Blackhorse Road regeneration

In August 2016, U+I, the mixed-use property regeneration specialist, exchanged contracts with landowner, Parkdale Investments, to bring forward a new mixed-use regeneration project for the Forest Works site on Blackhorse Road, North East London.

Named Equipment Works, the 3-acre industrial site has the potential to deliver 300 new homes and 5,500 sq. ft. of commercial space for the area, with a GDV of £95m.

Less than 150 m from Blackhorse Road Station, Equipment Works sits within an area already earmarked for significant regeneration. The site has been identified as a hub within the London Borough of Waltham Forest’s Blackhorse Lane Area Action Plan and is located within the new Blackhorse Lane housing zone, which aims to deliver more than 2,500 new homes and 1,000 new jobs in the next ten years.

Councillor Clare Coghill, Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and High Streets described Blackhorse Lane as the area with “the greatest potential for improvement of any part of the borough.”

As well as £200 million of private investment, the area is benefiting from support from the Mayor of London’s Outer London Fund for improvements to its high street and public amenity spaces. In January 2016 it was also announced that Blackhorse Road Station would receive £2.2 million investment from Transport for London for improvements to the station and surrounding area.

Working closely with the London Borough of Waltham Forest, U+I will develop plans for Equipment Works reflecting the Council’s and local community’s aspirations for the area.

Simon Hesketh, Director of Regeneration, U+I said, “We are delighted to be working with Parkdale Investments on a mixed-use regeneration project that will deliver significant benefits to the local area. Forest Works demonstrates U+I’s ability to uncover regeneration opportunities within emerging parts of the London City Region. We are focused on creating long-term social and economic change for the places in which we develop and we look forward to working with Waltham Forest council and the local community to progress our redevelopment plans for the site.”

In July 2017, U+I announced that it had secured resolution to grant planning consent for the regeneration of Equipment Works. U+I will open up part of the site to the local community from mid-August until the end of 2017, with the launch of a temporary community project, Sideshow, run in partnership with Blackhorse Workshops.

This new installation will celebrate the maker culture of London through a series of family-friendly exhibitions, workshops and events. The site will also have a new café which will increase access and provide welcome amenity space for the local community. The vision for this space is for it to become a focal point in the social life of Blackhorse Road during its period of operation, providing regular creative workshops for kids and adults alongside a mix of evening and weekend events.

--U and I