Wansteadium

Council planners are recommending that the project to demolish the row of very old shops in Woodbine Place should be approved at a meeting of the Redbridge planning committee to be held on Wednesday evening.

The plan to replace 12-15 Woodbine Place – the kebab shop, Wanstead Hairdressers, and Bambini – with four new commercial units and office space above has been fiercely opposed by Wanstead campaigners. Redbridge’s own Heritage Officer objected to the proposal because it would, they said, cause harm to the significance of the rest of the site.

A total of 83 objections were made to the proposal, on the grounds that there was no demand for the office space, that the building was going to be too big and out of character with the surrounding area and Conservation Zone.

The officers however are recommending that the proposal be approved because it would support “the better utilisation of the site and improv[e] the viability and range of the high street and secondary frontage on Wanstead High Street”.

Three images going back in time

Update to the Chicken Spot saga. This is the new sign just installed at the former BBQ Express. We suspect it won’t be long until someone at Redbridge points out that that looks suspiciously like it might be an internally illuminated sign which are not allowed in thes parts. Some bits of the internet would have you believe that Ten Ten signifies new beginnings and personal growth. In this case it might mean “you need to go back to the sign shop”.

Got to love this subtler-than-usual graffiti in Wanstead Park, spotted by local author and photographer Joanna Pocock.

Wanstead Park, this afternoon.#wanstead #wansteadpark #thingshavechanged #graffiti #london

— Joanna Pocock (@joannapocock.bsky.social) 2026-09-23T16:15:05.193Z

Work to rebuild the steps to the Westbound platform at Snaresbrook Station seem ill-fated. Despite being rebuilt after having been closed for ages because of leaking water, the leak apparently is continuing.

Grim tidings for commuters who use those steps as quick morning access to London-bound trains, though not as grim as facing icy steps. The distant dreams of Snaresbrook getting disabled access however seems as far away as ever.

Wansteadium confesses its attention might have been on something else recently, but promises once again to try to do better.

In the meantime, one of our occasional news round-ups. Any one of these items could have been a story in its own right.

In 2012 Wanstead was much exercised by the brash signage on a new takeaway, BBQ Express, which replaced a takeaway previously there called Chicken Spot. Well things are changing again, and BBQ Express is to be replaced with a chicken shop.

• Meanwhile it’s RIP for Alba Trattoria. Before that there was La Marmiton, Longhorn, the Smokehouse, and Cinnamon. Longstanding residents please tell us what was before Cinnamon?
  
• All of which means there are more empty shops on Wanstead High Street than there have been for a very long time. Not good. Remember people, shop local.

• Joice, formerly Sumo Fresh, formerly the Olive Branch, has apparently changed names. Wansteadium couldn’t quite make out its new name (declining eyesight).
  
• The squat, if squat it be, continues but seems to do so quietly. O/H in Nightingale Lane: “Gail’s was a squat once, so our hopes are high for something nice.”
  
• The plan to demolish one of the last remaining parts of old Wanstead, the three shops on Woodbine Place, and replace them with a modern set of buildings, has reared its head again. Planners are considering them, but objections flew. One well-informed correspondent wrote: “The proposal is to demolish a locally listed centrally located and prominent building in the conservation area! This must be refused. The building is a charming vernacular terrace retaining original features such as the undulating clay pan tile roof. It harks back to when Wanstead truly was a village and its loss would be detrimental to the conservation area and Wanstead and Redbridge generally. Wanstead is the jewel in Redbridge’s crown and must be protected. The proposed replacement with a nondescript office block would be a step backwards – IT CERTAINLY DOES NOT ENHANCE THE CONSERVATION AREA.”
  
• We still wait and see what will become of the former Wanstead Dry Cleaners in the key position on the High Street. Intelligence please to info@wansteadium.com.

Redbridge is rolling out the weekly food waste collection to the rest of the borough after a trial – of which Wanstead was a big part. The figures from that pilot scheme seem to indicate a very convincing uptake of the service, with nearly 80% of the initial 10,000 households are regularly putting out their food waste bins. More than 400 tonnes of waste has been collected so far.

Food waste collections in Redbridge go to an anaerobic digestion facility in Dagenham where they are converted into fertiliser for farms and electricity and heat. They also reduce the amount of methane produced at landfill sites. So it’s a good thing.