High Street Improvements, Levellers Court and the 485 Bus

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Latest local update from the Thamesfield ward councillors


Thamesfield Councillors Mike Ryder, Rosemary Torrington, and John Locker

Welcome to the March edition of the Thamesfield councillors ebulletin covering local news and information. If you have any issues you would like to raise with us please do let us know.

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Putney High Street Improvement Project

As an important town centre we have been keen for some time to actively improve Putney. Following consultation, a range of projects has been approved by the Council and is poised to start to improve the public realm and air quality in the High Street. The aim is to give pedestrians and cyclists greater priority over vehicles. Works will include (see illustration below),

•  Reduction of speed on the High Street from 30mph to 20mph

•  Widening of pavements on the eastern side of the High Street by around 2m and the carriageway narrowed to give pedestrians greater comfort and priority

•  Copenhagen style crossing at the junction of the High Street with Lacy Road with raised levels and promotion of diagonal crossing to give pedestrian greater priority

•  Improved crossing at the junction where Putney Bridge Road meets the High Street including the removal of the cramped pedestrian refuge to create one single crossing across Putney Bridge Road

•  Guardrail removal to be replaced by planters and new trees on the eastern side of the High Street

•  Improved cycle parking on the High Street

•  Relocation of the taxi rank outside the station to Upper Richmond Road and to a curb side space on the High Street south of Disraeli Road. Freeing up the rank in the middle of the High Street will help to reduce congestion and pollution by easing traffic flows

•  Architectural lighting and green walls where possible with cooperation of building owners

•  Contra-flow cycle lanes trial

The above constitutes phase 1 and has been costed at £640,000. Much of the funding is in place from Neighbourhood CIL, the local implementation plan and Positively Putney (the Putney business group). The Council is seeking to replace the CIL funding we had hoped to secure from Levellers' Court. We were disappointed that London Mayor rejected a joint bid from Wandsworth Council and Positively Putney to TfL and GLA to secure a portion of funding for some of the above works which were designed to improve High Street air quality but work is progressing on a further bid for later this year.

Further details can be found in the full report at item 11 (2018/65)

We will continue our campaign to secure further funding to realise the extended package. We appreciate the early funding commitment from Positively Putney and look forward to working with them and residents groups, the Putney Society and Wandsworth Living Streets to ensure that the improvements are the best they can be for everyone. We'll continue to look carefully at development sites as they come up to ensure that opportunities to improve the public realm continue to be maximised.

Don't forget to shop locally and support our town centre!

Proposals for Levellers Court are rejected by the January Planning Committee

The application site was on the corner of Putney High Street and Putney Bridge Road.

At the January Planning committee meeting Rosemary Torrington made representations on behalf of residents. Whilst everyone is keen to see the regeneration of this site and much-needed investment in the High Street, there remained serious concerns about the application. The proposals failed to provide the important public square expected by the Council's policy document. Offering only a pocket courtyard at first floor level next to bedrooms it would not have been accessible 24/7 and failed to fulfil the aspirations of the policy, a point also made by the Design Review Panel. At ten storeys, the proposals would have been on the margins of acceptability particularly on a site forming part of an existing block of between three and four storeys on either side. This was a very different context from the stand-alone buildings of Putney Wharf Tower and Jubilee House. In this instance, we did not feel that the height could be justified by the public benefit on offer."

There were however, many positive features such as an improved street frontage with much-needed retail and office space as well as affordable housing, landscaping and CIL funding for improvement to the public realm in the High Street. We very much hope that the owners of this site and the adjoining site on the corner will now work together to develop an integrated scheme incorporating a public square at ground level. As councillors we will do all we can to support an improved scheme for this important town centre site.

Thamesfield Safer Neighbourhood Team

The local ward Police team and representatives of the Neighbourhood Watch Groups meet regularly and we are fortunate to have a very supportive group in Thamesfield. If there are particular concerns you would like to raise or if you'd like to know more about getting involved please let us know.

Since the last meeting we have been working with the local Police team to combat thefts from motor vehicles in the ward. A particular problem has been criminal gangs using mopeds to make their getaway. We have been trialling the use of temporary CCTV, fliers, and signs warning people not to leave valuables in parked cars.

485 Bus Route

Consultation runs from 19 February until 25 March on a rerouting of the 485 to link Wandsworth Riverside Quarter with transport hubs at East Putney tube and Putney mainline station. The bus will now run down the High Street and continue as before along Lower Richmond Road and over Hammersmith bridge to serve the many schools in that area. The route would increase from 2 to 4 buses per hour. As chairman of the Council's Passenger Transport Liaison Group, Rosemary Torrington has been campaigning for years to improve this service for WRQ residents seeking to access transport hubs. When building work is completed in WRQ, the bus will run into and terminate in WRQ.

You can review and respond to details of the consultation online.

The Wandsworth Wanderer minibus shuttle service

TfL have granted a licence to Ford to run its Chariot minibus shuttle service from Wandsworth Riverside Quarter to Clapham Junction station. The service will offer residents additional transport options and will run Monday to Friday excluding public holidays. Customers book and pay for the ride on a scheduled 15-seater vehicle along the route using the Chariot app. The route which is being trialled for nine months is illustrated below.

Brandlehow School

We are often approached by local parents who are keen for their child or a sibling to join Brandlehow which has been rated outstanding by Ofsted. The school was keen to increase its intake to offer two form entry to meet growing demand. The Council recently approved £3,000,000 in its capital programme and discussions are underway regarding works to provide two form entry. The report can be viewed as Item 11.

Improving air quality and installation of electric charging points

The ownership of electric vehicles in the borough has increased significantly. The challenge for most people who do not have off-street parking is how to charge an electric vehicle. So far there are 99 street charging points in the borough provided by Source London. In Thamesfield there are points in Waterman Street, Commondale and just over the boundary in Putney Leisure Centre. The Council recently approved a 6 month trial to allow viable lamp posts to be used as charging points. Subject to the trial, this would be rolled out across the borough.

One of the trial areas is in Thamesfield in an area east of the High Street (see map below). The paper can be found under item 8 (18-63) .

 

Councillors Mike Ryder, Rosemary Torrington and John Locker
Thamesfield ward

March 6, 2018