Westminster City Council's new City Plan
Posted: 20 Jun 2019, 11:18am
Westminster City council has just published its new City Plan which will shape the "Heart of London" for years to come. The Tory council really has pushed to boat out this time on demented policies. Here are the best.
"This strategy sets out a game-changing Central Activities Zone (CAZ) to deliver a world-class leisure experience. We’re investing £150 million over the next three years to deliver our ambitious Oxford Street Place Strategy and Delivery Plan," says an inanely grinning Councillor Richard Beddoe on page 3.
Yet there's no space for cycling and who'd want to cycle to the shops anyway?
Because "pressure from competing uses, high PTAL values across the city and the limited space on offer within Westminster’s fine grain urban environment mean that provision of shortstay cycle spaces will not always be appropriate. This approach is reflected in Westminster’s travel pattern that suggests people don’t generally cycle to visit areas like the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) and many of Westminster’s town centres." (p109)
And car parking policy:
"[W]e have developed a parking policy approach which functions on two distinct but interrelated levels. Firstly, we have an overarching parking policy which covers most of the city and follows emerging London Plan car free standards and secondly, we have a localised policy specifically covering Parking Zones B & F [which covers the very dense districts of Paddington, Marylebone and Fitzrovia]" (p115)
This "localised parking policy" gives justifications for deviating from car-free housing. These are two examples that illustrate Westminster council's mentality.
Firstly, adequate car parking to meet demand will combat air pollution.
"Air quality is one of the top concerns for Westminster’s residents. If off street parking is only allowed for a fraction of the predicted growth in zones B and F, residents would need to travel and search for parking spaces due to kerbside stress experienced in these zones." In other words, a lack of parking space is going to increase pollution in the middle of London. (p115)
And a family-friendly city centre is one full of cars.
"A central principle of the emerging City Plan is to encourage mixed and sustainable communities and a demographic imbalance exists within Westminster in terms of the proportion of families living in the city. Cars provide a method of convenient transportation and release from the stress of living in central London. This is particularly relevant for young families where the cost of public transport and the logistical implications of using these forms of travel can be a prohibiting factor for many families moving to and staying in Westminster." (my emphasis, p115)
Westminster City Council, City Plan 2019 – 2040 https://www.westminster.gov.uk/cityplan2040
"This strategy sets out a game-changing Central Activities Zone (CAZ) to deliver a world-class leisure experience. We’re investing £150 million over the next three years to deliver our ambitious Oxford Street Place Strategy and Delivery Plan," says an inanely grinning Councillor Richard Beddoe on page 3.
Yet there's no space for cycling and who'd want to cycle to the shops anyway?
Because "pressure from competing uses, high PTAL values across the city and the limited space on offer within Westminster’s fine grain urban environment mean that provision of shortstay cycle spaces will not always be appropriate. This approach is reflected in Westminster’s travel pattern that suggests people don’t generally cycle to visit areas like the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) and many of Westminster’s town centres." (p109)
And car parking policy:
"[W]e have developed a parking policy approach which functions on two distinct but interrelated levels. Firstly, we have an overarching parking policy which covers most of the city and follows emerging London Plan car free standards and secondly, we have a localised policy specifically covering Parking Zones B & F [which covers the very dense districts of Paddington, Marylebone and Fitzrovia]" (p115)
This "localised parking policy" gives justifications for deviating from car-free housing. These are two examples that illustrate Westminster council's mentality.
Firstly, adequate car parking to meet demand will combat air pollution.
"Air quality is one of the top concerns for Westminster’s residents. If off street parking is only allowed for a fraction of the predicted growth in zones B and F, residents would need to travel and search for parking spaces due to kerbside stress experienced in these zones." In other words, a lack of parking space is going to increase pollution in the middle of London. (p115)
And a family-friendly city centre is one full of cars.
"A central principle of the emerging City Plan is to encourage mixed and sustainable communities and a demographic imbalance exists within Westminster in terms of the proportion of families living in the city. Cars provide a method of convenient transportation and release from the stress of living in central London. This is particularly relevant for young families where the cost of public transport and the logistical implications of using these forms of travel can be a prohibiting factor for many families moving to and staying in Westminster." (my emphasis, p115)
Westminster City Council, City Plan 2019 – 2040 https://www.westminster.gov.uk/cityplan2040
