Somers Town Parklets

Overview

Working in partnership with local organisations, Camden Council is proposing to install two parklets in Somers Town as part of a wider scheme to green Phoenix Road. The proposal consists of:

Phoenix Road Parklet – located adjacent to 52 Phoenix Road

Chalton Street Parklet – located adjacent to 96 Phoenix Road

The Greening Phoenix Road project will create new green space in Somers Town and a greener link between Euston and St Pancras Stations. The Parklets will be temporary and will be reviewed after a year. They are part of a trial to gauge local responses to changes to parking and traffic conditions in Somers Town.

Local community and organisations have demonstrated strong support for Parklets in Somers Town, with local organisations and volunteers expressing interest in helping to take care of the parklets. The purpose of this consultation is to find out the views of the wider area.

What is a Parklet?

A Parklet is created by changing a parking or loading space into a shared space for people.  They can be used for a variety of functions, but usually for greenery and seating, creating a place in the street to pause, talk and relax. They are open and free for anyone to use.

Proposal

A Location Plan for the proposed Parklets in Phoenix Road and Chalton Street can be viewed here. Each Parklet would be 5 metres long and 2 metres wide, roughly the size of a parking space. More information is provided in the Related section the bottom of this page. 

Phoenix Road Parklet

This Parklet would be situated on a single yellow line adjacent to 52 Phoenix Road.

The design of the Parklet would include permanent bench seating, surrounded by planters to provide a pleasant backdrop and 'cocoon' visitors in greenery whilst they sit and relax. The Parklet has been co-designed with the Somers Town Museum to include upright poles for bunting and decorative arches to reflect Somers Town heritage. Volunteers at the Somers Town Museum have expressed interest in taking care of the Parklet during the trial.

Chalton Street Parklet

This Parklet would be situated in a single resident parking bay adjacent to 96 Chalton Street. The design of the Parklet would include planters on 3 sides to provide a pleasant backdrop and 'cocoon' visitors in greenery whilst they relax and make use of the space.  This parklet does not include bench seating. Volunteers at the UK Mexican Arts Society at Chalton Street have expressed interest in decorating the planters and taking care of the Parklet during the trial.

You can read more about parklets in London by clicking on these external links:

Creating parklets for community and business resilience - Cross River Partnership

Parklets for Living Streets

What happens after consultation?

After this consultation, we will carefully consider the responses in deciding on whether to allow the Parklets to be installed.

Should a decision be made to proceed, we would arrange for the parking to be suspended for a trial period up to 18 months.  During this time you can comment on the proposal.  This feedback alongside other information, will help Camden Council decide on whether the parklet may remain in position on an ongoing basis.  

Camden Council would continue to monitor the upkeep of the Parklets to ensure good standards of public safety and road safety are met.

Why your views matter

Camden Council is looking to facilitate the development of Parklets in the borough as evidence shows that Parklets and green spaces can:

• Encourage active travel
• Improve mental health and wellbeing
• Improve revenue and footfall for local businesses
• Provide places to stop and rest, with shade and shelter
• Reduce the effects of pollution by adding plants
• Improve accessibility and safety

Parklets support the objectives of Camden Council policies and plans including:

 - reallocation of kerbside space for active sustainable modes (Policy 1c, Camden Transport Strategy);

-  commitment to the development of a parklet programme (Camden Climate Action Plan);

- making sure that 'green spaces, streets…and other public spaces are clean, attractive and safe’ (Our Camden Plan).

The Covid-19 pandemic has also shone a light on the value of providing outdoor meeting space for people to interact socially and safely outside.  Regardless of the current situation, Camden is always looking for ways to enable streets to become better social places, to encourage walking and provide greenery in the street.

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 consultation responses, relevant policies and other data/information.

All of this information will be considered in making a recommendation in the report about whether to proceed with the proposed Parklets.