Sydenham Road Face-lift

The long awaited local consultation about how to improve Sydenham Road, from Cobbs Corner to Mayow Road, is about to begin.
Lewisham proposes publishing its first stage consultation leaflet around the end of November. A questionnaire will seek local views regarding the high street as it is currently. The leaflet and questionnaire (to be completed by 22 December) will be circulated to 5000 households within a five minute walk of Sydenham Road. A further 5000 copies will be available in the Library and local shops so that everyone interested can take part in the process.

Concurrently, Living Streets (a national charity which campaigns for better conditions for pedestrians in public places) is planning to run a series of Community Street Audits in the high street. The purpose of these audits is to assess the high street’s current ‘walkability’ and will include walkabouts with local residents to pinpoint pedestrian problems. Space Syntax – the partnership that was employed to look at Trafalgar Square pedestrian flows before the square was pedestrianised – will also be reporting on Sydenham Road.

The results of the questionnaire will be analysed and these, together with the Living Streets and Space Syntax reports, will be the subject of a dialogue to be held at two Forums during January. Local residents will meet the design team, who will be tasked with drafting proposals by April/May, which will, in turn, be the subject of a further local consultation.

Following this second consultation the drafts will then be finalised and a submission for funding made to Transport for London. If accepted it is hoped that some work could start during the Financial Year beginning 2007.

Paul Holdsworth of Living Streets says he is very excited about the real possibilities for major pedestrian improvements to Sydenham Road.