Latest phase of £17,200,000 project to give ‘dead’ London neighbourhood a revamp

Tucked away beneath St James Street station in Walthamstow lies Courtenay Place, which for the last 154 years, has been home to 16 now-derelict railway arches.

Now, a major redevelopment worth a total of £17,200,000 is set to give the East London neighbourhood a fresh face, with one of the projects to rebrand the area as St James Quarter complete with new businesses, lighting, art projects and even a ‘pocket square.’

Waltham Forest Council believe the plans will ‘improve the character of the area,’ as well as the connections between the underpass and St James overground station.

The new plans took just 13 minutes to approve, with Labour Councillor Jenny Gray labelling them a ‘really good idea’ destined to ‘bring life to a dead area,’ as per reports in TimeOut.

Just around the corner, CRATE St James opened in 2019 on the site of a disused car park, hosting food and drink options as well as events spaces offering everything from Tai Chi to African drumming and yoga classes.

This isn’t the first regeneration project Walthamstow has seen in recent years. In 2023, Walthamstow Council secured £17,200,000 worth of Levelling Up funding, which it’s since designated towards the Walthamstow: Culture For All projects across Hoe Street, Walthamstow High Street and, of course, St James Quarter.

‘Making Waltham Forest a better place for residents is at the heart of everything we do. We are creating a thriving and welcoming cultural destination in the St James Quarter,’ Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration Councillor Ahsan Khan said.

‘We are pleased that architects Feix&Merlin and Extended Studio can come with us on this journey to help us deliver our vision through the Levelling Up programme that will provide more green spaces and attract more visitors to the town centre, bringing an important boost for the local economy.’

Warmly regarded by locals as ‘Awesomestow,’ in 2024, the borough of Waltham Forest – of which Walthamstow is a part – was crowned the best place for first-time buyers to live in the capital.

The title was awarded by housing developer Pocket Living, which looked at house prices, crime rate and transport links across the Big Smoke.

What’s more, it also took into account the number of markets, allotments, bakeries and pubs, theorising that these establishments best suited the lifestyle of the next generation looking to get on the ladder.

Naturally, Walthamstow is bountiful in these areas, home to the likes of Eat 17 – AKA, one of the bougiest Spars in London, famous for its bacon jam, wall of East London-brewed craft beers, and of course, its sourdough. What else does one have with their eggs in the morning?

There’s also the Walthamstow Market which, dominating almost the entirety of Walthamstow High Street (bar the final 100 metres), is Europe’s second longest outdoor market. And there’s sweet treats and coffee aplenty to be found at Wood Street Bakery, Milk, and Rebel Coffee.

Locals have long been professing their love for the area too, and with so much culture around, it’s little surprise.

‘For me, the biggest appeal is that it has a proper village feel, even whilst in London,’ @cazpazaz penned in the r/London Reddit thread.

@guernican added that ‘it’s the first place’ they’ve lived since moving to the Big Smoke that ‘genuinely feels like a community.’

‘Walthamstow will cover all of your immediate needs as a “place to live,” and has enough to do to keep yourself entertained without having to leave every time you want more than just a pint or a kebab,’ @basketballpope added.

And in @Jiuzhaigou’s opinion, it’s an ‘awesome’ place to live, hailing the high street’s ‘great value veg, meat and fish, and international supermarkets’ as well as the ‘trendy posh dining areas, breweries,’ and the ability to ‘zip into central London’ on the Victoria Line.

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