Security guards in Waltham Forest

Which towns and estates in Waltham Forest do we cover?

All of them, from Leyton on the edge of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to Chingford and Epping Forest in the north.

• Walthamstow is a Major town centre in the London Plan. Its street market has traded since 1885 and runs along about a kilometre of the High Street from Tuesday to Saturday. The town is also home to the William Morris Gallery and the Town Hall and Fellowship Square, and it’s served by the Victoria line and the Overground.
• Blackhorse Lane is a Strategic Industrial Location, a GLA Housing Zone and a Creative Enterprise Zone, with makers, artists, small manufacturers and a cluster of breweries. Walthamstow Wetlands, a nature reserve on the reservoirs, is close by.
• Lea Bridge and Leyton. The council’s Local Plan describes Lea Bridge by its employment land at Argall Avenue, Lammas Road and Rigg Approach, and by Lea Bridge station, which reopened in 2016. Leyton is planned for 6,740 homes, including a new neighbourhood at Leyton Mills around a possible new station at Ruckholt Road. The Lee Valley Ice Centre and Riding Centre are at Lea Bridge, and the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre is at Leyton.
• Leytonstone and Whipps Cross. Leytonstone is a district centre, and Whipps Cross Hospital is in Leytonstone too; the Local Plan supports building a new hospital there.
• Chingford and Highams Park in the north, with district centres at North Chingford, South Chingford and Highams Park, the Highams Park Industrial Estate and the edge of Epping Forest. Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land make up 27% of the borough.

What needs guarding in Waltham Forest?

Industrial estates. Argall Avenue, Blackhorse Lane, Rigg Approach and Lammas Road are Strategic Industrial Locations, and Locally Significant Industrial Sites such as Sherrin Road and Highams Park are safeguarded for industry too. Yards with lorries coming and going need the gate run and the perimeter patrolled after hours: see warehouse and industrial security. A quieter estate may only need a mobile patrol calling at set or random times.

Creative workshops and breweries. Blackhorse Lane’s studios, workshops and breweries hold tools, stock and equipment. Where they close overnight, our keyholding and alarm response officers can attend alarms so owners don’t have to.

Building sites. The Local Plan sets minimums of 13,340 new homes in the south of the borough, 6,810 in the centre and 1,710 in the north. Officers can control the gate by day and guard the site at night (construction site security), and traffic marshals can manage deliveries off major roads such as Lea Bridge Road and Forest Road.

Shops and the market. Retailers along Walthamstow High Street and in the district centres can use uniformed retail security officers, who deter theft by being seen and back up staff on the busiest trading days.

Venues and events. Organisers at the borough’s sports and leisure venues can bring in event security officers for entry, bag checks and crowd management.

What else should you know about Waltham Forest?

• Big venues need an event day plan. The Local Plan expects venues with a capacity of more than 500 to have event day management plans for transport and access when attendance is high. Agree with the venue how your security officers fit into that plan before the day.
• Industry and homes are being mixed at Blackhorse Lane. The council’s framework for the Blackhorse Strategic Industrial Location mixes new homes with industry, so some yards will gain residential neighbours. If your yard will have flats next door, agree patrol routes and lighting that won’t disturb them.
• The Lea Valley carries flood risk. The Local Plan notes that land in the Lea Valley is subject to flood risk. Out-of-hours patrols of units at Lea Bridge and Blackhorse Lane should include checks for water getting in.