Leather Lane Safe and Healthy Streets Consultation

Overview

We want our streets to have more safe space for everyone to walk and cycle, for children to get to and from school safely and healthily, for businesses to be able to flourish, to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles and for you to be breathing cleaner air.

We want to ensure that our streets support a strong recovery from the pandemic and provide a lasting legacy of greener, safer, healthier travel.

As 69% of households in Camden do not own a car and public transport use remains much lower than before the pandemic, we know that safe and easy walking, cycling and scooting routes are more important than ever. Supporting and encouraging those who are able to walk and cycle, by creating safer streets will ensure that there is more space available on public transport and on our roads for those who need it the most.

Following a number of reported safety incidents around Leather Lane (including vehicles colliding with market stalls) we are proposing changes to prevent vehicles driving through the market during hours when they are not permitted. We also want to make the area more attractive to live in, trade in, visit or to travel to school in by reducing inessential through traffic.

Why your views matter

Your views matter as we want to improve the safety of Leather Lane, Hatton Wall, St Cross Street and Baldwin’s Gardens and want to hear your views on our proposals. 

The problem and our proposals

Currently traffic is not permitted through Leather Lane between 10.30am and 2.30pm and the market currently operates between 7am and 7pm. The inconsistency in the traffic hours and market hours means that vehicles are currently permitted to access at times when it is not safe to do so.

Traffic data we have collected has also showed that up to 80 vehicles per day were disregarding the timed restriction (10.30am-2.30pm) and driving through the market when not permitted to do so, resulting in serious safety concerns and complaints from residents and market traders.

Whilst some residents and visitors have told us they want to see non-essential through-traffic reduced on Leather Lane, we also want to make it easier for shops to service their businesses by making the hours of the market and traffic restrictions much clearer, whilst also improving air quality and making Leather Lane a more attractive place to live in, visit and do business in.

We want to make it easier for people to chose sustainable ways to travel such as walking and cycling to access the market, businesses and schools in the area.

To address these issues, we are proposing a number of measures to improve safety around the market including:

• Changing the market hours and traffic restriction times to 8:00am - 4:30pm so that they match. This would mean a reduction in market hours by 3.5 hours per day, giving more opportunity for business loading and general access whilst improving safety during the reduced market hours.
• Closing Leather Lane (at all times) to motor vehicle through-traffic with bollards at the junction with Clerkenwell Road (except for cycles and emergency services). This would reduce the amount of through-traffic at all times, making the street safer, improving air quality and making it more pleasant for residents and visitors to the area. A separate consultation will be undertaken for proposed changes on Clerkenwell Road and the public space to the north of Leather Lane.
• Installing ‘drop-down’ bollards at the junctions of Leather Lane and St Cross Street and Hatton Wall. Emergency services, market traders and those cycling would be able to access at any times. This would reduce the instances of general motor traffic accessing at times when they are not permitted.
• Closing Baldwin’s Gardens (at all times) to motor vehicle through-traffic at the junction with Leather Lane (except for cycles and emergency services). All vehicles would still be able to access the street from Grays Inn Road. This would reduce the amount of through-traffic at all times, making the street safer, improving air quality and making the area more pleasant for residents, those travelling to school and those visiting the area. A separate consultation will be undertaken for a proposed timed Healthy School Street on Baldwin’s Gardens to improve road safety for children travelling to and from school (whilst maintaining resident access).
• Adding double yellow lines and preventing loading at the junctions of Leather Lane and St Cross Street and Hatton Wall to prevent vehicles blocking the road and keeping it clear for emergency access.
• Making the small northern section of Leather Lane (between Hatton Wall and Clerkenwell Road) two way to all traffic.
• Allowing cyclists to access Leather Lane from Greville Street.

To view the plan click on the links in the Related Section at the bottom of this page.

After the consultation, a decision report will be produced and published online via our website. Local residents and stakeholders will be notified of the outcome. The report will consider a broad range of information including officer observations, consultation responses, relevant policies, and other data/information.

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

What happens next

After the consultation, a decision report will be produced and published online via our website. Local residents and stakeholders will be notified of the outcome. The report will consider a broad range of information including officer observations, consultation responses, relevant policies, and other data/information.