Policy information sourced from the Waltham Forest Local Plan

5 Management of Growth

In planning for growth, the Council will seek to achieve an appropriate balance between physical, social and economic development and environmental protection. Growth will be distributed and managed by:

A. Directing and consolidating any new retail and other town centres uses including leisure, offices and new social infrastructure facilities to the designated centres and maximising residential opportunities in these centres through mixed use development. (‘Distinctive Town Centres and High Streets’);

B. Protecting, promoting and managing designated employment areas to secure more jobs for local people (‘Building a Resilient and Creative Economy’);

C. Protecting designated sites, areas and green space (Green Belt, Metropolitan Open Land, Special Protection Areas, Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Special Scientific Interest; including Epping Forest SAC and SSSI and Lee Valley Regional Park SPA and Ramsar) and conserving biodiversity including wildlife. (‘Protecting and Enhancing the Environment’);

D. Conserving the heritage significance of Conservation Areas, Listed Buildings, Archaeological Priority Areas and other heritage assets (‘Conserving and Enhancing our Heritage’). Heritage assets in these locations will be secured and supported with investment to embed the rich cultural and heritage opportunities of the borough;

E. Making effective use of previously developed land, except where land is of high environmental value or purposely safeguarded or protected for particular uses as identified on the Policies Map. In considering suitable sites for growth proposals, the redevelopment of underused and vacant land, in particular sites identified in the Local Plan Part 2 - Site Allocations and included on the Brownfield Land Register, will be prioritised;

F. Promoting good design and high quality placemaking (‘Creating High Quality Places’), by ensuring that development is planned and implemented in a coordinated way, guided by Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), Masterplans, Planning Briefs, Design London Borough of Waltham Forest Local Plan Local Plan (LP1) - Adoption Version 23 Waltham Forest’s Spatial and Growth Strategy Codes and other relevant Design Guidance where appropriate. Pending the preparation and adoption of masterplan SPDs for the identified Strategic Locations, proposals for major development coming forward will be considered on the basis of good growth principles and policies included in this plan and the London Plan;

G. Supporting the preparation of broad concept plans/planning framework guidance by stakeholder groups or developers for small areas or clusters of sites. The approval process for such plans will be mainly via Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) legislation; and

H. Applying a comprehensive set of actions to implement the Plan strategy including: