Despite a long running campaign to create a heart for Herne Hill it would appear that the traffic planners have decided as part of the Junction changes  to replace the Railton Road area outside the station that is currently a car parking area with, yes you’ve guessed it, a car park. There will not be a town square as expected but an area with car priority and limited pedestrian areas.

A representative from the planning team said that the “town square” would be limited to an area of pavement outside where the chicken take-away and Bairstow Eve's estate agents shops are currently located, although even there lorries would still need to get access through it”. Many of the local traders are fed up with the plans “it is not what we have been led to believe would be happening” cited one angry trader.

There is also no provision being made to limit the speed of traffic entering the area, still two lanes of road traffic coming in which means that traffic entering from Railton Road will be going at full speed. It flies in the face of best practice for any sort of pedestrian area as recommended by Sustrans and many other experts.

The opportunity to create a step free access to all the shops along Railton Road has also been turned down. This will severely limit access by any mobility impaired people.  

There has been no provision made to replace the old and dangerous pavement lights outside the shops along the south side of Railton Road. One local commented on the plans saying it "looked like a real dogs dinner - new pavements butting up on dirty old broken paving stones"

The layout will prohibit any sort of large scale market from taking place, music events will have no central area and events such as the highly successful Expo last year will still not have an environment that is flexible and convenient to host varied activities. It is a prescribed layout of car parking space, set in stone that cannot be changed to suit activities or changing needs.

There appears to be no provision to remove the giant commercial waste bins that blight the area at present. No alternative location for rubbish bags or waste bins has been sought leaving the area to have piles of rubbish bags or blue commercial waste bins as a greeting to visitors.

Over the last few years via numerous master planning events, public meetings and drop-in events the overwhelming support was for a pedestrian area, a true heart to Herne Hill and to restrict cars from at least one area of Herne Hill as it is so dominated by traffic. It would appear that despite all the public opinion and enthusiasm for a flexible scheme we will be delivered a car park with little or no benefits for the local traders and community.

With the budget on the junction project running to close to £2 million questions are being asked as to just what benefit there has been for the local community.

The Herne Hill Forum has called for a meeting with the design team and local councillors to try and rescue the plans before it is too late. It will take many years to re-engineer the changes and regenerate the Railton Road area if this once in a generation chance is missed.

If you have any comments on the future of our future "town square" then please post them on the Forum section.

Download the plans for what Lambeth Council are wanting to build here

Based on the ideas, priorities and feedback collated from various public planning events, drop-in sessions and Forum meetings the Environment group from the Herne Hill Forum have been proposing the following::

Railton Road area.

 We would like to remind everyone as to what the design goals are for the area. First and foremost the area is for local people. The aim is to transform the area from one dominated with cars to one where people can relax, shop, children are safe and it accommodates all manner of events and activities. A centre of the community, a town square.

 Why the current proposal misses this fundamental aim.

 In order to achieve a pleasant place to be, to visit, to shop, the area needs to be handed over to pedestrians – everywhere. Not in delineated areas or pavements but across the entire space.  The appearance and atmosphere needs to be more akin to parks or similar areas that immediately make you realise that you are not in a road or traffic environment anymore.

 The space must be flexible to accommodate changes and a variety of uses from a central Christmas tree to small and large markets, tables and chairs from the cafes and restaurants,  live music, where families could sit and meet and spaces where children could play safely without fear of traffic. It must be accessible by all and exclude no-one.

 Access should be available for a vehicle to drop off and collect passengers to the station, to deliver goods and for occasional shopping where foot access is not suitable. In order to achieve the goal of ensuring that the space is people first, the vehicles must “negotiate” their access through a pedestrian area. It would be similar to vehicles accessing Brockwell Hall – they have to drive very slowly (walking pace), they cannot park for long and only on a needs must basis. The area is a people area, pedestrians, visitors, people sitting and chatting. The same approach should be taken with Railton Road.

This emphasis on the area being different must start at the entrance. We should have an entrance to be proud of and one that welcomes everyone to the area. It must immediately ensure that through design no vehicles could negotiate the route at more than walking pace.  Having a road entrance that does not “choke” in a simple and effective way any fast moving vehicles will immediately negate any safety available in a pedestrian area. There must be distinctive design features that say “you are leaving the road and entering a pedestrian area – you do not have priority and must negotiate your access through”. Speed tables and bumps simply have no effect – see Dulwich Road, Milkwood Road etc for examples of high speed traffic ignoring them.

 If an area is for pedestrians and vehicles have access to it only at walking pace or below then there is no need for kerbs or to restrict pedestrians as to where they have priority, after all they are the dominant  user. Vehicles have to stop at all times to give way, to negotiate their way to somewhere they can stop for a while. Examples of this working would be the area outside Brockwell Hall, Isabella Street in Southwark, numerous areas in Docklands, many other parks and open spaces and numerous town squares on the continent. There are vehicles that need to get on to the pedestrian area of Trafalgar Square but there are no kerbs within the area, no painted lines, it is obvious to the driver that they have to negotiate their way across the space.  The argument for kerbs is aimed at areas where there is through traffic sharing the same space as pedestrians. As long as the space is designed for traffic first and pedestrian second then the argument for kerbs, pavements and restrictions is made. By reversing the priority negates the need and makes the area much safer for all pedestrians.

