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The Crown Estate and Westminster City Council have unveiled plans to ‘transform’ London’s Regent Street, helping to deliver a greener, cleaner, safer and more accessible West End.
Set to complete before Christmas, the new designs will include:
– Wider pavements – creating approximately 5,000 square metres of additional space for pedestrians, to improve visitors’ experience, support social distancing and improve accessibility
– Reduced traffic – with road space cut to a single-vehicle lane in each direction
– Improved provision for cyclists – including the introduction of cycle lanes and new cycle parking hubs and stands
– Enhancing bus stops – with accessible boarding and space for waiting
Sustainable tree planting and greenery will also be introduced helping to boost biodiversity, improve air quality, and further enhance Regent’s Street’s John Nash design. Construction commenced on the new designs this week, following on from the measures put in place to widen pavements using temporary barriers.
This is the latest initiative in The Crown Estate’s continued investment in Regent Street, which it manages on behalf of the Regent Street Partnership – comprised of The Crown Estate and Norges Bank Investment Management. The new interim designs build on other recent initiatives within The Crown Estate’s Central London portfolio to support sustainable travel, such as the introduction of Bike-Drop.
“As we continue to invest for the future, we, along with our partners, saw a great opportunity to build upon recent experiences of reduced traffic and improved air quality,” said James Cooksey, director of central London at The Crown Estate.
“We are hugely proud of these latest plans for Regent Street, which will make more space for pedestrians, reduce traffic, improve facilities for cyclists and introduce more greenery – helping to reinforce the compelling offer of the West End and further secure our place as one of the country’s best-loved destinations.
“This is just the beginning, as we experiment with new technologies and treatments, to create the place of tomorrow.”
Leader of the council, councillor Rachael Robathan, added: “We welcome this investment in Regent Street by The Crown Estate to create a safe, green and inspiring environment in a key location within the West End. These new interim measures replace the arrangements that the council put in place to support the reopening of the city earlier this summer and takes them to an enhanced level.
“It is through this strong collaborative approach, working closely with residents, businesses and other partners that we will help to secure the successful future of this world-renowned destination.”
Read the October issue of BikeBiz below:
