Cornwall Road Pavement Widening

During the Covid‑19 pandemic, a one-directional “no motor vehicles” restriction was introduced on Cornwall Road to reduce through‑traffic created by vehicles using the street as a route to avoid the Waterloo Roundabout. A section of the carriageway was also converted to pedestrian space to slow traffic and give The White Hart more space to trade outside. This intervention helped lower traffic volumes on Cycleway 10. Although this measure has since been made permanent, we proposed introducing a two‑way traffic ban to further reduce the amount of motor traffic using Cornwall Road as a cut‑through in 2023. We also proposed using more permanent materials to upgrade the buildout outside the White Hart pub.

Following on from our previous proposed design engagement in 2023, we have reviewed the feedback received from the local community/key stakeholders and internal teams and have made some iterations to the previous designs presented.

Initially we proposed the following changes:

• Widen the pavement to create more space for pedestrians and slow traffic
• Add tree planting and greening to the area
• Create space for potential table & chairs licensing
• Bring the entire buildout to pavement level to improve accessibility
• Transition from a one-way traffic restriction to a two-way closure to vehicle traffic
• Retain cycling movements in both directions
• Add dropped kerbs at crossing points
• Create a pocket park with more tree planting, greening and potential for dedicated seating area on both sides
• Pedestrian crossing to be retained and raised to pavement level

We are proposing to change the design in the following ways:

Scaling down of the proposed green planting.

• We have collected underground utilities data, which significantly limit the scale of green planting we can implement At either location

Scaling down the proposed crossing point.

• Due to the presence of significant underground utilities, we believe scaling down these works will give us better value for money. Moreover, due to the deteriorated financial position of the Council, we are no longer able to access funding from our Capital Investment Programme (CIP).

Removing trees/planting.

• The trees/planting would be in the way of the traffic lights and we want to ensure road safety for all road users.

Removal of parking

• Parking near the charging point has been safeguarded. To allow for sufficient turning space for vehicles, parking near the junction on the eastern side of the road will be further restricted.

Lambeth Council is expecting to receive funding in the 2026/27 Financial Year through the Local Implementation Plan (LIP) funding from Transport for London to further limit through traffic in the area and improve conditions for the C10 cycleway.

Once this funding is confirmed, Lambeth will reengage with local residents and businesses on the updated designs. We expect this to happen in June/July. During this further engagement phase, we will also publish the designs.