Borough of Merton Civic Centre London Road Cllr Janice Howard Cllr Oonagh Moulton Cllr Edward Gretton SM4 5DX

WIMBLEDON PARK Tel: 020 8545 3396 (Civic)

Conservative Date: 11 December 2018

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Mr James McGinlay Assistant Director for Sustainable Communities Environment and Regeneration 9th Floor Civic Centre London Road Morden SM4 5DX

Dear James

Highway and Public Realm Improvement Plan: ‘The Parade / Haydons Road north’ Regeneration - Wimbledon

Further to Chris Lee’s visit to the area this summer with Cllr. Edward Gretton (Wimbledon Park), we have set out below our proposals with regard to the improvement of the highways and public realm at the north end of Haydons Road. This is in the context of the ongoing regeneration of Plough Lane and the construction of the new Galliard Homes developments.

Local residents and ward Councillors are of the view that these very significant investments and the associated regeneration now present the opportunity to improve this area of Wimbledon that is very much in need. The neighbourhood at the north end of Haydons Road and at Plough Lane, though small, will soon become even more of a focal point for our Borough, given the likely numbers visiting Plough Lane and the hundreds of new families expected to move into the area.

The location has been adversely impacted by several decades of decline, and has also suffered adverse impact from the very substantial volumes of commuter and residential traffic (and also HGVs and buses) crossing the Plough Lane/ Gap Road crossroads every day.

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We believe that the projects that are scheduled to progress over the next two to three years present opportunity to improve this area of highway and public realm, for the benefit of future visitors to our Borough and the very high numbers of road users, and for the benefit of current and future residents living in the immediate vicinity: this includes the many roads that lead off Haydons Road and Plough Lane, and also the many residents on Gap Road (including the housing at Poplar Court and Moffat Court) and on Durnsford Road (including the residents who regularly pass through and access this neighbourhood from their homes in Pitt Crescent and Vantage House).

Our proposals for the highways and public realm improvement are set out below:

 Heritage Buildings enhancement - The Parade: just like the excellent work your Future Merton team has carried out in (restoring the brickwork, lighting and re- sculpting the eaves above the shops, restoring and enhancing the columns that divide the shops, adding attractive planters with greenery between each shop and also improving the shop fronts themselves), this would be the principal improvement in bringing this stretch of road out of its current state of decline; it could also be supported by the Mayor of London’s Regeneration Fund

 Pavement surface: improvement by re-design and re-laying to provide a quality pavement surface to foster new community amenity and enhance the pedestrian experience for persons walking towards Plough Lane from Haydons Road station

 Street furniture: possible provision of item[s] of attractive street furniture if space permits, perhaps something similar to the small quality benches that are visible in Colliers Wood at the access points to the

 Railings: provision of better smarter railings (where remaining in place)

 Paved parking spaces: provision of better designed, paved parking spaces on the road to the same standard of quality as has been established very successfully at Leopold Road; a clear 30 minute stop and shop entitlement could be introduced to support the shops and no vehicle should be permitted to park for more than two hours during controlled hours – this support would be welcomed by the shops on this stretch of Haydons Road

 Air Quality – need for introduction of strong level of urban greening: given the absence of greenery at this location and the presence of some of the highest NO2 readings in our Borough, this location is of the highest priority for the introduction of an ambitious urban greening plan, including a suitable combination of the measures listed below; this would combat pollution and restore much needed pride and community amenity within the area:

o Provision of planters and rain gardens /sunken beds at suitable junctions; to support the Council and minimise ongoing maintenance, local residents groups and associations have been extremely positive about supporting the required planting and pruning, once the infrastructure is established; there would also be drainage benefits from stemming rain water flows Pto

o Possible rain garden provision at the junction of Plough Lane / Havelock Road – there is a need to replace the existing emergency vehicles /safety barrier, which has become an eyesore: a better design is needed, perhaps using a rain garden / planter

o An attractive line[s] of suitably sized trees to be provided along the short distance of pavement[s] between the crossroads and the bridge at Haydons Road station; an assessment should also be made for a similar line of trees from the crossroads along the south side of Plough Lane, which is in clear need of improvement

 Greening - restoration of the Gap Road Pocket Park : during the site walk, Chris Lee was very supportive of the proposal to assist with infrastructure and work to restore the small pocket park on Gap Road; this is such a busy and polluted junction, the re-greening and opening up of the existing pocket park would seem to represent an obvious ‘quick-win’; it may need a small amount of levelling, and the hedges and perhaps the railings should be moved/removed respectively in order to give this space a more open outlook; the historic blossom trees could then be re-planted and this would allow for a much improved green space that would change the whole junction, restore pride and do much to improve air quality; the residents on all sides of the crossroads seem to be unanimous in their support of the proposal

 Sustainable transport – cycling route provision: an assessment should be made to provide both cycle lanes and cycle routes through this area in order to reduce traffic, maximise cycling and help air quality; an amount of segregated cycling could be considered (e.g. at Haydons Road bridge, given how busy the road is); cycle lanes with clear attractive demarcation could be provided with links to other cycle / quiet routes; a clear link should be provided to the Wandle Trail itself; every encouragement must be made for people to come in and out of the area on bike and every opportunity to encourage cycling should be taken when redesigning highways

 Anti-engine idling measures around the crossroads: all four access roads coming onto the crossroads are a priority for the introduction of an anti-idling scheme, given the high levels of stationary traffic and the impact running engines are having on air quality; as with all new signage, it will be worth consulting with local residents groups and ward Councillors regarding the design of any new signs

 Kerb extension at junction Haydons Road bridge/Queens Road: the kerb here is insufficient and does not facilitate safe pedestrian passage; some element of redesign/ extension is required and perhaps a planter could be considered

Project Establishment May we suggest holding a meeting to discuss these proposals in more detail and establish a project team. We could also arrange a site visit mid-January at your convenience. We would like to continue to involve interested local residents groups throughout the developing project. Once we have a working group, we can assess access to available s106 and CIL funds arising from the Plough Lane redevelopments, as well as the best way to access the Council’s capital program; additional highways support funding may be available from TFL / Network Rail, and from the Mayor of London and relevant rounds of grant funding. We also propose to approach all local businesses as key stakeholders, including those along Waterside Way, who may wish to support the developing project with some element of financial support. pto

We hope that we can take this opportunity to work successfully in the context of the redeveloping Plough Lane to provide a pleasant, greener and better local community for our residents and visitors – your support will very much allow this to happen.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Janice Howard Cllr Oonagh Moulton Cllr Edward Gretton [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Twitter: @JaniceHoward8 Twitter: @oonaghmoulton Twitter: @grettsSW19

cc: Council Leader Stephen Alambritis Councillor Martin Whelton, Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Housing and Transport Chris Lee – Director Environment & Regeneration Katharine Thomas – Placemaking and Regeneration Officer