News Articles Archive - Page 53 of 146 - Cross River Partnership

London Car Free Day are collaborating with the Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and Bloomsbury Air on a new project to reimagine the future of Bloomsbury as London’s first traffic-free neighbourhood that places young people, environmental and social resilience, and active mobility at the heart of urban design. The project will bring together young patients at GOSH, artists, architects, planners and other community stakeholders to re-imagine what Bloomsbury could look like without traffic and an ambitious landscaping strategy through the 2020s.

What would it take to turn Bloomsbury into London’s first traffic-free, landscaped neighbourhood? London Car Free Day are running an online roundtable on 29th April 2021 to discuss how Bloomsbury could build on international examples including Barcelona’s SuperBlock concept, Milan’s conversion of road space into public plazas, and the traffic-free city centre ambitions of Paris, Oslo, and Edinburgh.

In December 2020, the Government began a consultation on a variety of changes to permitted development rights. The outcome of several elements of that consultation have now been published and the associated amendments to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (GPDO) have been laid before Parliament in the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) Order 2021.

In essence, the Government has reined back the proposals consulted on by adding floorspace limitations, vacancy and location limitations, having reflected on the consultation responses it received. And as with the permitted development rights for additional storeys to provide new dwellings, introduced in summer 2020, the bold press releases are not inaccurate, but do not flag the hurdles to be overcome before utilising these permitted developments becomes a viable option.

Notwithstanding, Class MA, which will allow very many properties within Class E to change to residential without consideration of impact on the High Street if the proposal is outside of a conservation area and limited consideration if it is within, will be among the most significant planning changes in a generation. Only listed buildings and their curtilage and properties in the most sensitive locations such as World Heritage Sites, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding National Beauty will be excluded from the new PD right. The legislation precludes or requires assessment of loss of retail and office in beautiful and heritage locations, but in no other retail or business destinations. The retail assessment required by the current Class M PD right will fall away.

Delivering housing and the reuse of redundant shopping space are known to be the Government’s priority and the Class MA permitted development right emphasises this.

The coronavirus outbreak has significantly impacted residents and businesses within Westminster and throughout the UK.

12th April was a milestone for businesses in Westminster. The Economic Model Business Survey is open now, and asks a series of questions about how the lockdown has affected you. Westminster City Council hope to hear from a wide range of businesses, of all different types and sizes, and will use feedback to inform their approach to supporting the borough’s recovery.

Please do take the time to respond, as your views are important to the council. The survey is open until 12AM, Sunday 9 May and will take around 10-15 minutes to complete.

At a full council on 21^st April 2021, Westminster City Council’s City Plan 2019 – 2040 was formally adopted and will now become the city’s new Local Plan.

The new City Plan will replace all current policies in Westminster’s City Plan (November 2016) and saved policies in the Unitary Development Plan (2007). The City Plan 2019 – 2040 outlines an ambitious strategy to make Westminster one of the best places to live, work and play. This plan will equip the city to adapt to changes which have been brought about in the last year with appropriate policies aligned to new government guidance and legislation.

The City Plan focuses on creating a city for all to enjoy with more affordable homes, sustainable developments which are conducive to their aim of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2040 and flexible policies which will enable Westminster to continue to be a city of unique character but a contemporary destination for residents and visitors alike.

Electric Vehicle Fleet-centred Local Energy System (EFLES), a CRP project in partnership with UK Power Network Services, Moixa and UPS, was featured in Current± Chats earlier this week. Claire Thompson-Sage, sustainable development coordinator at UPS, discussed EFLES, barriers to transitioning to electric vehicles, and the need for flexibility among other topics.

Read the full article here!

For more information, please contact CRP Project Manager Sefinat Otaru.

CRP is pleased to announce that since launching the Potential Urban Logistics Hubs in Central London study, we have moved onto the next phase of creating an online tool to showcase the available sites for logistics operators to occupy for sustainable last-mile deliveries.

The study, commissioned by the Central London Sub-Regional Transport Partnership, investigated the requirements that a logistics operator would need for a micro hub, and the availability of underutilised space across Central London that could be used for logistics purposes. 29 sites were identified in the study, including underutilised carparks and railway arches.

The next phase of work has been to create an online tool to showcase available sites that could have potential for being used for logistics purposes, the tool will filter sites and include necessary information on size, location and requirements for an operator.

CRP will be launching the new tool at Lunchtime Launch 5, showcasing the sites currently on the map with how landowners and operators can get involved.

If you are an operator looking for space to have a micro hub, or a landowner who has under-utilised space, this tool will be invaluable to making efficient and green choices for logistics whilst improving air quality.

Please contact CRP Senior Project Officer Laura Jacklin for more information.

