‘There’s nowhere else like this’: the backlash against plans for a Gail’s bakery in Walthamstow

A petition opposing plans for a Gail’s in Walthamstow village has attracted hundreds of signatures. Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

Walthamstow is a large suburb of north-east London that bustles with all the messy life and colour of the multicultural inner city. On a short, smart, pedestrianised stretch of road to the east of its high street, however, there is a sharp change in mood.

Here on Orford Road, close to what was once the original rural village of Walthamstow, the lively buzz gives way to something much more refined. Instead of the betting shops and halal butchers of the cheerful high street, there is an antiques shop, a tapas deli and some very nice independent cafes.