Pedestrianisation Proposal Made for Werter Road
Campaign group wants to close western end near the High Street
How Werter Road might look under the plan. Picture: Wandsworth Living Streets
A proposal is being made by Wandsworth Living Streets for the pedestrianisation of part of a road near Putney High Street.
The plan would be close the western end of Werter Road, from the entrance to Sainsbury's basement car park to the High Street, to all traffic (except Sainsbury's deliveries, emergency vehicles and bicycles).
Werter Road is currently a one way road but under the plan it would have to be re-instated as two way, from its junction with Oxford Road up to the entrance of the car park.
It is proposed to replace the existing road surface with a durable pavement material that extends for the full width of the road, including the sidewalk adjacent to Sainsbury’s, from the exit of the basement car park to the High Street.
Raised plant beds, trees and other green features as well as seating and ornamental lamp stands would be placed within this area and the nine parking spaces within this new civic space would be removed. The central traffic island near the Sainsbury’s car park entrance would be removed and two disabled parking spaces and a loading bay would be added outside the Baptist Church.
Ongoing road works at the junction of Werter Road with the High Street have temporarily closed the western end and which it is claimed demonstrates that two way traffic is possible without undue problems.
The proponents of the scheme believe this would give people an area to sit and relax away from the polluted, vehicle dominated environment of the High Street.
Werter Road as it is at the moment
Wandsworth Living Streets says, “A pedestrian priority area, in a central position along the High Street, could create a focal point, bring people back to Putney and help to reverse this decline. It could contain seating, landscaped planting, al fresco dining, street markets and other outdoor events, all within a location that already enjoys significant footfall due to Sainsbury's and the Community Church opposite. There is ample evidence to support this, including last summer in our own borough when Northcote Road and Old York Road were closed to allow al fresco dining.”
Construction work currently going on at the site on Werter Road
Campaigners say that most people responded positively to the scheme when they carried out a survey around the site on Saturday 20 March.
However, many residents of Werter Road are unhappy about the proposal saying that claims about the level of rat-running on the road are exaggerated and that two-way operation is impractical particularly with the number of delivery vans that use the road.
A report was written in opposition to the proposal which those against the scheme say the overwhelming majority of Werter Road have endorsed. The Putney Society are also not supporting the idea.
Further details of the proposal may be seen at wandsworthlivingstreets.org.uk and an online petition has been set up which you can sign by clicking here.
A spokesperson for Wandsworth Council said, “The council is currently undertaking a significant programme of environmental improvement works along the high street worth in excess of £4m to improve conditions for residents, visitors, shoppers and businesses which also include steps to improve air quality. Further details can be read here .
"We have no plans at present to pedestrianise parts of Werter Road which was investigated previously and not supported by local residents but we are happy to liaise with them if opinions have changed.”
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |
April 2, 2021