A North London town centre is set for a huge makeover with a plan designed to make the area a safer and more attractive place for visitors. Proposed changes include widening the pavements along the high street, new cycle lanes, a ‘pocket park’, and adding new traffic restrictions.
Brent Council, in collaboration with Camden Council and the City of Westminster, has launched a public consultation on planned changes to Kilburn Town Centre. It is already open for residents to give their views on the proposals, and is scheduled to run until 23 August.
The councils claim the changes will help improve road safety and local air quality to make Kilburn a ‘better and safer place for residents’, as well as attract more visitors to the area. They hope the changes will make the town centre a ‘more enjoyable’ place to walk, cycle, and shop.
Kilburn is one of London’s 34 major town centres, which runs for a mile along the shared Kilburn High Road – with the western side in Brent, the eastern side in Camden and a small southern stretch extending into Westminster. The council wants to ‘reduce traffic dominance’ along Kilburn High Road and, in turn, make the area more ‘visually appealing, cleaner, safer, and more welcoming’.
Some of the key proposals include: widening the pavements to make it easier and safer for pedestrians; adding more benches; planting more trees; installing new cycle lanes; longer bus stops; and more pedestrian crossings.
In terms of road safety, police data revealed that, despite the significant drop in traffic levels during the pandemic, the number of people getting hurt did not fall significantly. It was, therefore, thought that the problem is caused by the design of the town centre, rather than the number of vehicles using it.
Since 2021, the councils have also been monitoring air pollution across 11 sites along Kilburn High Road, with NO2 concentration said to be ‘significantly higher’ than the UK legal limit at five of the sites. The locations with the worst air quality in the town centre are Belsize Road and the Tube station, according to council documents.
In an attempt to combat these issues, the local authorities are proposing a new signal crossing opposite Brondesbury Station, as well as renewed paving and cycle parking. A two-way cycle track is planned between Burton Road and Messina Avenue – which would be closed off to traffic with a ‘pocket park’ installed. Belsize Road would see new paving, trees, seating, as well as wider footways.
The councils are looking to promote and prioritise ‘sustainable travel options’, such as walking and cycling, to ‘improve the look, feel and walking environment’ for shoppers. By creating more space for walking, it will result in a reduction of on-street parking in the area.
Brent Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Enforcement, Cllr Krupa Sheth, said: “We have more plans to upgrade Kilburn High Road. Our consultation is open, so we can hear your views on our proposals that include, but are not limited to, widening of pavements, more greenery, and more pedestrian crossings. This is your chance to have your say and help shape the future of Kilburn, so don’t miss this chance.”
