Plans to introduce a part-time low-traffic neighbourhood have been challenged by Greenwich’s Conservative opposition leader – meaning that a panel of councillors will have to hear concerns about the scheme. 

Matt Hartley, who represents Mottingham, Coldharbour & New Eltham and is an opponent of the proposal, has “called in” the plans. The LTN would stop through traffic from using streets either side of Greenwich Park between 7-10am and 3-7pm on weekdays. 

Three Labour councillors — Lakshan Saldin (Charlton Hornfair), Leo Fletcher (Blackheath Westcombe) and Maisie Richards Cottell (East Greenwich) — have also called in the plans. They are raising worries about specific aspects of the scheme, which would cover much of Greenwich and part of Blackheath.

All the councillors’ concerns will be heard at the same meeting, which is likely to be after the London mayoral poll on May 2 because of laws surrounding elections. The panel of three councillors will make a recommendation, then it will then be down to Averil Lekau, the council’s deputy leader, to make a final decision.

The plans would block most through traffic using Point Hill, Hyde Vale and Crooms Hill to the west of Greenwich Park; and Maze Hill, Vanbrugh Hill, Halstow Road and Westcombe Hill to the east, using numberplate-recognition cameras. East-west traffic along St John’s Park in Blackheath would also be blocked.

One aspect of the scheme that had caused concerns, the removal of bollards blocking access to Gloucester Circus in west Greenwich, has been reversed, and the bollards will now remain in place.

But there have been worries that roads on the perimeter of the area will be unable to cope if drivers use those instead, rather than use the A102 – particularly in Charlton, where Marlborough Lane, Eastcombe Avenue and Victoria Way are already used as cut-throughs. 

Map of east and West Greenwich and part of Blackheath
The area covered by the scheme. Charlton Way, Old Dover Road, Stratheden Road and Charlton Road will remain through routes. Image: Greenwich Council

Buses, emergency vehicles, taxis and blue badge holders would be exempt, as would minicabs and organisations which qualify for a blue badge, such as those carrying people with special educational needs. There would also be exemptions for carers and those with some health conditions.

Most of those who responded to a consultation into having a low-traffic neighbourhood in the area opposed it, although large numbers expressed concern about levels of traffic in the area.

Hartley said: “There is a widespread feeling that the council’s consultation process has been deeply flawed — but even despite these flaws, their own results show huge opposition to every proposal they have put forward.  Yet the council intends to press on regardless, with an adjusted version of its proposed scheme, rather than finding a solution that does command public support.  

“I’m also far from convinced that the impact on boundary roads and neighbouring areas like Charlton have been taken into account in arriving at this proposal.

“The amended proposal the council has now brought forward hasn’t itself been consulted on, and it’s important that residents, community groups and businesses have a chance to have their say – so I have called in the decision for further scrutiny.”

Illegal driving in Vanbrugh Hill
Residents in Vanbrugh Hill have complained about traffic hurtling the wrong way down the road. Image: The Greenwich Wire

The call-in is the latest twist in a lengthy saga resulting from problems in west Greenwich. Residents complained that were drivers using back-streets to escape the congested A2, along with aggressive and antisocial behaviour, resulting in a low-traffic neighbourhood being put in place in 2020. That was blamed for a surge in traffic east of Greenwich Park, particularly in Maze Hill and Vanbrugh Hill, together with more jams and antisocial behaviour.

The council initially proposed introducing a low-traffic neighbourhood there too, but amid a furore among Labour members and councillors, it got cold feet and scrapped both schemes in the run-up to the council elections in May 2022.

This replacement scheme has gone through two rounds of consultation, although some residents have complained of chaotic public meetings about the project. Documents confirming the move were quietly published on an obscure section of the council website two weeks ago, with the council publicly referring to it as a “neighbourhood management project”.