The Old Kent Road in South East London is a major route into central London from Kent and South East London, but is a poor quality environment for pedestrians and for its residents, as well as provides a very poor impression of South East London to road users who pass through.
The Old Kent Road has been designed by road engineers for vehicles, not for pedestrians or the people who live nearby. It has room for widespread planting and general ‘greening’ along its entire length which will alter the whole character of the road and will provide a fitting gateway into central London from the Kent and South East London.
Wide pavements (in some places 8m wide) provide room for planting and well as food stalls; in many places the road carriageway is wide enough to have planting and SuDs in the centre; and there are many ‘warehouse’ like retail units which present extensive ugly car parks to the pavement and road which offer room for additional planting and landscaping. In areas which the pavement is narrow planting can be trained up the facades of buildings.
A programme of Greening the Old Kent Road will provide a much better environment to local residents, offering a contrast to the high volumes of road traffic which otherwise dominate this road, and turn it into a linear urban park which encourages pedestrian movement as well as space to sit and linger, and alter perceptions of the area. I have attached a few rudimentary ideas to show what is possible.
With a proper budget I can put together a team of top notch landscape architects to put real flesh on the bones of my ideas, and develop an improvement programme which can be developed and delivered incrementally. Talk to me if you are interested.
The Old Kent Road is both arterial road and a place people live. I agree there is lots of opportunity to improve it for all users by thinking about it as a place in its own right, creating spaces and places along its length with both bold planting schemes and hard landscaping for seating, play and temporary markets etc.
Haringey has won funding to improve Green Lanes from the Outer London Fund and TfL.