Bethnal Green residents and business owners outraged by multi-million pound Liveable Streets proposals
November 8, 2019
Cleaner air, quieter streets, more greenery – it sounds like the perfect plan, but Tower Hamlets’ newly revealed multi-million-pound proposal has caused outrage among some residents and business owners.
The borough publicly unveiled the full scale of its £15m Liveable Streets scheme last week, with mock-ups of five traffic-heavy sections they intend to overhaul. The hope is that by closing off some roads and making others one-way they can waylay the 21,000 daily vehicle movements in the area, drastically reducing pollution.
Thomas Brown, a spokesperson for Tower Hamlets who has worked closely on Liveable Streets, said: “The designs are the result of months of engagement with different community groups, because people have said to us they want changes.”
However, there are some locals who feel they’ve been completely overlooked by the planners. Jenefer Appiah, who has lived in the area for 70 years, said: “It's a crazy system. My parents are 97 and 90 and they do not want this because I will not be able to take them to hospital appointments… People will not easily be able to get to the health centre. If they're unwell and they can't walk it'll be a very circuitous route for them.”
Reducing toxic air in Tower Hamlets has been a priority in the borough since it announced a climate emergency earlier this year
Bad for Business
Business owners on Old Bethnal Green Road are particularly upset about the plan to make their street one-way, anticipating a decline in custom. Kim Howitt, owner of Tikis Hair, said: “We’ve all had an increase in rent along here and now you’re potentially halving the people that can get to us… I’ve been here so long that my customers moved out [of the city], but they all come in to see me, so where are they going to park?”
In response to the idea that it would reduce pollution, Ms Howitt said: “We’re all going to be stuck in traffic on Hackney Road and Bethnal Green Road, so what have you done, really? You’ve just shifted a third road into two roads instead of three.”
Ms Howitt and other residents have sent their thoughts to Tower Hamlets. The borough is accepting feedback on the proposals online until November 25th.
