Higham Hill's Lost Liveable Neighbourhood
- Higham Hill Healthy Streets
- Dec 19, 2021
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 14, 2022
Imagine a different Higham Hill, where children play happily on quiet roads, trees and planting add a sense of calm, there are convenient crossings and the streets are safe, clean and green. It might sound like a scheme from the near future, but this was actually a bold plan for the area from 1974. So why did it never happen?
"Is Higham Hill Road to be a safe shopping Street at the centre of the area or a busy traffic barrier dividing the area in two?"
In 1974 proposals were drawn up by The National Building Agency for five GIAs (General Improvement Areas) across Waltham Forest. These areas were developed with local residents associations to improve the public realm in areas of high deprivation. This was presented as an alternative to clearances and demolition. Regeneration of social housing, tree planting, traffic reduction, reducing road danger and more pleasant shopping areas were the main goals of these GIAs.
The most notable GIA is De Beauvoir in Hackney. Motivated by increasingly frequent road deaths and plans for demolition and redevelopment, local campaigners had great success in making their streets healthy, and their success is still visible today.
It's what Higham Hill could have been, and well worth a visit.
So what was planned for Higham Hill, and what got built?
Recommendations from all the reports regarding reducing road danger and creating better spaces for people were clear about closing Higham Hill Road to through motor traffic and making the entire area access-only. These recommendations were ignored however, and Higham Hill was split into two GIAs, West and East, either side of Higham Hill Road. The effects of that decision are still felt today.
"Observation of the present traffic use of the road suggests that it carries a substantial amount of district traffic having no business in the area"
Higham Hill East was a success, and although it was watered down significantly the results were extremely positive. The filters at the end of Priors Croft and Carlton Road have been there since 1978, reducing the volumes of motor traffic in the area yet still allowing pedestrian, cycle and emergency access.
Towards Higham Hill Road, Bramley Close did not exist before this scheme and was simply a continuation of St Andrews Road. Residents now benefit from a quiet cul-de-sac that was previously blighted by traffic. The greening and trees are still there, although the seating was either never installed or has been removed at some point.
There is still much work to be done in the area in terms of improving public realm and greening, but the results speak for themselves. A recent survey by climate charity Possible, on historic filters in Waltham Forest, such as those on Priors Croft and Bradley Road, found that over 84% of residents would want to keep them, with only 8.1% wanting them removed.
There was also a proposal to close the junction of Oakfield Road and Priors Croft to create a playground for local children. However, this was objected to by local residents and Unity Hall, who feared the noise disturbance of children playing! With children's reduction in independence and ever decreasing public space given to parking, this was a missed opportunity, and in hindsight a grave mistake.
Higham Hill West was ambitious but only focused on the area to the North of St Andrews Road. Lowther Road and its adjoining roads were to benefit with the closure of a small section of Lowther between Goldsmith and Lancaster Roads. It was proposed that this area be turned into a mini playground for local children to enjoy whilst also creating a direct safe route all the way to Higham Hill Park. Turning road space into child-friendly play space seems like such a no-brainer, and planners could see the importance of this 45 years ago. Along with a filter at the junction of Clarence and Mayfield and street greening, the area could have been a beautiful space.
The Higham Hill Road of 1974 was as plagued by dangerous, speeding vehicles as it is today, although the invention of sat-nav has increased through traffic massively. Recommendations of the GIA included removing parking to improve sightlines, making it safer to cross, pavement widening and a huge program of greening and planting. Most notably, a crossing was proposed between Manor and Gloucester Roads, outside where Organic Hill is now, something that we are in dire need of in 2021.
"Vehicles serving the shops wait at the kerbside reducing the traffic to one lane. Whilst this helps to slow traffic, it is dangerous for pedestrians and vehicles"
The decision to retain high volumes of through-traffic on Higham Hill Road and split Higham Hill into two distinct areas was a huge mistake and has led to limited success for the scheme and a legacy of danger and poor health that is the focus of our campaign for healthier streets.
Local government worked with local residents for 4 years and formed the Higham Hill GIA Residents Association. This was as close to a community-led design as you'd get in 1974 and residents were broadly in support of the scheme. The East GIA is mostly intact and the proposed greening went ahead on Carlton Road and Bramley Close. It's disappointing to see very little of the planters and trees that were put in elsewhere, although you can still see the pavement buildouts where they were supposed to be.
It's unclear why the West section around Lowther Road was only partially completed or possibly reversed and why the East section remained as an access-only area, an historic LTN (Low-Traffic Neighbourhood). There were a couple of petitions after construction but mainly to revert back to two-way traffic on Manor and Carlton Roads. Despite community support, a lack of political will and years of neglect have meant that these visions were never fully realised. To see the exact same issues regarding road danger and public health still present almost half a century later despite repeated calls for change is heartbreaking but also inspiring. These plans had people at the centre of their design and were pioneers of people-friendly streets.
Today, faced with much starker road death statistics, air pollution, health inequalities, inactivity related illnesses, rising child and adult obesity and a climate crisis that threatens us all, it's time to look again at how we can make our streets safer, cleaner and greener. The work done elsewhere in Waltham Forest, most notably in Leytonstone, Coppermill, Francis Road and Blackhorse Village, could have a hugely positive impact on the lives of residents in Higham Hill and Lloyd Park. We didn't quite manage it 45 years ago. Let's finish the job.
This blog only skims the surface of the amount of detail discovered in researching GIAs, and in fact there are over 100 of them across the UK after the success of those in London!
If you were involved at the time, have any further information or are interested in the GIA in your area, do get in touch. There are still many unanswered questions about this scheme and we would love to hear from you so that we can further explore the fascinating history of our streets.
Huge thanks to:
Vestry House Museum Archives
Waltham Forest Highways
Hackney Cycling Campaign: http://hackneycyclist.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-history-behind-filtered.html#google_vignette
All quotes are from the report by the National Building Agency for The General Improvement Area at Higham Hill - ref: W71 HIG
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