Plans to knock down existing council housing and and build 120 new homes all available for social rent have been approved.

Waltham Forest Council gave the green light to plans which will include three buildings ranging from four to nine-storeys tall, all fit with solar panels.

The existing residential buildings on the site by Hylands Road, Walthamstow, will be demolished to make way for the new development.

Currently the site contains two-storey council housing, which council documents describe as being “in a poor state of repair”, as well as a disused community centre.

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The two-storey council housing currently on the site. Photo: Google Maps

The plans received a total of 24 letters of objection from the public during consultation.

One letter questioned how the area’s infrastructure would cope with the influx of new residents.

Council documents said the “increase in demand for education and health facilities, which would result from the development, would be adequately catered for”, although did not specify how.

Another letter objected to the development's proximity to Epping Forest and the damage that would done to “its character, in terms biodiversity value and wildlife.”

Council documents stated the development’s landscaping strategy incorporated habitats to “increase the existing biodiversity of the site” and a financial contribution had been secured towards “mitigation measures” to protect the nearby Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation.

The council says it will consult with Natural England before submitting planned measures to mitigate the environmental impact of the development in due course.

A contract worth £29,752,448 was awarded to Engie Regeneration for the construction of the Hylands Road homes on November 29.