Liveable Streets Wapping

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Overview

Covid-19/Coronavirus Update

Our Liveable Streets programme team are following Government advice and are currently working remotely, work is continuing as planned on the projects and the team will adhere to all guidelines set out by the Government.

The programme is available for comment and feedback, so please get in touch with the team via liveablestreets@towerhamlets.gov.uk or phone us on 0203 092 0401

We will update the website with any changes to the programme and hope you will continue to help us improve the look and feel of your neighbourhood.

For Covid-19 updates from Tower Hamlets or to join our mailing list please click here.

 

This consultation is now closed, thank you to everyone who responded.

Liveable Streets is a multi-million pound borough-wide street and public space improvement programme. The residents of Tower Hamlets deserve quieter, safer and less polluted streets.

We’ve listened to your concerns on issues including:
• Air pollution which in areas is at unhealthy levels, affecting children and adults’ health and life expectancy
• Poor street lighting which makes some areas feel unsafe by encouraging anti-social behaviour
• Uneven pavements which are cluttered and narrow

Our public consultation ended at midnight on Monday 16 December 2019.

What is being proposed and why are these proposals important?

Following the feedback from the wider Wapping community, four new schemes are proposed. These will improve the area for walking, cycling and public transport, improve air quality and help discourage anti-social behaviour through a combination of pavement improvements, road closures, improvement of shared public spaces, greening and safety improvements.

We want to make Wapping an even better place to live, work and visit. Our studies and comments from the community indicate that the area is far from being pedestrian and cycle friendly. Poor quality carriageways, uneven, cluttered and narrow pavements and inadequate street lighting that encourages anti-social behaviour in public spaces are all barriers to a safe, active and healthy Wapping. These proposals will make Wapping an even more attractive and liveable neighbourhood, improving accessibility for all residents and visitors. This will be achieved by enhancing accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists and providing vibrant public spaces by keeping through traffic on the main roads whilst maintaining local access for residents and businesses. The designs have been discussed with local emergency services who have given their support for the proposals.

See the map below for an overview of the proposed Schemes. Please click to see a larger image – this will open in a new window.

Work will begin on implementing improvements this summer, subject to Mayoral approval.

Please click here to see Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Click on the coloured Scheme buttons below and scroll down to look at the detailed proposals for each area.

Wapping Lane

Wapping High Street and Station

School Street Initiatives

Highway and pedestrian improvements

Wapping Lane

YOU SAID:

“Wapping Lane could be a beautiful pedestrian-friendly high street.”

See below for proposed plan for Scheme 1. Please click to see larger image – this will open in a new window.

PAVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS
We have listened to your comments about narrow pavements, excessive traffic and insufficient access to shops for all. We propose to make Wapping Lane more pedestrian friendly with easier access to local shops. This means we will widen pavements on both sides of Wapping Lane and provide continuous crossings at all side road junctions between Wapping High Street and Chandler Street. We will also declutter the street, remove excessive guardrails and bollards, and improve street lighting. Dropped kerbs at all appropriate locations are also suggested to ensure accessibility for all.

In order to provide an improved walking route between the Wapping Lane shops and Wapping Station, we recommend widening the pavements on Cinnamon Street and converting the street to one-way between Wapping Dock Street and Wapping Lane.

It is also suggested to provide a new speed table hump at the junction with Chandler Street in order to slow down vehicles before the bend on Wapping Lane, improving safety for all users.

PUBLIC REALM
It is proposed to provide a vibrant community space opposite Wapping Green, with new seating, planting and potential to incorporate public art. More planting and green space will not only improve the look and feel of the street, residents and visitors will also enjoy better air quality. The proposal also includes a system of sustainable drainage (SuDs) where plants help filter any surface water and at the same time increase biodiversity.

Two new short stay parking spaces will be provided outside the shops, and the single yellow line restriction retained on one side of the road to allow for loading and deliveries.

Public realm improvements are suggested along Wapping Lane and the walkway towards Choppins Court, with more planting, trees and improved visitor cycle parking. The lighting will also be improved in the green space area between Choppins Court and Prusom Street, with redundant lighting along the edge of the park removed.

See below for proposed visualisations for Scheme 1. Please click to see larger image – this will open in a new window.

 

Wapping High Street and Station

Approximately 4,300 people cross Wapping High Street outside the station every day.

YOU SAID:

“Area outside Wapping station is horrible for crossing. There should be a pedestrian crossing along desire lines, rather than having to dodge between all the rat running cars.”

See below for proposed plan for Scheme 2. Please click to see larger image – this will open in a new window.

WAPPING STATION IMPROVEMENTS
Residents suggested changes to the pedestrian space around Wapping Station to create a space that is safer and nicer to walk, providing clear routes to and from the shops on Wapping Lane. Proposed improvements include wider pavements and a new pedestrian crossing outside Wapping Station. To accommodate the crossing, there will be a net loss of one parking space near the station. The bus stop will need to be shifted slightly east. Passengers waiting for the bus often block the entrance and exit to the station. By relocating the bus stop, the area outside the station will be safer and easier to access.

A closure is also proposed at the southern end of Wapping Dock Street that will help create a better walking route to the shops. This will create additional space for the proposed pedestrian crossing, more planting and cycle parking close to the station.

PAVEMENT IMPROVEMENTS
Residents want safe and accessible pavements along Wapping High Street. In response, we propose to widen the pavement along the southern side of the road between Wapping Wall and Pier Head. We will declutter the pavements, remove bollards where necessary to provide sufficient width, and ensure that there are sufficient dropped kerbs on both sides of the road to provide a continuous walking route. This will allow everyone independent and uninterrupted travel along Wapping High Street.

