Holborn's Alleyways - Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood STARter Project Consultation

Overview

Proposed improvements to: Walking, cycling, road safety and the look and feel of the area

We want to transform Holborn into a place for people with attractive, healthy, accessible and safe streets for everyone! We want the air you’re breathing to be cleaner, for there to be more plants and trees, in beautiful new and improved spaces. We want to make getting around by sustainable and healthy types of transport easier and faster. Together we want to see Holborn and its communities, businesses and visitors thrive.

Why your views matter

We are proposing improvements to the look and feel of Gate Street, New Turnstile, Little Turnstile and Twyford Place - a group of alleyways situated behind Holborn Station – known together as “Holborn Alleyways”. We want to make these alleyways better for people walking and wheeling, improve the look and feel of the area, and introduce new planting and trees to support heat resilience.

Your views matter in helping us shape the project to deliver on its desired objectives:

• creating a pedestrian-focused environment that is more accessible, attractive and pleasant, to help people walk, wheel, cycle or scoot safely.
• improving the look and feel of the area, to enhance the public realm and retain the area’s historical character.
• help reduce and mitigate the impacts of climate change and poor air quality by introducing new planting and trees.
• invigorate the space for people and businesses, with improved wayfinding and opportunities for new lighting design, art installations, and outdoor seating.

Street by street proposals:

Gate Street West (at the junction with Kingsway)

• Pedestrianisation of the street from the junction with Kingsway until the end of existing carriageway, by introducing “pedestrian and cycle only” zone restrictions and making necessary changes to parking and loading to create a continuous pedestrian area across Gate Street.
• Improvements to the public realm and the pedestrian route, with new paving, upgraded materials, relocated cycle stands, and potential for new seating.
• Introduction of two new trees to provide shade and improve heat resilience.

Gate Street (north of the junction with Whetstone Park)

• Pedestrianisation of the street north of the junction with Whetstone Park, introducing “pedestrian and cycle only” zone restrictions and making necessary changes to parking and loading to create a continuous pedestrian area across Gate Street. See proposals for parking and loading changes below, in Tables 1 and 2.
• Introduce new planting throughout the street, including five small trees and permeable paving opposite 6 Gate Street, to provide shade and help mitigate against climate change.
• Improvements to the public realm with new paving and upgraded materials.
• Work with the CDA BID and local businesses to explore opportunities for local food and drink establishments to expand their seating.

Twyford Place

• Reconfigure the positioning of the existing kiosk to create a more space for pedestrians and assess demand for further kiosks in this space.
• Introduce new planting, including a replacement tree, new planters, and areas for seating to support heat resilience.
• At the junction with Kingsway, explore potential for new public art and lighting, including to illuminate St Anselm and St Celia Church.

Little Turnstile

• New paving and upgraded materials to improve the look and feel of the area, and retain historical character.
• Improved wayfinding features, to support navigation and make the space more welcoming.

New Turnstile

• Work with the CDA Business Improvement District and local businesses to activate underutilised shop frontages, and commission new artworks and lighting features to improve the look and feel of the area,  as well as assessing demand for new market kiosks, and expanded outdoor seating.

Parking and Loading Changes:

To facilitate the pedestrianisation of Gate Street, we would need to make changes to parking and loading in the area, to help create more space for road safety and public space improvements. These changes are summarised in the tables below.

Table 1: Summary of single motorcycle parking loss (all spaces will be removed) 

There are two motorcycle bays nearby with low usage rates, which could accommodate the current motorcycle parking demand from Gate Street. These are located on Whetstone Park, adjacent to the Rosewood Hotel (approximately 100m away) and on Lincoln's Inn Fields, adjacent to Lincoln’s Inn (approximately 400m away.)

Table 2: Loading changes

To view the plans and find out more about what each propoal would achieve, click on the links in the Related Section at the bottom of this page

How would these changes be made?

After the consultation, we will carefully consider the responses, alongside other information including relevant data, safety audits and policy context, to help us in deciding on whether or not to progress the scheme.

A decision report will be produced and published online via our website. Local residents and stakeholders will be notified of the outcome.
Should a decision be made to proceed, we would implement the changes under a permanent Traffic Management Order (TMO).

For information on how we will use data collected from this consultation read our privacy statement: Data protection, privacy and cookies - Camden Council

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