Have your say on Paddington Places

Go straight to the map to give your views, or read on:

One of the biggest infrastructural barriers in Westminster is the Westway; anyone who has travelled between North Westminster and the rest of the borough by foot or bicycle is aware of the difficulty and danger in passing under the A40. Whilst in theory having this main traffic route elevated should keep the traffic out of the way, in practice, the design of the underlying ground results both in inaccessibility for pedestrians and cyclists and poor use of space.

As such, we are delighted to see that Westminster City Council have recently launched their Paddington Places project. In the Council's words the project is “a vision for North Paddington aiming to improve walking & cycling connectivity, wayfinding, lighting, landscape, placemaking and public realm”.

We hope that this signals a significant commitment to transforming this under-utilised area of Westminster into a places for people both to dwell and pass through.

Please respond to the consultation on the Council's website by 14th December and give ideas for how this part of the borough could be transformed to make it an attractive and useful area for healthy travel and other activities.

We as Westminster Healthy Streets would also like to hear your thoughts. Add a point on the map below to tell us how you think the area can be improved. We will pass this list onto the Council at the end of the engagement period and use it for future campaigning activity.

For some inspiration, here are the Council's categories and some ideas of our own. We've thought up some questions to engage with that can get you thinking about how to transform the area both in the short and long term.

Legible Routes

This theme is all about making it easier to get around the area using active travel.

What parts of the area is it difficult to move between and how could these be improved? How about some additional pavements on access roads, improved crossings or new cycle links? Where can we reduce traffic and facilitate more travel by foot or bicycle? There is a lot of through-traffic on the roads around North Paddington, much of which results in unsafe or univiting streets for people.

• Walking - create continuous and inviting pedestrian routes that connect key destinations
• Cycling - create cycling routes that connect into the broader city-wide network
• Wayfinding - create a legible and navigable network of streets

Healthy Landscapes

This section is about making the landscape and general area healthier and more enjoyable.

What parts do you feel uncomfortable travelling through and how could these be fixed? How about some new areas of plants and trees? How about some new seating and better lighting? Would creating inviting spaces result in more opportunities for local communities and businesses?

• Landscape - create healthy landscapes that are sustainable and enjoyable environments
• Safety and health - encourage an increase in active travel by creating new healthy and safe places
• Lighting - create coherent and safer lighting across Paddington

Dynamic Destinations

This section is about making the places destinations in their own right, rather than through-places.

What new uses could be found for existing spaces? What about some new play areas? What about areas that could be used for community purposes and what would those purposes be? Are there any accessibility issues? Could reducing traffic result in more opportunities for other uses of spaces?

• Characterful places - celebrate local communities and places to reinforce the existing sense of place as well as engage with new development
• Active uses - activate under-used spaces to create new places
• Accessibility - improve accessibility to make places for all

Click on the map below to add your ideas

Please add your ideas by Monday 14th December.

If you see a point that you strongly agree with, feel free add your own comment in support or to elaborate!