There will be a net loss of three parking spaces along the rest of the street (excluding outside the station as above) in order to widen the pavements. Surveys show that at the busiest time of the day only 66% of the parking spaces are used over the weekend and 43% are used on a weekday. We feel that this space could be better used to improve the walking environment and make Wapping accessible for everyone.

Additional tree planting will improve the air quality and look of the area. We will also minimise any loss of cobbles on the road.

 

School Street Initiatives

Children in Tower Hamlets have up to 10% less lung capacity than the national average because of air pollution.

YOU SAID:

“Widen the pavement between Hermitage Basin and Hermitage School. Lots of kids and parents, very narrow pavement. Too much road space given to cars.”

See below for proposed plan for Scheme 3. Please click to see larger image – this will open in a new window.

SCHOOL STREET INITIATIVE

We understand your concerns for the safety of children in the Wapping area, especially during school runs.

We are proposing a road closure with planting between Hellings Street and Lilley Close to provide a safe crossing location from Hermitage Primary School to Hellings Street open space. This will create an opportunity to remove some guardrails where the pavement is narrow, and soften the boundary between the road and open space. It will also encourage fewer vehicles near the school entrance. This will not only ensure the safety of the children but will also have positive impact on their health as less cars and the planting wall will help improve air quality.

Outside St Peter’s London Docks Primary School it is proposed to widen pavements at the junction of Wapping Wall and Garnet Street. This will improve the walking environment and safety by reducing the crossing distance, as well as reducing vehicle speeds turning out of Wapping Wall.

 

Highway and pedestrian improvements

YOU SAID:

“Crossing from Wapping toward Dellow Street is awful. Neither side is ‘welcoming’, well lit, or feels safe”

See below for proposed plan for Scheme 4. Please click to see larger image – this will open in a new window.

PENNINGTON STREET
We listened to your concerns that drivers use Pennington Street as a short cut to avoid traffic on The Highway during rush hours. We want to change this and provide the residents with a safer walking and cycling environment.

We propose to convert Pennington Street to one-way eastwards between Virginia Street and Artichoke Hill. Contraflow cycling will be permitted so that cyclists can travel in both directions along the street. Converting this section of Pennington Street to one-way will reduce through traffic and idling vehicles. This proposal includes protective islands at the junction of Artichoke Hill and Pennington Street and Virgina Street and The Highway to improve safety for contraflow cyclists.

VAUGHN WAY
Residents wanted to see improvements to the pedestrian crossing environment across the Vaughan Way and Kennet Street junction. There are also safety issues at this junction with a history of vehicle and cycle collisions. In response we propose to tighten the corners, reducing the crossing distance for pedestrians and slowing vehicles. Please click to see larger image – this will open in a new window.

SHADWELL WALKING ROUTE
We agree with your comments and want to improve this area and route to Shadwell Station. Our pedestrian surveys show that thousands of people use the path from Wapping Woods to The Highway on foot and cycling. We propose improved street lighting along this passage to make the area feel safer as it will discourage anti-social behaviour. We will improve the path by removing bollards and widening the pavement in narrow sections, to make it accessible for all.

REDMEAD LANE
It is proposed to convert the section of Redmead Lane between Wapping High Street and the canal route access to one-way to accommodate pavement widening and better access to the canal route.

GLAMIS ROAD
The crossing point north of the bridge will be upgraded to a zebra crossing and a cycle bypass. Please click to see larger image – this will open in a new window.

PARKING CHANGES
It is proposed to make changes to the parking restrictions for the spaces on both sides of Wapping High Street between Orange Court and Redmead Lane. In response to concerns raised about anti-social behaviour in this area, it is proposed to extend the hours of permit holder only parking in the evening, with the new time suggested of 8:30am to 10pm, Monday to Friday.

It is also proposed to introduce new parking bays in the following locations:
• Four new parking bays outside 3 Wapping High Street
• Three new parking bays outside Seville House, 11 Wapping High Street
• Three new parking bays outside 22 Wapping High Street

ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS
We would like to improve the walking environment throughout Wapping, ensuring pavements are accessible for everyone. We have carried out a pedestrian audit of the pavements in Wapping, and identified many areas where lack of dropped kerbs and bollards hinders safe and easy travel. Some of these locations identified will be addressed as part of the other proposals in this booklet, however additional dropped kerbs will be installed in other areas where required.

If there are any specific locations where you think we should introduce a dropped kerb, or where bollards obstruct use of the pavement, please let us know in the survey included.

 

 

 

 

Have your say

Starting in April 2019, Tower Hamlets council has been undertaking an extensive engagement process in the Bethnal Green area. This has included:

• April and May 2019: Early engagement. We heard from over 130 local residents who told us about the issues in Wapping and what they wanted to see improved. You gave us your feedback through our online survey, interactive map, drop-in sessions, councillor meetings and meetings with groups in the community. You said you wanted improved public spaces, improved cycling and walking conditions, and reduced traffic

• July and September 2019: Co-design. We held three co-design workshops where attendees were able to work with the project team to develop initial design ideas. Throughout the sessions, attendees reflected on the feedback received from the wider Wapping community and developed practical ways to implement some of the comments and suggestions. We have put together a report that reflects the feedback received during these workshops which you can view here.


• November and December 2019: Consultation. From Monday 18 November to Monday 16 December we shared the proposals for the Wapping area with you and asked for your feedback. 642 people responded to the online survey or sent back hardcopy surveys from the consultation packs that were delivered to over 7,500 properties within the consultation area. Two drop-in sessions attended by over 60 residents were held on Tuesday 4 and Saturday 7 December 2019. The sessions provided the opportunity for attendees to review the proposals with the engineers and discuss any changes which may be desired. The project team also visited every business in the impacted areas of Wapping Lane and Wapping High Street during this time.