Photo Credit: London & Partners

The CRP team recently wrapped up Clean Air Villages 3 (CAV3) with a final steering group meeting. The CAV3 team and partners celebrated the achievements of the project, while acknowledging the added challenges of the pandemic. The entirety of CAV3 engagement was conducted virtually, and yet the team:

Contacted 1,500 businesses
Monitored 18 vehicles for EV suitability
Implemented 7 cargo bike schemes utilised by pharmacies and food banks during the pandemic
Launched an Air Quality Ambassador programme and a LinkedIn Clean Air Community group!

All in all, it was a challenging and remarkable year for the CRP team. We learned so much about what businesses need, not just to mitigate for poor air quality, but to thrive and survive. We’re looking forward to providing more support and guidance in CRP’s Clean Air Villages 4 project – to help make London a safer, healthier city for us all.

Beyond that, CAV3 was filled with workshops, forums and the development of 15 new Clean Air Routes.

You can read more about the CAV3 programme projects and achievements in our imminent case studies, which cover CRP’s 17 online events hosted during the CAV3 programme, how businesses can switch to electric vehicle, Vivacity monitoring in Soho, cargo bike deliveries during the pandemic and all of our Clean Air Routes. Stay tuned for all the CAV3 case studies, which will be published soon!

For more information, please contact CRP Project Manager Kate Fenton.

May is National Walking Month!

Walking has been one of the go to activities for most Londoners and has quickly become one of our solaces during the pandemic.

A Transport for London report found that 31% of Londoners preferred walking instead of using any other mode of transport last year while 57% of people now go on regular and longer walks for exercise than previously.

The benefits of a stroll have been tremendous, giving all of us that time away to get some fresh air and a change of scenery, rediscover our local neighbourhood and to clear our minds from the various daily stressors. As a result, the charity Living Streets who champion safe and pollution free streets have initiated the #WalkThisMay
campaign to address the need for cleaner air on London’s streets.

Similarly, CRP have developed resources and tools such as the Walking Tube report and Clean Air Route Finder that maps out walking routes in London with better air quality than those suggested by popular journey planners. These routes were monitored and mapped by Tranquil City, an urban environmental research group, which found that by taking these routes, it would cut peoples’ exposure to air pollutants by almost a quarter!

For more information, please contact CRP Project Officer Anusha Rajamani.

On Tuesday 13th April, The Illuminated River artwork on Blackfriars Road, Waterloo, Golden Jubilee, Westminster and Lambeth Bridges was unveiled! The illuminations now extend across nine Thames bridges in total, forming the longest public art commission in the world (3.2 miles in length).

Huge congratulations to The Illuminated River Foundation and Sarah Gaventa, leading the collaborative network of more than 50 stakeholders and project partners who have shaped the amazing installations, from concept stages to the final switching on of the mesmerising lighting artwork. The project is the result of the most detailed and extensive pan-London planning processes the capital has ever seen without an Act of Parliament.

To celebrate the completion, a new public engagement programme for 2021 will be launched by the Illuminated River Foundation, with innovative evening activities created for different audiences (in line with potential tier restrictions).

CRP has enjoyed enormously advising The Illuminated River Foundation on strategic aspects of the project ever since the original idea first came about.

This week’s focus is on CRP partner, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, who are set for a green recovery through the Hammersmith and Fulham Climate Alliance. We heard from Emily Tulloh, Climate Emergency Community Engagement Lead, about the Council’s route to net zero.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council has been supporting local businesses as restrictions lift: from our Shop Local Shop Safe campaign to distributing COVID-19 grant funding. Now, we want to help organisations build back cleaner and greener through the Hammersmith & Fulham Climate Alliance.

This will be a network of local organisations committed to reducing emissions to net zero by 2030. By connecting with others, organisations of all sizes will be supported reduce emissions, share experiences and collaborate on carbon reduction projects. The council has set an ambitious target of reaching net zero across the borough by 2030. But we need new ideas, new partnerships and new ways of working to usher in a sustainable future for generations.

That’s why we need your input to design the Hammersmith & Fulham Climate Alliance. We’re in our early stages of developing the Alliance, working alongside CRP and local BIDs. Now we need local organisations to share their experiences and help us shape the proposition.

There are many different ways you can get involved:

Take part in a 45 minute interview: sharing your hopes, fears, ideas and challenges of building a greener business
Get involved as a strategic partner: taking part in co-production workshops, helping us design and shape the network

Please submit your email address through this form and we’ll be in touch. We hope you can join us on the route to a green recovery!

Archives: News Articles

Bloomsbury 2030 – London’s first traffic-free neighbourhood?

Changes to Planning Permitted Development Rights

Westminster Economic Model Business Survey

Westminster City Council adopted City Plan 2019 – 2040

EFLES April Update

CLSRTP Urban Logistics Map

Clean Air Villages 3 Reflection

National Walking Month

Illuminated River Project Lights Final Bridges

CRP’s Spotlight On: London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham