39 High Street shopsThe Planning Inspector has just issued his findings in the case of the appeal lodged against Redbridgerefusal to grant planning permission for flats on theland to the rear of 33-39 High Street, Wanstead. The inspector has decided to dismiss the appeal –effectively agreeing with Redbridge that the scale of the development would be out of proportion withthe surroundings. As the Wanstead Society hadsubmitted an objection to this development, we can congratulate ourselves on this outcome.

Chepstow development

This major site has been the source of much debateover several years. Finally, after negotiation with theWanstead Society and the Counties Residents’Association, Telford (the developer) submitted aplanning application much more in keeping with thedesires of local people, which both the WS and theCRA felt able to support. The WS was represented atthe meeting of the Regulatory Committee on January13 at which the application was accepted. A goodresult all round.

We’re relieved that this scheme rather than formerones has been chosen – it embodies many of thesmall but crucial improvements our independentplanner proposed – and in our relief it is easy tosound as though we’re delighted to have thisdevelopment on this pleasant little corner. But notquite. Given the density demanded by the LondonPlan, it's the best we can hope for, but make nomistake, it’s going to be a pretty crowded little spotthere where once Miss Lironi's garden flourished(see our previous newsletter). We’re readyingourselves for the roar of lorries up and down outside,and a great many more cars garlanding thepavements in the future.

• We stress that the Wanstead Society is notagainst development per se – only ugly,unsuitable or unnecessary development.

The Tarzy Just as we thought we had established that thecorner of forest where Wanstead High Streetmeets New Wanstead was named The Tarzy,at least from the 1920s, Wanstead residentMargaret Wallis tells us it was also calledWilmot's Green. Was there once a Mr. Wilmotof Wanstead, we wonder? Could he have beenthe long-ago owner who tried installing a tarredfence to keep folk off the land? Whatever – welove your tales, memories and questions aboutold Wanstead, so please keep them coming.

Chepstow beforedemolition, in 2007

Chepstow beforedemolition, in 2007

The Wanstead SocietyWebsite: www.wansteadsociety.org.ukEmail: info@wansteadsociety.org.uk

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Guest spotThis latest in an occasional series of readers’reminiscences of Wanstead past comes fromJoyce Reder, whom we thank.

The Corner House

When I moved to Wanstead in 1954 there werelarge houses on both High Street corners ofGrove Park. One of them was the Corner House,the home and practice of a female GP; Dr Corner.

After some years Dr Corner retired, and thehouse was as far as I know purchased byWanstead and Woodford Borough Council.

Following work on the house, the council openedit as a centre for the over 60s. At the time, themembers of the Townswomen’s Guild wereasked for volunteers to serve daily teas. So I putmy hand up, and for one or two afternoons eachweek dispensed teas to the elderly. We soon hadregulars who obviously enjoyed a few hourstogether with friends. It was a warm and friendlyvenue in the winter, and in good weather therewas a pleasant garden to sit in. Sadly that is now a car park.

There was one lovely romance. An elderly ladyand a gentleman, having met at the centre,started sitting together, and then sittingseparately from all the others. Later, someonesaid they got married.

The centre had a live-in caretaker occupying theupper floor. I can’t be sure; I seem to remembershe was a Mrs Sayers. My memory is faulty, but I think she did the lunches, as well as keepingthe centre clean and tidy.

Now I am one of the elderly, and the smartened-up Corner House is a very welcoming place tospend a few hours. It is particularly nice now thatAge UK are running the centre. Apart from diningthere, the other activities are very important. I go

every Thursday to the art class, which hasbecome a not-to-be-missed activity for me andquite a few other people.

We used to enter the house by the door onGrove Park. Now we use the very visible door on the High Street.

When Dr Corner was in residence I had a chatwith her, as my mother had told me that anotherDr Corner had delivered me at the Mothers’Lying-In Hospital in Commercial Road, Stepney.Sure enough, he was her uncle.

If anyone else has any other memories they’dlike to share with readers, we’d be delighted to consider them. Please email them toinfo@wansteadsociety.org.uk, or post them to the newsletter editor at 63 Langley Drive,London, E11 2LN.