Updated recommendations for Sustainable Streets programme in Evelyn and New Cross Gate published
The Council's Sustainable Streets programme aims to reduce the number of car journeys made in Lewisham and encourage more people to walk, cycle or use public transport, in order to reduce traffic and congestion, improve road safety, reduce air pollution and lower carbon emissions.
With unrestricted parking on 75% of our roads – the highest level of any inner London borough – improving parking management and introducing more sustainable transport measures are both crucial for reducing the number of car journeys in the borough and supporting a shift towards active travel.
Earlier this year, the Council consulted residents and businesses in Evelyn and parts of New Cross Gate on Sustainable Streets proposals for roads in the area. The proposals included the introduction of new parking permit schemes, cycle hangars, electric vehicle (EV) charging points, disabled parking bays, car club bays and safer crossings and junctions.
All residents and businesses in the area received a leaflet with information about the proposals via post, in addition to extensive promotion through the Council’s communications channels, on-street advertising, leafleting and door-knocking.
Following a review of the consultation responses, updated recommendations for the area will be considered by Mayor and Cabinet at their next meeting on Wednesday 6 December. If these recommendations are approved, the programme will be rolled out on the majority of roads in Evelyn and New Cross Gate that formed part of the original consultation zone, subject to statutory consultation on traffic management orders.
Read the Mayor and Cabinet report and accompanying consultation report.
Consultation feedback and recommendations
443 responses were received from residents and businesses in the consultation zone. In many areas, the consultation feedback showed a significant proportion of respondents thought that the package of measures proposed would help improve their street. On roads in the area to the north of Deptford Park, a much higher proportion of respondents indicated that they did not think the package of measures would help improve their street.
Taking into account the consultation responses and the wider aims of the Sustainable Streets programme to reduce traffic and congestion, improve road safety, reduce air pollution and lower carbon emissions, it is proposed that the Sustainable Streets programme is rolled out across the majority of roads in the consultation zone, with designs for individual streets updated in response to consultation feedback. The recommendations also take into account the need to ensure the planning obligations for new ‘car-free’ developments in the area can be properly enforced and prevent additional traffic and congestion as a result of these developments. Given the consultation feedback received from roads to the north of Deptford Park, the recommendations propose that the Sustainable Streets programme is not rolled out on these roads
Consultation feedback also showed that people felt improving safety at junctions would improve their road. As a result, it is proposed that double yellow lines will be introduced at junctions on all roads which formed part of the consultation zone in Evelyn and New Cross Gate, including roads in the area to the north of Deptford Park.
The exclusion of roads in the area to the north of Deptford Park will mean that these roads continue to have unrestricted parking – as this has the potential to result in parking displacement, it is proposed that a review will be carried out on these roads approximately six months after any measures are implemented in order to address any issues that arise.
Next steps
If the recommendations are approved, traffic orders will be published and subject to a period of statutory consultation. Following the statutory consultation period and consideration of any comments, if the decision is taken to proceed then implementation of the new measures would be expected to begin from March 2024.
Residents and businesses on roads where the programme is being rolled out will be written to with further information ahead of implementation, including details about how to apply for a parking permit or request a space in a cycle hangar. Residents and businesses in new controlled parking zones will be entitled to a 15% discount for the first year of their parking permit.
Future phases
The recommendations being considered by Mayor and Cabinet also set out proposals for future phases of the Sustainable Streets programme.
It is recommended that engagement and consultation for the next phase of the Sustainable Streets programme is carried out in: Brockley, including parts of Telegraph Hill; Hither Green and Lee; and Catford, including parts of Rushey Green and Catford South.
In response to feedback received during the first phase of consultation, a two-stage engagement and consultation will be used going forward. An initial engagement exercise will be carried out in January 2024 to inform the development of detailed proposals for these areas, followed by a full public consultation on these proposals in March 2024.
Areas with existing controlled parking zones will continue to be consulted as part of the Sustainable Streets programme, to review the impact of existing CPZs and identify where other sustainable transport measures within the programme can be rolled out. Reviews are currently being carried out in Deptford Central (Zone S), Deptford South (Zone DS), Elverson (Zone G) and Ladywell (Zone T). It is recommended that the next phase of CPZ reviews are carried out in Canadian Avenue (Zone J), Barmeston Road (Zone M) and Rushey Green South (Zone R).
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the new controlled parking zones be introduced?
If the recommendations are approved, Traffic Management Orders will be advertised in January 2024. All comments received during the statutory consultation period will be considered prior to any decision being taken. If the decision is taken to proceed with implementation, the installation of new road markings and signage would be expected to take place from March 2024.
