Greenwich Council has denied airbrushing evidence of public opposition in reports about its low-traffic neighbourhood in Greenwich and Blackheath, insisting that the consultation was not “biased, undemocratic or secretive.”

The scheme, which began as a trial in November 2024, uses camera-enforced filters to bar most through traffic during weekday rush hours. It was the latest in a long-running series of attempts to stop drivers quieter roads as cut-throughs to avoid the A2.

The council’s Labour leadership hopes to make the scheme permanent from Tuesday: however, a challenge from opposition councillors to call in the decision for further consideration could halt the project’s progress.

The Greenwich Wire understands Conservative councillors are planning to call the scheme in; it is not known whether independent or Green councillors will do the same.

An earlier scheme covering streets to the west of Greenwich Park was scrapped four years ago after complaints that it had pushed traffic into streets east of the park.

The new scheme included streets both sides of the park, but it led to complaints that traffic had been pushed even further east, into side roads in Charlton such as Eastcombe Avenue, Victoria Way and Marlborough Lane.

The council signalled in September that it would make the scheme permanent, and a call-in hearing upheld the decision after challenges from both Conservative and Green councillors in November. A statutory consultation was then held from December 3 to January 7.

Now a 66-page document has been published with responses to that consultation.

Stream of traffic passing Fossdene School
The council has acknowledged that the LTN has led to traffic problems in parts of Charlton. Image: The Greenwich Wire

The council denies that it “selectively reported, omitted or airbrushed” key elements of public feedback, calling this inaccurate and stating that all reports “presented a comprehensive summary of all formal representations received, including petitions, open comments, and consultation data”.

The town hall also denied that it did not provide “clear and cogent reasons” for why the LTN scheme was approved and that the scheme prioritised roads based on affluence, with it instead being aimed at “managing traffic and improving safety and air quality across the whole network”.

Another concern raised in the consultation was that a 5,700-name petition had been omitted from published materials, with critics saying that it had not been given proper consideration. 

The council said the petition did not follow its established procedure for submission, but the concerns listed in the petition – such as traffic displacement, air quality impacts, emergency service access, accessibility for Blue Badge holders, and the adequacy of consultation – had already been raised throughout earlier stages of the consultation process and had therefore been taken into consideration.

The report rejected any notion that the consultation’s analysis and reporting was ”biased, undemocratic or secretive” and that all findings and conclusions drawn were set out transparently. 

Bumps in the road outside Fossdene school
Council officers said the “pinch point” outside Fossdene School was not dangerous. Image: The Greenwich Wire

The council said it presented a “comprehensive summary of all formal representations received, including petitions, open comments, and consultation data” within its reports, as well as setting out the rationale behind the decision to approve the scheme.

However, the council did acknowledge some roads in the Charlton area had experienced an increase in traffic.

A specific problem area that concerned residents is a narrow intersection between Victoria Way and Eastcombe Avenue outside Fossdene Primary School which they said had become a pinch point and a changer to pupils because of the number of drivers dodging the LTN. 

The council said: “Collision data collected during the trial has not indicated any significant adverse safety impacts at or near Fossdene Primary School.”

Officers have pledged to introduce mitigation measures in Charlton and other areas – such as turning restrictions, junction improvements, and traffic calming. But the report said these could be “subject to funding availability and statutory processes.”

Cameron Blackshaw is the Local Democracy Reporter for Greenwich and Bexley. The Greenwich Wire is a partner in the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which is a BBC-funded initiative to ensure councils are covered properly in local media.

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