650 - 652 High Road Leytonstone, Leytonstone, London, E11 3AA Data via plota.co.uk

261514 - Full Planning Refused

Proposal

Change of use of retail premises (Use Class E (a)) to indoor gymnasium (Use Class E (d)) operating 24 hours Monday to Sunday and Bank holidays. Data via plota.co.uk

View original council record ↗Last checked

Application progress

✓
Received
18 Jun 2026
✓
Validated
13 Jul 2026
✗
Refused
8 Sept 2026
Appeal
Not lodged

Refused on 8 Sept 2026 · Delegated · Last checked 30 Sept 2026

Site constraints 8

3 Article 4 directions
Other Article 4 Direction Area · Leytonstone District Centre · District Centre related A4D. Named permitted development rights are withdrawn here.
An Article 4 direction withdraws particular permitted development rights, so work that would normally need no application needs one here. Not every council has published its directions.
Archaeological priority area
An assessment or field evaluation may be asked for before ground works.
The council or Historic England considers archaeology likely here. A desk-based assessment, and sometimes trial trenching, can be asked for with the application.
Air quality management area: Waltham Forest AQMA
The council has declared the area as failing an air quality objective.
Schemes that add traffic, parking or combustion plant are assessed against the area's action plan and may need an air quality assessment.
Council record ↗
Town centre: Leytonstone
A designated centre in the London Plan.
Shops, services and active frontages are protected in centres, and main town centre uses are steered here first.
4 listed buildings within 150 m of the postcode pin
Nearest: Church of St John the Baptist, Grade II, about 27 m from the postcode pin · 1 Grade II*, 3 Grade II
The site itself is not listed. Listed building consent is needed for work that affects the special interest of a listed building, inside or out, on top of planning permission. Setting can be a consideration for buildings nearby; there is no fixed radius.
Show all 4 with distances
Historic England ↗
Also on the record
Inside the Waltham Forest built-up area; Public transport access: PTAL 5 (very good), TfL 2023, for the 100 m square; Designated open space about 28 m away.
Not affected
Outside flood zones 2 and 3 · Not green belt · No scheduled monument at the site

Checked on 6 October 2026. The pin for this application is the centre of its postcode rather than the building, so distances to nearby designations are measured from the postcode and can be out by the width of the postcode area. Historic England, the Environment Agency, Natural England, Transport for London (public transport access levels, Powered by TfL Open Data, OGL v3.0, contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025) and council datasets, Open Government Licence. A boundary can run through a site and the council holds the definitive record: confirm with the council before relying on this.

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Important details

Application type
Full Planning
Postcode
E11 3AA
Received
18 Jun 2026
Validated
13 Jul 2026
Ward
Leytonstone
Case officer
Show
Target decision
7 Sept 2026
Decision
Refused (with Reasons)
Decision date
8 Sept 2026
Decision level
Delegated
Applicant
Show
Freehold owner
Show

How this decision compares

Decided in 57 days from validation, about the council's usual 56 days. Refused, as 51% of changes of use here are.

57%decided within 8 weeks
49%approved
158decided in the last year

Plota live figures for changes of use decided by Waltham Forest in the last twelve months, from validation. Waltham Forest decision record →

Consultation & key dates

Statutory expiry
7 Sept 2026
Waltham Forest
Planning Authority Score
5.6/10
Average
#116 of 296 councils
Relevant to this application:
Change of use

Waltham Forest is faster than most councils at deciding householder applications, ranking #80 out of 296. Only 22% of applications have the time limit extended, well below the 41% national average - the council usually decides on time. Waltham Forest is also one of the strictest councils - it refuses more householder applications than almost any other, with only 79% approved vs 90% nationally.

One of the strictest councils
only 79% approved vs 90% nationally
These figures are council-wide context, not a prediction for this application. View full council performance
Waltham Forest decision statistics
Based on MHCLG data, the year to March 2026
76%
Overall approval rate
Below avg (87%) #284 of 296
79%
Householder approved
Below avg (90%) #284 of 296
75%
Decided in 8 weeks
Above avg (63%) #80 of 296
22%
Extended time limit
Below avg (41%) #25 of 296
49%
Minor dwellings approved
113 decided (1-9 homes)
100%
Major dwellings approved
8 decided (10+ homes)
50%
Change of use approved
56 decided
1,391
Total decisions
332 refused in the year to March 2026

Freehold owner: Information produced by HM Land Registry. © Crown copyright 2026. Source: HM Land Registry, UK and overseas companies that own property in England and Wales, September 2026 release.