Regeneration project: Wood Street

The Outer London Fund has awarded £310,00 from Round One and £1.2m from Round Two to Wood Street in Walthamstow, matched by £452,500 from Waltham Forest and £2m from TfL to help realise its potential as an attractive destination. The refurbishment of Wood Street’s Indoor Market is bringing new life to the community. Improvements to shop fronts and signage are giving the high street a much-needed makeover, while the existing plaza and playground are being renovated and reconfigured. There is also a new programme of arts festivals to celebrate Wood Street which is inspiring local residents and bringing a new creative buzz to the area.

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Animating places

Revitalising Wood Street Indoor Market was identified as a way of bringing excitement and activity back to the high street. Once a thriving local hub, famous across London, the market had become shabby and there were many empty units. Major renovations designed by Gort Scott to the market structure have created clearly defined entrances and a more inviting interior. This in turn has inspired the market’s owners to invest in further improvements. A programme that offered subsidised market units helped bring new businesses to the market, from florists to vintage sellers. ‘Walthamstow’s secret gem’ re-launched in February 2012 and has been a big success.

Hosting events

‘Wood Street Inside Out’ is an arts programme that aims to involve the community in defining a new vision for the area and reveal local history. ‘Inside Out’ activities range from a public competition to design a cotton bag which was distributed by local shops, to several new public artworks inspired by the stories of local residents. Local school children worked together with an artist to create an animated film which was screened at Valentin Road. For one weekend in August 2012 the Wood Street Fiesta hosted films, tea dances, music and more.

Public spaces

The reconfiguration of Wood Street’s Plaza by East Architecture Landscape Urban Design is turning it into an inviting place for all ages, with greater activity and footfall from the high street. New seating will create pockets of pleasant social space outside shops and restaurants, while a major tree planting programme is greening the area. A redesigned playground and multi-use games area will encourage both families with small children and young people to use the space. New lighting designed by Creatmosphere has been installed in the plaza and the high street, visually linking these areas and lighting up the town centre.

Building frontages

There has been a two-pronged approach to the renovation of high street frontages and windows. ‘Shopportunity’ pairs designers, artists and makers with local shops and services to carry out bespoke, light-touch improvements to business frontages. A second programme has identified three parades of shops on Wood Street for improvements to the street level and upper frontages, the restoration of historical figures and the introduction of new signage developed with graphic designers and artists. Training has also been offered on improving window displays, marketing, social media and managing stock. This mix of training and physical interventions is providing sustainable improvements to the look and feel of Wood Street.

Borough: Waltham Forest

Partners/client: LB Waltham Forest

Consultants: East Architecture Landscape Urban Design, Gort Scott, Creatmosphere, Vision On, Urban Space Management, Hunt and Gather

Funding: Mayor of London £1.5m, LB Waltham Forest £452,000, TfL £2m