Iain Duncan Smith and Stella Creasy attack L&Q's 'no social rent' plans for Walthamstow Stadium

Published by Jon Land for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Central Government

Waltham Forest MPs Iain Duncan Smith and Stella Creasy have issued a joint statement condemning L&Q's decision to include no homes for social rent in its latest plans for Walthamstow Greyhound Stadium.

The housing group's revised planning application for the site, which goes before Waltham Forest Council's planning committee this evening (May 8), comprises 294 homes across a range of tenures including a mix of private, affordable rented and intermediate accommodation. The 24 affordable rent units would be made available at 50% the market rate.

In their statement, Duncan Smith - the Conservative MP for Chingford and Woodford Green - and Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, criticised L&Q's proposals. They said: “We agree with Waltham Forest Council’s stated ambition to provide a mix of housing for our community so the news that L&Q will not be providing any social housing in this plan at all is proof they are not meeting the real needs of Waltham Forest’s residents.

"Given that there are 21,000 people on our housing waiting list this omission is a critical flaw in L&Q’s plans.

"Furthermore, not only are there no social rented properties in this proposal, it will also only deliver 24 flats at ‘affordable rates’ of rent which are higher and so meet a different need in our local housing market.

"This doesn’t meet the council’s ambitions which it set for itself that there should be at least 50% affordable housing in any development. All this goes to show this proposal is simply not good enough and we urge the planning committee to demand a better deal for the residents of our borough.

That a viable alternative is on offer which would deliver jobs, entertainment and a better mix of housing - all of which are desperately needed here - through the restoration of the greyhound track only serves to underline why this proposal should be rejected.”

L&Q has been dogged with criticism since purchasing the Walthamstow Stadium site in 2008. The iconic art deco-fronted arena had been one of the country's most popular greyhound tracks - in its hey day attracting thousands of punters to east London. Declining gates, however, led to the stadium's closure and subsequent sale for housing.

A long-running 'Save Our Stow' campaign has been backed by celebrities including former Chingford resident David Beckham, who collected glasses at the stadium when he was a boy.

The 3.28 hectare site contains two listed structures, the 1930s art-deco building on Chingford Road and the dog kennels at the rear of the site.