10.54pm

People fancy going home now I think. An application to place solar panels on Juniper House, in Hoe Street, Walthamstow, and with that Cllr Barnett calls it a night.

Thanks for staying with me this evening, I hope you enjoyed the coverage. I imagine we’ll be getting reaction on the big stories tomorrow, but to recap: Walthamstow Stadium’s car park will now become a bus depot ran by HCT Group despite local concern over noise.

A 344-home housing estate for Billett Road, Walthamstow, has been approved.

Goodnight all.

10.50pm

We’re coming to the end now. Akhlaq Mohammed wants to open a restaurant in Grove Green Road, Leytonstone.

It would seat 22 people but faces opposition from neighbours, an elderly couple present at the meeting, as well as three other objections.

They fear it could lead to increased noise and litter but Mr Mohammed’s daughter, Sonia, who is speaking on her father’s behalf, denies this.

No alcohol would be allowed in the eatery. The restaurant would bring what was described as a derelict site back into use.

After a bit of back and forth councillors decide to pass it, with the condition that seating be placed at the front, away from the kitchen for hygiene reasons.

10.27pm

DECISION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY. MOSQUE CAN EXPAND

10.23pm

Local resident Mr Lee said he feared the impact on surrounding roads from extra traffic but the councillors seem to agree with the applicant that most worshippers will be coming by bus.

10.15pm

Another one down, then. Everything’s been passed after being recommended by the council officers for approval so far.

Now the committee is considering a mosque’s application for a temporary hut for its members to pray in.

Masjid al-Tawhid mosque in High Road wants permission to build a temporary timber building to use it as a prayer hall for its growing congregation.

So far it has been forced to use a marquee to the rear of the site to contain all its members.

It’s been recommended for approval as long as it is used for a maximum of four years, there is no amplified sound, and that it is only used each Friday between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

Thirteen neighbours from High Road, Albans Court and Leslie Road have objected on grounds of increased noise disturbance, loss of light and privacy from the three-metre high structure.

10.10pm

DECISION PASSED. BILLET ROAD WILL HOST A 344-HOME HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

As Cllr Northover complains that there is “a certain inevitability” to the outcome of the planning meetings, Cllr Gray leads a motion to pass the application.

Cllr Barnett seconds the move while he tells Cllr Northover he sympathises with what he said.

The voting split is the same as before – it’s been passed by four votes to three, the Tories and Lib Dems against and the Labour councillors in favour.

10.07pm

I take back my earlier comment about the chairs – they are, in fact, very comfy – you just need to lean back in them properly.

Cllr Gray is calling for councillors to be realistic about the amount of affordable housing they should expect.

She says: “We can’t turn down every housing development proposal because they won’t give us 50 per cent affordable housing.”

Just before that, Cllr Siggers ended his speech by slamming the plan as “appalling”.

10pm

Now Cllr Siggers is questioning where the £1.03 million, allocated for “offsite infrastructure”, will be spent, and on what. It’s a good point – there’s no mention on it in the report that I can see, it’s pretty vague.

9.56pm

Cllr Northover has questioned the density of the development, which determines how many rooms you can build per hectare.

After reducing the number of homes from 562 homes to 344, the development would be below the density limit of the area, according to the application.

But Cllr Northover said Billet Road has been designated an urban area, whereas if it was a suburban area the numbers of homes would be far too many because the density limit is lower.

He said Billet Road and Chingford Road, in Chingford, where Stow stadium lies, share “exactly the same make-up” but the latter has been designated a suburban area.

A council officer said Billet Road has been identified as an “area of growth” by the government, where more homes can be built.

9.45pm

Worth noting that the housing estate developers, Hadley, would be required to provide £1.03 million for “offsite infrastructure” and £225,000 towards a building for community use if the application is passed.

9.37pm

Cllr Phillips has also criticised the amount of affordable housing available. She said only 30 properties are affordable housing, not 50, as presented, because the remaining 20 are shared ownership.

She claims people on the borough’s housing list can’t afford shared ownership and the council would be “rolling over” to accept these numbers.

The council policy, it's been stated, is to have 50 per cent of housing development properties as affordable housing.

But a council officer said it is applied on a case by case basis and the level of grant funding for affordable housing has dropped dramatically in the last year, which is affecting how much developers can provide.

9.31pm

Mr Duke-Williams also criticised the provision of what he called a “takeaway”, listed as a restaurant, due to its proximity to local schools.

Cllr Barnett confirmed the council would block them from building a fast food outlet, but a Hadley representative said it would not be a takeaway.

9.25pm

Oliver Duke-Williams, who lives opposite the site in Billet Road, has criticised the new application.

