Regeneration project: Blackhorse Lane

Blackhorse Lane is receiving £1.1m from the Outer London Fund, matched by £321,000 from Waltham Forest, to support the rich local economy of manufacturing industries and high street businesses. Enterprise and skills are being boosted through the Blackhorse Workshop, a shared workspace and resource base for local makers and designers housed in a restored warehouse. Investment is also improving industrial building frontages, bringing Blackhorse Lane’s shopping parade back to life and creating better public spaces. The area’s potential to become a gateway to the Upper Lea Valley’s green spaces is being supported through plans to make the Walthamstow Wetlands open to the public.

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Animating places

Two important underused spaces in the Blackhorse Lane area have been rejuvenated. Firstly, the Blackhorse Workshop, a sizeable warehouse has been renovated by Assemble into a new public workshop for local people with an interest in making. It hosts studio spaces and a café, and will offer regular classes and activities. Secondly, the Walthamstow Wetlands project will make Blackhorse Lane a gateway to the largest urban wetland nature reserve in Europe, formed by the Lea Valley’s chain of reservoirs. The project, designed by Kinnear Landscape Architects and Witherford Watson Mann, is providing better access to the reservoirs and the restoration of the Marine Engine House to house a ‘Water and Life’ visitor centre, educational centre and café.

Public spaces

A series of small changes signal the renewal of Blackhorse Lane. New kerbs, paving and planting emphasise the entrances of Blackhorse Lane’s industrial estates and the Wetlands. Decorative paving slabs direct visitors to local points of interest. New signage near Blackhorse Road Station will draw attention to the nearby Wetlands. Billboards along Forest Road are being used to celebrate and promote local industry by displaying photographer Thomas Adank’s images of locally manufactured products. Finally, a new public artwork on a prominent wall by Blackhorse Road station will give visitors a warm welcome to the area.

Building frontages

Signage and frontages along Blackhorse Lane’s industrial estates are being upgraded and work is being done to develop an area-wide graphic identity to consolidate its local character. This will reveal and celebrate the area’s diverse local economy and industrial heritage of making. Blackhorse Lane’s parade of shops, including a supermarket, newsagents, several eateries, a dry cleaners and a property agent, will also be renovated to refresh the appearance of the area. All frontage designs are being developed by design studio We Made That, working closely with owners.

Supporting business

The workspaces and facilities at the Blackhorse Workshop are supporting local makers and small businesses, and help develop the area’s culture of craftsmanship. Trainee schemes, workshops and seminars are creating learning and work experience opportunities – preparing people for the job market. Links are being forged with local employers, colleges and organisations to develop these initiatives.

Stewardship

Funds have been used to create a directory of local businesses and designers and makers in the Blackhorse Lane area. This resource offers consolidated, searchable information which can be used as a promotional tool to showcase the variety and strength of local businesses. A photographer has also been commissioned to take shots of products of a range of companies in Blackhorse Lane to display on billboards in the vicinity. This helps to build the area’s identity as a vibrant industrial community.

Shaping development

Waltham Forest commissioned an Urban Design Framework (UDF) for Blackhorse Lane, produced by architects Gort Scott in 2011, prior to Outer London Fund investment. This was used to shape the development of individual sites within the area. Mayoral funding was then used to supply additional guidance and support from architects Gort Scott on design issues, ensuring that the quality, scale and appearance of future developments is in keeping with the guidelines set out in the UDF.

Preparing for change

As a number of new developments progress along Sutherland Road, a need to upgrade the wider public realm and highway was identified. Acknowledging the range of developers involved and the anticipated change over a number of sites, funding enabled the council to commission a comprehensive public realm strategy, ensuring that future developments have a clear site context to respond to and forming a solid basis for developer’s contributions.

Borough: Waltham Forest

Partners/client: LB Waltham Forest

Consultants: We Made That, Architecture Foundation, Chris Bracey, Assemble, Gort Scott, Kinnear Landscape Architects, Witherford Watson Mann, London Wildlife Trust, Counterculture, Thomas Adank

Funding: Mayor of London £1.1m, LB Waltham Forest £321,000