NAG Action News Story:
Public Realm improvements to Robson Road / Norwood Road junction
and St Luke’s surroundings

For more than 10 years local community groups and local councillors have been campaigning for improvements to this junction. It is notorious to pedestrians and road users alike. The traffic layout results in poor traffic flow and grid-lock in peak hours whilst there is no safe crossing for pedestrians in this busy location adjacent to St Luke’s, the Post Office, the old and new libraries, South London Theatre and West Norwood Cemetery.

Lambeth Council has long acknowledged the need for major change but has never allocated funds. At last, with the 2012 London Olympics came the Mayor of London’s Outer London Fund to provide cash for capital projects in the boroughs that received no other benefit from the Olympic Games.

There was then the legal necessity for the plans to be developed and the project built and finished by the end of March 2014 if funding were not to be lost! Consequently, consultation was adversely affected by the rush and the almost continuous plan amendments. A coherent traffic plan from the Council’s consultants Arup was only published in November 2013 along with an alternative plan from TfL (Transport for London, who have to approve any works on the London strategic road network).

Norwood Action Group coordinated a community response with Norwood Forum to these proposals, particularly a rejection of the TfL plan. Council Officers in negotiation with TfL persuaded them to withdraw their plan and approve Arup’s.

NAG has continued to provide input into the still evolving detail, particularly with regard to pedestrian and cyclist safety, not with complete success and our concerns remain, particularly for cyclists. At the end of March 2014 the work is not completed, but the funding has been able to be held onto; hopefully completion will be by the end of April. There is a view that the scheme is flawed in some respects but most agree it will be a great improvement both visually and for countless future users.

In short, it will provide a regenerative boost for West Norwood that we are campaigning to be followed by imaginative works down the length of Norwood Road to Tulse Hill.

Click-on link to read the detailed submission of November 2013

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