He says the development, which would reach a height of five storeys (it was previously six) is still too high, while only 15 per cent of the homes are to be affordable housing, which he feels does not meet Waltham Forest Council’s requirements.

He added that more parking spaces are needed.

9.08pm

So there you go, the site will now become a bus depot, just as the council recommended.

It’s hard to overstate the contrast between tonight and last week’s fractious meeting. Some of the people who had come along left after the decision was made.

Their exit was peaceful with no trouble at all, perhaps even subdued would be a good word to describe it.

Anyway, we’ve moved onto the proposal to build a 344-home housing development in Billet Road, Walthamstow.

As I said earlier, this one’s even bigger than the 294-home estate to be built on the Stow stadium.

The site is huge, comprising Billet Works, the Kimberley Industrial Estate and the former Tyco factory.

The proposal, from Hadley Property Group, is to demolish the remaining buildings on the site to develop the housing estate.

8.57pm

PROPOSAL PASSED. THE CAR PARK WILL BECOME A BUS DEPOT.

In far less passionate scenes than those which greeted last week’s Stow stadium decision, the application to turn Walthamstow Stadium car park is passed by four votes to three.

The two Tory councillors (Siggers, Northover ) and Liberal Democrat Cllr Phillips vote against but Labour councillors pass it when Cllr Barnett, the chair, votes in favour of the application.

8.53pm

It looked like the decision was due to be made then, but HCT are being questioned over job creation after Cllr Siggers asked the question earlier.

Mr Hempton says the jobs would be new jobs, repeating that they would not be jobs filled by the firm’s employees at its site in Low Hall, Leyton.

8.45pm

Cllr Jenny Gray is speaking in favour of the application. She’s “impressed” by the training facility, which would train 100 people a year, HCT says.

She moves the officers’ recommendation of the proposal. Cllr Barnett backs her, calling it a good scheme.

8.43pm

Brrr, it’s pretty cold in here. The plush red leather seats aren’t as comfy as they look after sitting in them for an hour or two, either.

Maybe it’s to keep people awake – this meeting has a lot on the agenda.

8.37pm

Cllr Siggers has criticised what he sees as a lack of a transport plan, condemning it as a “woefully underprepared report we are being asked to consider”.

The transport plan involves buses taking slightly lengthier routes to avoid causing delays on certain roads.

Cllr Siggers continued by saying the buses would reduce the air quality. HCT says it will fit half its buses with filters to reduce pollution.

8.29pm

The chair decided to resolve the issue of deferment by a vote.

Cllr Alan Siggers moved for deferment, Cllr Northover seconded it and Cllr Elizabeth Phillips agreed.

Cllr Barnett, Cllr Jenny Gray, and two others voted against it.

8.17pm

Cllr Ed Northover has backed calls for a deferral by stating it would be premature to make a decision until the council knows the result of Boris Johnson’s decision on L&Q’s housing development for Stow stadium.

He and Cllr Hemsted feel the 294 homes would increase local traffic greatly, meaning the buses would have a greater impact than currently estimated, he claims.

The plans for Walthamstow Stadium were passed by the council but the Mayor of London has the final say – he is expected to make a decision within a fortnight.

Cllr Barnett said the outcome would not affect this application because they are separate entities and no longer linked, being owned by different companies.

It is still quiet and everyone’s listening politely to people making their points. There’s no sign of any police inside the chamber, either.

8.10pm

Cllr Jemma Hemsted, of Valley ward, claims L&Q’s Stow stadium application must be taken into account.

She said between that and the housing estate proposed for Leyton (see below) up to 1,000 extra vehicles could use the Billet Road roundabout twice a day.

8.03pm

Mrs Penfold added that the Salisbury Hall remains, which lie beneath the site, could be excavated and the site covered in perspex as a place of historical interest.

There could be a museum set up which she claims would still provide many jobs.

Ricky Holloway, from Save Our Stow (SOS), was scolded by Cllr Barnett for bringing up the stadium, saying the stadium and car park are related. Cllr Barnett said it is a separate matter.

He accused the Labour councillors of ignoring residents’ wishes and said it is inevitable that they will vote in favour of the application.

Luke Hempton, representing HCT, dismissed concerns that jobs will go to staff from the company’s current site in Leyton. He said the majority of the 270 jobs, 80 per cent of which are full time, will go to Waltham Forest people.

He added that noise would not be an issue because the buses will have a gadget that changes the frequency of their engine noises to a less audible one.

7.50pm

Gail Penfold, a local residents association chair, has asked for the application decision to be deferred.

Her request is on the grounds that she claims the London Fire Brigade were due to be consulted but haven’t been and that the site can only be used for leisure use.

The fire brigade must give its consent for HCT Group to store fuel on the site.