By implementing a “road” through the middle of the town square immediately ruins the process of creating a pedestrian friendly area. It pushes pedestrians back against the sides of the area, costs money and changes the atmosphere and function of the space.  It restricts and strangles many potential uses of the space. Any vehicle entering the area will see the “road” laid out in front of them and assume that they have priority and drive accordingly, expecting all and sundry to clear out of the way. This is dangerous to pedestrians and other users of the space.

 The solution is simpler and cheaper. As no-one would want to limit future activities in the area and no-one actually knows for certain how the space will evolve it would make sense not to prescribe the layout exactly. By utilising “soft” movable features such as bike/planters, larger planters etc you can easily lay out the space and guide vehicles to where they can stop. It allows the traders on the North side to expand, put out tables and chairs, to spill out of their shop onto the surrounding areas. It works well for The Flower Lady – a complete transformation of what was once an ugly area.

 The area can be managed by the local traders, getting together and working on making the place a workable area. Imposing a strict layout will mean that any changes needed will take years to implement and be very costly.

 The area does not need yellow lines, drawn parking bays, restrictions and formulaic layout. We have that already and it doesn’t work. Better to at least try and flexible approach that allows for all the activities people want to happen in the area. If after a period it is agreed that it doesn’t work then by all means paint the lines in and make a roundabout in the middle. Doing it this way round gives you the flexibility and lowers the cost. Nothing is lost and much potentially gained.

 Simply put, the community does not want a car park and a road through our town square.

Here is a formal response to “Herne Hill to lose out on Town Square” on the Herne Hill Forum website in case you would like to put this information on the website.  If it encourages further dialogue including criticism, I see it as (a) reflecting the diverse nature of opinion at the heart of democracy and (b) wholly worthwhile to minimise any regrets or griping after the dust has settled.

 To put the work of Herne Hill Project Board in context, planning permission was obtained on 23^rd August 2007 since when it has worked closely with Lambeth Council in implementation of the scheme which includes pedestrianisation of an area from Dulwich Road westwards along Railton Road and improvements for pedestrians from the south end of Railton Road to Rymer Street.

 “...traffic planners have decided …to replace the Railton Road area outside the station … with … a car park...”:  All decisions have been made following extensive discussions and agreement by the Project Board. 

“... replace the Railton Road area outside the station that is currently a car parking area with … a car park. There will not be a town square as expected but an area with car priority and limited pedestrian areas.”:  In reaching decisions, the Project Board has always adopted the order of priority as pedestrians, cyclists, public transport and, lastly, vehicles.  The designs being implemented reflect these priorities. In all significant aspects, these are the designs that received overwhelming support at the 2004 public consultation and that have been publicised extensively in Lambeth newsletters (in 2008 and 2009), in the submissions made to Lambeth as part of the planning application process, in regular updates in the Herne Hill Society Newsletter and website and at public Herne Hill Forum meetings.   This includes a defined road space and short term parking provision.  It is wholly disingenuous to suggest that the scheme has changed in any substantive way or that the local population and businesses were not kept fully informed as the scheme progressed.

 “Many of the local traders are fed up with the plans.”:  The Herne Hill traders’ representative, who sits on the Project Board and who regularly consults with his fellow traders, has recently re-confirmed traders’ continued support for the scheme.

 “There is also no provision being made to limit the speed of traffic entering the area.”:  The road configuration and design, including speed tables, changes in surface materials and 25 millimetre ‘kerb’ heights are all in line with current best practice and recommendations on limiting vehicle speeds.

 “The opportunity to create a step free access to all the shops along Railton Road has also been turned down.”:  A survey in May 2009 showed that 75% of traders’ premises in Railton Road are already wheelchair accessible.  To be ‘step free’ is in their commercial interests and their own responsibility.

 “There has been no provision made to replace the old and dangerous pavement lights outside the shops along the south side of Railton Road.”: The plans for Railton Road include replacement of existing lamps.  Wherever possible, new lamps will be attached to buildings to reduce street clutter.

Pavement lights allow daylight into basements and are glass blocks in cast iron frames set into the pavement outside shops. They are the property and responsibility of the shop owners and replacing them is not straight forward  

 “….new pavements butting up on dirty old broken paving stones”:  The forecourts referred to are owned by businesses and under many of these there are cellars.  The available depth prohibits laying Yorkstone paving as used elsewhere.  Other materials are being investigated for us in this situation in these forecourts that will look attractive and harmonise with the Yorkstone.  

 “The layout will prohibit any sort of large scale market from taking place”:  Ground sockets are being installed on both sides of Railton Road to provide power for market stalls.  There will be large pedestrian areas outside the station and between 234 Railton Road and the Junction.   Along with wider footways, these will provide for markets and other open-air events.  The published draft traffic orders will permit the complete closure of Railton Road for special events.  Also relevant is Railton Road traders’ concern at the possibility of loss of trade by the front of their premisess being obscured by market stalls.

 “... no provision to remove the giant commercial waste bins ....  No alternative location for rubbish bags or waste bins...”:  The issue of unsightly rubbish bins in Milkwood Road will be addressed.  However, a long term dialogue between the Herne Hill Society, Lambeth Officers and the commercial premises using the bins suggests that finding a satisfactory solution will not be simple.

Yours sincerely

Rebecca Thackray

Green Councillor, Herne Hill Ward

Since the latest plans were released there have been some positive updates. The area on the south side of Railton Road where the pavement lights are will be covered in new materials but will not match the existing paving that is being proposed for elsewhere in the area.