A DEVELOPER has hit back at critics of its plans to build a massive £100 million new housing estate.

Hadley Property Group secured permission for the 344-flat development at the site of the Kimberley Industrial Estate, off Billet Road in Walthamstow, from Labour councillors last month.

The development, which will also include retail and office space, will feature several blocks of five storeys and is substantially bigger than controversial plans for a housing estate at Walthamstow Stadium.

Approval of the plans came despite opposition from police, the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, residents, and Conservative and Liberal Democrat councillors who raised concerns about crime, disruption and the low amount of affordable housing.

Tory councillor Alan Siggers described it as "an appalling scheme" and "a serious overdevelopment [which] won't benefit us at all."

But Hadley's development director Andrew Southern insisted the scheme, which will be called 'Banbury Park', would boost the community.

He said: “The Banbury Park scheme will bring significant investment into the area, which will continue to reap the rewards of being a host Olympic borough and the investment and prestige that it brings.

“By working closely with the local council and the Greater London Assembly we achieved extensive environmental and community aspirations."

He added: "Hadley Property Group has successfully designed a scheme which embraces the latest sustainable standards, creating a selection of high-quality environmentally friendly homes that will offer a brand new destination that local people can be proud of, marking a new era for this part of the borough.”

Work is expected to begin this autumn and is scheduled to last several years.

The developer has been trying to get permission to build on the estate since 2008.

Its plans for 560 homes were blocked by the council in 2010. The firm then won an appeal only for the government to step in and refuse permission in 2011.

Many of the buildings on the industrial estate were badly damaged in a huge blaze in April 2011. The Fire Brigade concluded it was not suspicious.

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