Residents and businesses in areas where new controlled parking zones are being introduced will be written to with information about how to apply for a parking permit ahead of the new zones being installed.
As set out in the original proposals, residents and businesses in new controlled parking zones will receive a 15% discount on the cost of their parking permit for the first year.
How much do parking permits cost?
As part of our work to improve air quality in the borough, the cost of a parking permit is calculated based on the emissions of a vehicle, with more polluting vehicles charged more.
Based on existing vehicles in the borough, the average cost of a residential parking permit is around £8.15-9.20 a month taking into account the proposed 15% discount.
You can check how much a parking permit would cost for your vehicle using our permit calculator tool.
Residents are able to pay for their permit in monthly instalments via direct debit, helping to reduce the financial impact of purchasing a new permit.
I am worried about more cars parking on my road as a result of parking permit schemes being introduced on neighbouring streets – what should I do?
We recognise that parking displacement can occur when new parking permit schemes are introduced. If the proposed recommendations are approved by Mayor and Cabinet, a review of the roads to the north of Deptford Park will be carried out approximately six months after implementation of any measures to identify and address potential impacts.
If you are concerned about parking displacement on your street, you can register your interest in a controlled parking zone for your road through our online form.
I live in a ‘car-free’ development in one of these areas but currently own a vehicle – will I be able to apply for a parking permit?
As part of the planning obligations of car-free developments, residents are not permitted to hold or apply for a parking permit within a controlled parking zone (CPZ). However, we recognise that in car-free developments outside of existing CPZs, some residents may currently own a vehicle.
To assist with the transition to no car ownership, existing residents of car-free developments within the proposed Sustainable Streets zones who already own a vehicle will be able to purchase a parking permit for up to 18 months from the date of implementation.
We will also be ensuring that the installation of new car club bays is focused on areas around car-free developments, to support residents in these developments who may need to make certain journeys by car.
Will visitors still be able to park close to my home once parking controls are introduced?
Permit holders living in a controlled parking zone will receive a number of free visitor permits and are able to buy additional visitor permits as needed.
For residents without a parking permit, visitors travelling by car or other vehicle will be able to use short-stay parking bays (sometimes referred to as ‘pay by phone’ bays) to park in the area if needed.
When will the new cycle hangars be installed? How can I apply for a space?
If the recommendations are approved, the installation of new cycle hangars will take place from March 2024.
You can register your interest for a space in a cycle hangar via our online form. When hangars are due to be installed, letters will be sent to households on the relevant roads with more information about how to apply for a space.
When will the double yellow lines at junctions be painted?
If the recommendations are approved, double yellow lines will be painted at the junctions of all roads in the Evelyn and New Cross Gate consultation area in March 2024.
When will the new electric vehicle charging points be installed?
If the recommendations are approved, new electric vehicle charging points will be installed in phases from March 2024.
When will the new car club bays be installed?
If the recommendations are approved, the installation of the new car club bays will take place from March 2024.
Are new street trees being planted in Evelyn and New Cross Gate?
We have an extensive street tree planting programme across the borough and we are planting a number of new trees in Evelyn and New Cross Gate through the Grown Back Together project in partnership with Street Trees for Living and the Greater London Authority.
We will continue to review opportunities to plant more trees and install new Sustainable Drainages Systems (SuDS) in order to add additional greenery to streets in Evelyn and New Cross Gate.
Why are parking permits being introduced on my road when lots of people said they wouldn't improve our street?
The consultation on our Sustainable Streets programme aimed to gather feedback from residents and businesses on the proposals for Evelyn and New Cross Gate and provide an indication of attitudes towards the various measures proposed.
Consultations do not operate in the same way as a referendum and the consultation feedback has been used to shape the final recommendations for the Sustainable Streets programme, alongside our existing policies in relation to transport, parking and air quality and our mission to reduce traffic and congestion, improve road safety, reduce air pollution and lower carbon emissions.
The recommendations also take into account the need to ensure the planning obligations for new ‘car-free’ developments in the area can be properly enforced and prevent additional traffic and congestion as a result of these developments.
While feedback on parking permits varied from road to road, a significant proportion of respondents in Evelyn and New Cross Gate said that they felt the measures proposed would improve their road. As a result, the recommendations propose to roll out the programme in full on the majority of roads.
I wanted to see some of the measures proposed on my road, but not parking permits – why was this not possible?
With limited financial resources available to the Council, introducing the sustainable transport measures originally proposed would only be possible with the funding from the accompanying parking permit schemes.
These measures also require the reallocation of road space which is currently used for parking. As a result, parking permit schemes are needed to ensure that the remaining parking space is prioritised for local residents and businesses.