I'm emailing to tell you about a major construction project in
Bloomsbury that will have a massive impact on local roads and
asking you to object to the planned routing of the construction
vehicles.
Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) are planning to demolish a
large building on Great Ormond Street and build a bigger one,
which will become a Children's Cancer Centre. We are of course all
huge supporters of the work they do but we are very concerned
about the impact of the demolition and construction on local
roads, particularly Lambs Conduit Street, Great Ormond Street and
Boswell Street. These roads are all quiet residential streets and
are heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists including visitors to
the local hospitals. The plans as submitted involve routing HGVs
via these streets for the duration of the project (at least four
years) and making them one-way for all traffic including cycles.
Lambs Conduit Street is on a key N-S cycle route, recently
enhanced by changes to Red Lion Street that have cut out the large
majority of through-traffic. And Great Ormond Street is the only
route to and from Queen Square that does not involve major roads.
Routing HGVs along these roads will endanger pedestrians and
cyclists and will have a serious impact on the health and well
being of residents and visitors. The Demolition and Construction
Management plans also involve closing Lambs Conduit Street and
Guildford Place to northbound cyclists for the duration of the
project, with northbound cyclists diverted via Millman Street.
Additionally, Great Ormond Street is to be closed to all eastbound
traffic including cycles. This will entail an even larger
diversion for eastbound cyclists via the main roads (Southampton
Row or Theobalds Road), both of which are dangerous and
inhospitable.
These road closure proposals are in direct conflict with Camden’s
policies to encourage active travel and to reduce the burden of
noise and poor air quality on residents and visitors. As well as
putting cyclists at risk they will likely result in cyclists
avoiding the closures by cycling on the footways and/or against
the traffic flow.
Local residents, councillors and others have asked GOSH to look
at alternative methods of access to the site, for example,
directly from Guilford Street, but GOSH have rejected this. We are
trying to get Camden to refuse the planning application until a
safe DMP/CMP is submitted.
You can submit objections through Camden's planning website at https://accountforms.camden.gov.uk/planning-search/
and entering the application number 2022/2255/P or by email to the
planning officer Patrick Marfleet (patrick.marfleet@...).
Objections are supposed to be in by Monday 20th but if you miss
the deadline officers will usually accept emails for a bit after
that.
Thank you
