Consultation Hub

We asked residents of Cartmel for their views on HS2 Ltd’s options for Hampstead Road Bridge and information about their households.

77% of the 69 households in Cartmel responded to the survey. Key findings included:

• 85% of residents are aware of HS2 Ltd’s original proposal to raise the level of Hampstead Road by approximately 4.7 metres.
• Opinion is divided on whether residents would prefer to stay living in their homes if HS2 Ltd took forward their recommended proposal of a heightened bridge up to 4.2 metres – 47% stated they would prefer to stay and 43% would prefer to move.
• 72% of residents would support an alternative option to HS2 Ltd’s current proposal that would involve the demolition of Cartmel.
• Over half of tenants (58%) would prefer not to move at all if they had to move more than once, and most want to stay in their local area.
• 44% of tenants indicated they would be happy to move to any part of Camden. 

These findings will be represented in any future negotiations with HS2 Ltd. At the time of writing, HS2 Ltd has made no commitment to taking forward any specific alternative to their proposed option.

However, just before the Council appeared at the House of Lords Select Committee in September, HS2 Ltd provided an assurance that it will consider a wider range of options proposed by the Council for the design of the replacement bridge, providing they do not impact on the safe and economic delivery of the works.

Discussions with HS2 Ltd about Cartmel and Hampstead Road Bridge may continue over several months. The Council will consult Cartmel residents about any alternative proposals for Hampstead Road Bridge that affect their homes before any decisions are taken by the Council. The Council also scheduled a drop in session for Cartmel residents in November 2016 to discuss HS2 Ltd’s Hampstead Road Bridge proposals.    

What you thought of the Fair Deal for London Alliance's proposed Compensation Charter.

• Urban areas should receive fair compensation and not be disadvantaged • The Charter was broadly on the right lines but that it downplayed the scale of disruption in Camden • An independent body should be established to assess compensation, design the scheme and adjudicated on disputes and bids for compensation. • That the Property Bond should not be the focal point of the Charter. • The criteria for compensation should not be the same as for rural areas, (i.e. 120m from the line for the Rural Support zone or 120m to 300m from the line for the Homeowner payment), but should be tailored to reflect the different nature of urban areas. • Businesses should be eligible for all of the compensation that is offered to residents and also receive compensation for the costs they incur directly because of HS2, including disruption to trade, managing employees worse working conditions, costs caused by blight and uncertainty. • Home-owner payments and the Cash Offer should be available to tenants and owner-occupiers in urban areas.

• Added a foreword to the document that sets the scene and provides a sharper description of the level of disruption. • We added a request for an independent body to be established to assess compensation, design the scheme and adjudicated on disputes and bids for compensation. • We've re-ordered the Charter so that the property bond is our last request. • We've asked for the eligibility criteria to be based on the impact of construction felt by people as this is more relevant in urban areas where construction sites will be very close to residents. • Based on people's feedback we've made suggestions of changes that should be made to the compensation schemes that are currently available to make them fairer, and asked for these to be available to all tenants, owner-occupiers and businesses in urban areas.

In June and July 2014, we consulted local people on their views of the traffic and public realm proposals of the West End Project, to transform the Tottenham Court Road area, making it safer and more attractive for residents and visitors, creating new public spaces and providing a good public realm to attract and sustain business. The project includes replacing the one-way system with two-way streets, introducing some protected cycle lanes and more trees, to reduce congestion and pollution across the area, improve road safety, widen pavements, improve pedestrian crossings and make bus journeys quicker.

The results of the public consultation showed support for the overall West End Project proposals as well as for most elements of the project including proposals for Tottenham Court Road, Gower Street and New Oxford Street, the plaza at St Giles Circus, the new public space at Princes Circus and the new park at Alfred Place. Two aspects of the project were not supported by the majority of respondents; the proposed loading hours on Tottenham Court Road and restricting taxi access on Tottenham Court Road.

In January 2015, the Council’s Cabinet agreed to implement the West End Project proposals including restricting taxis on Tottenham Court Road, but with a number of amendments, such as to loading hours in the area, in response to comments received during the consultation. The full report can be accessed at http://democracy.camden.gov.uk/mgA.aspx?M=5156 (item 16). The project will be delivered in phases and completed in 2018 in time for the opening of Crossrail.