Cross posted from Camden Cycling Campaign newsgroup
written by John Chamberlain

I’m emailing to tell you about a major construction project in Bloomsbury that will have a massive impact on local roads and asking you to object to the planned routing of the construction vehicles.

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) are planning to demolish a large building on Great Ormond Street and build a bigger one, which will become a Children's Cancer Centre. We are of course all huge supporters of the work they do but we are very concerned about the impact of the demolition and construction on local roads, particularly Lambs Conduit Street, Great Ormond Street and Boswell Street. These roads are all quiet residential streets and are heavily used by pedestrians and cyclists including visitors to the local hospitals. The plans as submitted involve routing HGVs via these streets for the duration of the project (at least four years) and making them one-way for all traffic including cycles.

Lambs Conduit Street is on a key N-S cycle route, recently enhanced by changes to Red Lion Street that have cut out the large majority of through-traffic. And Great Ormond Street is the only route to and from Queen Square that does not involve major roads. Routing HGVs along these roads will endanger pedestrians and cyclists and will have a serious impact on the health and well being of residents and visitors. The Demolition and Construction Management plans also involve closing Lambs Conduit Street and Guildford Place to northbound cyclists for the duration of the project, with northbound cyclists diverted via Millman Street. Additionally, Great Ormond Street is to be closed to all eastbound traffic including cycles. This will entail an even larger diversion for eastbound cyclists via the main roads (Southampton Row or Theobalds Road), both of which are dangerous and inhospitable.

These road closure proposals are in direct conflict with Camden’s policies to encourage active travel and to reduce the burden of noise and poor air quality on residents and visitors. As well as putting cyclists at risk they will likely result in cyclists avoiding the closures by cycling on the footways and/or against the traffic flow.

Local residents, councillors and others have asked GOSH to look at alternative methods of access to the site, for example, directly from Guilford Street, but GOSH have rejected this. We are trying to get Camden to refuse the planning application until a safe DMP/CMP is submitted.

You can submit objections through Camden's planning website at https://accountforms.camden.gov.uk/planning-search/ and entering the application number 2022/2255/P or by email to the planning officer Patrick Marfleet (patrick.marfleet@camden.gov.uk). Objections are supposed to be in by Monday 20th but if you miss the deadline officers will usually accept emails for a bit after that.

The CCC website is at:
http://www.camdencyclists.org.uk