DRAFT LETTER TO THE CORPORATION OF LONDON WHO ARE PLANNING THE ROAD:
You can email Bob Hall:
robert.hall@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Alderman Bob Hall
Chairman, Hampstead Heath Management Committee
City of London
Guildhall
PO Box 270
London EC2P 2EJ
Date
Dear Mr Hall
I am writing to express my deep concern about your plans to build a vehicle-only road on Hampstead Heath. The road will bring no benefit to users of the Heath and will greatly reduce its amenity.
I am particularly concerned about safety as local residents, Heath users and school children will have to cross the road to get to the Heath. Current research and planning practices suggest that shared-use roads are safer for pedestrians than vehicle-only roads.
The Corporation of London claims to be building the road to improve safety on the main footpath from Highgate Road onto the Heath, but the dangers to pedestrians on that path will be greatly reduced when the depot and stores are moved to Kenwood as planned. Without the depot and stores, the Highgate Road entrance would be perfectly capable of carrying the amount of traffic that would be needed to service the café and proposed new heritage centre. But the Corporation of London has not fully investigated the access options from Highgate Road, which is a shorter, safer and more logical route for the road.
I am concerned that the real reason for building the road is to service the offices that you plan to build on the depot site. You are proposing to significantly degrade the environmental quality of the Heath in order to build offices and allow staff and visitors road access to them. In addition, I am concerned that the proposed vehicle-only road will be used as a dangerous construction route for the various building projects you are planning for the Parliament Hill Triangle.
I hope you will reconsider this unacceptable proposal and look forward to hearing from you.
Your sincerely,
Please also email the Councillors Maya De Souza, Alex Goodman and Adrian Oliver, who are all Green Party Councillors:
Contact Glenda Jackson MP:
And contact your local press.