Another member of the Walthamstow Stadium Area Residents/Community Association, Lloyd Richards, added that the 270 jobs would not be for people in the borough. He claims HCT Group already have staff for the buses.

He said the rise in CO2 emissions would be unacceptable and that the extra traffic would clog up the surrounding roads.

7.37pm We’ve begun.

Labour councillor Peter Barnett is our chair, with six other councillors to debate and decide on the applications.

Barnett has referred to his powers to eject anyone from the meeting for being a disturbance.

Doesn't look like there's much need tonight, it's quite calm at the moment.

7.29pm

We’re about to begin.

The turn-out’s much, much lower than the last meeting, which, to remind you, was very heated and ended with councillors being shouted at and one whose family was threatened.

The tone tonight seems a lot more subdued. Here come all the latecomers now, though all wearing suits it looks like they must have rushed from work.

Walthamstow Stadium Area Residents/Community Association chairwoman Gail Penfold has told me someone else is to speak on her behalf as she has a sore throat.

She and her group, which represents many people near the site, have been vocal opponents of the plans for the stadiium car park.

7.24pm

Also to come:

A mosque in Leyton is seeking to expand.

Masjid al-Tawhid mosque in High Road wants permission to build a temporary timber building to use it as a prayer hall for its growing congregation.

So far it has been forced to use a marquee to the rear of the site to contain all its members, though it has not been stated how many there are.

It’s been recommended for approval as long as it is used for a maximum of four years , there is no amplified sound, and that it is only used each Friday between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

Thirteen neighbours from High Road, Albans Court and Leslie Road have objected on grounds of increased noise disturbance, loss of light and privacy from the three-metre high structure.

7.10pm

Now, the Stow stadium car park isn’t the only thing on the agenda tonight.

We also have the following to be discussed:

A 344-home housing development in Billet Road, Walthamstow. This one’s even bigger than the 294-home estate to be built on the stadium.

The site is huge, comprising Billet Works, the Kimberley Industrial Estate and the former Tyco factory.

The proposal, from Hadley Property Group, is to demolish the remaining buildings on the site to develop the housing estate.

It’s the second application after one submitted in 2008 – for 562 homes – was rejected by the council and subsequently by the Planning Inspectorate, which threw out the appeal over concerns regarding the height and density of the development.

After the alterations to the scale and density were made, the council has recommended it for approval, subject to the developers meeting some 56 conditions.

These include ensuring there are enough parking spaces for future residents and to prevent flooding.

Despite the size of the development, just three objections were received after 1,100 letters were sent to nearby households.

These concerned roads being clogged with parked cars and the scale of the buildings, which some fear would block light.

6.55pm

Whew! Made it through the traffic and am sat in a currently sparsely-populated council chamber, 40 minutes before the meeting is due to start.

I passed the police on the way in. There’s four of them currently milling around outside the town hall, but I’ve been told by a council officer that they will take up posts inside and outside the chamber shortly before the meeting begins.

5.40pm

We'll take a bit of a break now as I brave the rush hour traffic to reach the town hall, but while I'm on my way here's a few points to cast your eye over: The decision was postponed until tonight after it was meant to go ahead all those weeks ago on the evening March 27.

It didn't of course, the reason being that the council said it "had no records of" objection letters people claimed they had submitted.

The deadline was pushed back and streets were reconsulted.

Also, the council has added a planning condition that the ground must be checked for any unexploded bombs that may have been dropped when the site was heavily bombed in World War Two.

Lastly, English Heritage has stipulated that an archaeological survey must be carried out before any work begins.

It discovered that 14th century Salisbury Hall used to lie on the site, a wooden and possibly moated manor.

Right, I'll be back shortly - or as long as it takes to get through the evening traffic...

5.30pm

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the decision on the future of Walthamstow Stadium’s car park.

The meeting at Waltham Forest Town Hall doesn’t start until 7.30pm, but early birds will be able to read all the build up to tonight’s big decision – and refresh themselves on the key points to date.

You may remember last week’s decision on Walthamstow Stadium, when an application to turn Stow stadium into a 294-home housing development was narrowly passed after much heated debate at Walthamstow Assembly Hall.

Well, after councillors receiving threats to their safety from angry campaigners, Waltham Forest Council has requested police presence at tonight’s meeting.

We understand officers are expected to turn up at around 6.30pm to prevent things from getting out of control.

There’s plenty of opposition to HCT Group’s bid to turn the car park in Chingford Road, Chingford, into a bus depot – more than 100 objections have been received by the council – but it is still recommended for approval.

HCT Group claim it would create hundreds of jobs and could train 100 people a year at an on-site facility but neighbours complain the anti-social hours will keep them up at night.

HCT wants it to operate between 4.30am and 2am but residents believe it should stick to horus nearer 9am to 5pm.