Waltham Forest Council has set out which roads and footways will be resurfaced across the borough during the remainder of 2026, revealing a programme of repairs that will cost local taxpayers a combined £3.63 million.
Scope and cost of the works
Officials say 30 roads were identified for resurfacing, with 16 of those already completed. The resurfacing element alone is budgeted at £3.2 million, and pavement repairs at £435,300. The list of schemes was presented at a full council meeting on 16 July, the second meeting held under the borough’s new Green administration.
Where the remaining work will be done
The remaining carriageway resurfacing work is largely concentrated in the Larkswood and Highams Hill wards, which are each scheduled for two further resurfacing projects. Council members told the meeting that many of the schemes began in May and are progressing satisfactorily, although the published list does not include estimated completion dates.
- Number of roads originally identified: 30
- Roads already completed: 16
- Total projected spend on resurfacing and pavements: £3.63m
Major individual projects
The most expensive single carriageway contract is a £227,600 scheme to replace the road surface on Kings Head Hill and The Ridgeway in Endlebury and Chingford Green, covering 6,000 square metres. The next largest carriageway job is the resurfacing of 3,000sqm of Bridge End in Chapel End at £220,200. On footways, the costliest works are in Dale View End in Endlebury, budgeted at £92,400, and currently under way.
| Location | Type | Cost | Area (sqm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Head Hill & The Ridgeway (Endlebury / Chingford Green) | Carriageway | £227,600 | 6,000 |
| Bridge End (Chapel End) | Carriageway | £220,200 | 3,000 |
| Dale View End (Endlebury) | Footway | £92,400 | — |
Remaining locations scheduled for resurfacing
The council’s published list names the following roads as due for carriageway resurfacing:
- Ainslie Wood Road (E4)
- Beatrice Road (E17)
- Colworth Road (E11) (Preston Road to Poppleton Road)
- Coney Burrows (E4)
- Dames Road (E7)
- Durban Road (E17)
- Flempton Road (E10)
- Friday Hill West (E4) (Nursery to no 17)
- Hale End Road (E17) (Heathcroft Gardens to Belle Vue Road)
- Inks Green (E4)
- Kings Head Hill (E4) (The Ridgeway to College Gardens) and The Ridgeway (Kings Head Hill to 11)
- Lea Valley Road (E4)
- Melville Road (E17)
- Stow Crescent (E17)
- Warren Road (E10) (A106)
The following footways are also listed for refurbishment:
- Dale View Avenue (E4)
- Davies Lane (E11)
- Montserrat Avenue (IG8)
- Weale Road (E4) (Withy Mead to 39 Weale Road)
Implications for residents and accountability
For residents, the programme should bring smoother surfaces and improved footways where work is completed, but the absence of published finish dates means local people cannot reliably plan for temporary disruptions. Councillors confirmed at the meeting that many projects are under way; however, transparency about scheduling and road closures will be important to reduce inconvenience for drivers, pedestrians and businesses in affected areas.
Waltham Forest is pursuing an ambitious maintenance programme at a notable cost. Monitoring progress and publishing timelines would help hold the council to account for delivery and ensure the council’s capital spend delivers the promised improvements to borough roads and pavements.
