Mayor and Cabinet to consider Healthy Neighbourhoods programme
If approved, the Council will start engaging with communities to help shape future improvements designed to reduce unnecessary traffic, improve road safety, encourage walking and cycling, and tackle air pollution and climate change.
Healthy Neighbourhoods will give residents, community groups, businesses and stakeholders the opportunity to share their experiences, identify local issues and help shape future proposals for their area. The strategy recommends ongoing engagement throughout the design and delivery process, ensuring local knowledge plays a central role in decision-making.
Today, around 68% of journeys in Lewisham are already made by walking, cycling or public transport. While the Council acknowledges some residents need to use cars, its ambition is to increase that to 81% by 2041 by making it safer, easier and more attractive for people to choose active and sustainable travel, especially for shorter everyday trips. For those that do rely on cars for essential journeys, including people with disabilities, carers, tradespeople and local businesses, congestion will be reduced so it should be easier for those who need to drive to get around. The strategy also highlights the importance of maintaining accessibility and considering the needs of Blue Badge holders.
The need to act has never been clearer. Across London and the UK, communities are already experiencing the impacts of climate change through more frequent heatwaves, prolonged periods of hot weather and increasing pressure on green spaces and local infrastructure. These changes affect our health and wellbeing, particularly for older people, young children and those with existing health conditions.
Creating greener streets with more trees, planting and rain gardens can help neighbourhoods stay cooler, manage heavy rainfall and become more resilient to the challenges climate change will bring in the years ahead.
The Healthy Neighbourhoods programme is a key part of Lewisham's ambition to create streets where it is easier and more attractive to walk, wheel, cycle and use public transport for everyday journeys. The programme supports the Council's wider goals to reduce carbon emissions, improve public health and create cleaner, greener neighbourhoods.
Councillor Corin Ashwell, Cabinet Member for Environment, Nature, Transport and Climate Action, said:
"Lewisham cannot meet the challenges of climate change, poor air quality and road danger by continuing with the status quo. Many local journeys are short enough to be made without a car, and we need to create streets that make walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport the natural first choice. By doing so, we can build healthier, greener and more connected communities for current and future generations.
"Everyone deserves to live in a neighbourhood where they feel safe walking to the shops, cycling to work, spending time outdoors and enabling their children to travel to school safely. Healthy Neighbourhoods is about improving quality of life for local people.
"We also recognise that some residents and businesses depend on vehicles for essential journeys. Reducing unnecessary traffic is not about preventing those trips; it is about ensuring our roads work better for the people who need to use them most."
Further details about the engagement programme and the areas proposed for inclusion will be published following the Mayor and Cabinet meeting on 9 September, subject to approval.