Overview

The event will provide an overview of The West End Project, one of the most ambitious transformations of traffic and public realm in central London. Devised to create safer, greener, and more attractive streets and spaces in and around Tottenham Court Road, Shaftesbury Avenue, Bloomsbury Street and Gower Street. It is key to Camden Council’s work in reducing air pollution and improving health and wellbeing.

The project has already removed the one-way system and general traffic, closed streets, widened pavements, introduced segregated cycling and improved road safety. Nine green and sociable spaces have been delivered or are currently underway. Ranging from Alfred Place, where a road has become a new park, Whitfield Gardens, the re-design of a cherished local park, through to six small pocket parks in and around Tottenham Court Road. The latest public space at Princes Circus is due to open later in May, this has closed part of Shaftesbury Avenue to create a new public space, affectionately called The Woodland Glade. The project has won the NLA and Pineapple Awards for Public Space (2019) and Alfred Place Gardens won Best Public Space in the 2022 NLA Awards.

The talk will share the project itself, as well as lessons learnt in the context of designing and delivering Healthy Streets, reassigning space from vehicles to people and the challenges of delivery in a contested urban environment. It will also discuss the importance of bringing together different disciplines and collaborative working, to marry technical requirements and placemaking.

You can read more about the project here

Speakers 

Sophie Thompson

Director and Head of Public Realm (Landscape Architect) at LDA Design 

Sophie Thompson is a landscape architect and public realm lead at LDA Design, with over 20 years’ experience in the design and delivery of liveable streets, squares, and green spaces. She is currently leading public realm on the £35m West End Project, to transform highway into healthy streets and multi-functional urban spaces in the Tottenham Court Road area. Other projects include public spaces at St Paul’s Cathedral, Southsea seafront, Covent Garden, London Wall, and Great Ormond Street. Sophie also sits on the High Streets Task Force and New London Architecture Transport and Infrastructure Panel.

Ciaran Govern

Principal Engineer at Arcadis

Ciaran is a Chartered Principal Engineer at Arcadis. He has gained 14 years’ design experience working on projects ranging from major highway schemes to urban realm improvement schemes. Ciaran has undertaken the role of a Lead Designer for the Civil Engineering for Camden West End Project and the Camden Green Spaces schemes which include Whitfield Gardens, Alfred Place and Princes Circus. He has a strong interest in how efficient design solutions can help schemes be more sustainable and better suited to future use. Other schemes include Oxford Street District, Eltham High Street, Cycle Superhighway 3, 7 and 8 Upgrades, London Bridge Station Public Realm and Ballards / New Road Public Realm.

Alex Stebbings

Director - Traffic and Transport at NRP Ltd

Alex is a Director of NRP’s Traffic and Transportation team based in London.  He has nearly twenty years’ experience delivering active travel schemes, primarily in London, with a focus on feasibility design, traffic impact assessments and modelling.  In his previous role at SKM Colin Buchanan and subsequently Jacobs Alex led the feasibility design and traffic modelling on the West End Project.  Alex has also worked on Mini-Hollands and Liveable Neighbourhoods including Enfield Town and Holborn as well as trial/experimental schemes such as Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, School Streets, and schemes that enabled safer cycling, social distancing and al fresco dining during the COVID lockdowns.

Who the event is for

This event is aim at those that are interested or involved in improving and transforming urban public realm and traffic dominated streets and spaces into inclusive places for people and nature. Places that promote active travel and physical activity, encourage social interaction and provide contact with nature (blue-green infrastructure). Whether you’re a transport planner, traffic engineer, landscape architect, transport policy maker or regeneration specialist you will find this event insightful and thought-provoking.

Help and support

This a Microsoft Teams webinar, upon booking the event you will receive a confirmation email containing the meeting link.

For any queries please contact regions@ciht.org.uk

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