Next stage of Putney High Street environmental improvement project about to commence

The scheme is designed to boost the high street’s fortunes by upgrading transport infrastructure, widening pavements and improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists.

A key priority is to improve air quality and make the high street a more pleasant and welcoming destination for visitors and shoppers.

Improvements already delivered include:

• Widening and repaving the eastern side of the pavement between Disraeli Road and Putney Bridge Road.
• Improving pedestrian safety by providing ‘Copenhagen Crossings’ at side streets.
• Repaving the area outside the railway station.
• Constructing a loading bay outside Tesco to prevent delivery vehicles blocking the road.
• Introducing a 20mph speed limit.
• Installing ‘parklets’.
• Upgrading and modernising street lights.
• Uplighting St Mary’s Church, Putney Bridge and the Putney Exchange.
• Providing more cycle parking, including two-tier stands with space for dozens of bikes on Disraeli Road plus installing cycle contraflows in Disraeli Road and Felsham Road.
• Planting new street trees, introducing planters with shrubs and greenery and installing a ‘city tree’ that filters air and removes pollutants.
• Decluttering by removing unnecessary signs and railings and upgrading street furniture.
• Widening the footpath between Lacy Road and Putney Bridge Road.
• Improving the pedestrian island at the junction with Putney Bridge Road.
• Upgrading traffic signals at the junction with Chelverton Road to include pedestrian countdown signals and a pedestrian push button crossing on the Chelverton Road arm.
• Installing 12 additional cycle racks close to Lacy Road.
• Repaving the western footway between Felsham Road and Upper Richmond Road.

The next phase, which is scheduled to commence on April 11, will see the road surface renewed between the Upper Richmond Road and Putney Bridge Road and the installation of a raised carriageway table at the Lacy Road junction. Letters outlining the work schedule and travel arrangements for the duration of the works, which are due to last just over a week, have just been delivered to all residents and businesses in the town centre.

Funding for all these works has come mainly from council budgets, with contributions from the Putney BID and also a grant from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund. The council applied for this funding to help revitalise the town centre and help it overcome the challenges of vacant retail space, traffic congestion and air quality.

Transport spokesman Cllr John Locker said: “We’ve already seen the positive impact the changes completed so far have had on the high street. They have improved the physical and visual environment, helped improve air quality and made the high street a friendlier and more welcoming destination for visitors and shoppers.

“Our aim is to make the high street cleaner, greener and safer by tackling congestion and encouraging alternative forms of travel and we have been helped in pursuing these goals by the many local people, businesses and stakeholders who have shared their ideas with us and shown great support and enthusiasm in helping us deliver this landmark project.

“I’d like to offer my thanks to local people and businesses for the patience they have already shown us while we carry out this significant package of works and to also reassure them that during this next phase we will do everything we possibly can to keep noise and disruption to an absolute minimum.”