Transport for London (TfL) is working with Barnet Council to enhance Hendon Central high street as part of its commitment to create healthy streets across the capital.
The plan is to use “creative low-cost ideas from local communities” to improve the busy high street in Barnet. Improvements include refreshing road markings, repainting and planting new trees. TfL and boroughs are also working with local communities in each area to give the high streets local branding and identity. New decorative ‘Welcome to Hendon’ signage will be installed along with additional cycling parking, new trees and refreshed planters around Hendon Central Tube station.
Hendon is among the first six locations to receive Healthy High Streets funding. Work is underway and will be complete by March.
Carl Eddleston, TfL’s Head of Asset Operations, said: “High streets are the lifeblood of local communities and we want to do everything we can to ensure they thrive. These improvements … show that through creativity and local support we can make areas more welcoming and attractive for everyone. This work will create better places to live, work and enjoy – helping to improve people’s lives across the city. We hope to make improvements to more high streets across London over the coming years.”
Councillor Dean Cohen, Chair of the Barnet Council Environment Committee, said: “We very much welcome this investment. The new signage will really brighten up the area, and the new trees will improve the air quality in what is a very heavily congested part of the borough. We hope that the additional cycle parking will encourage people to consider using more sustainable methods of transport. All in all, this is very positive news, and we are very grateful for this investment.”
The Mayor’s Transport Strategy aims to reduce reliance on car use and grow sustainable travel to improve quality of life, aiming for 80 per cent of journeys to be made by walking, cycling or public transport. TfL’s investment in delivering healthy streets contributes to this by creating streets where people choose to travel actively, connecting communities, improving air quality and reducing road danger and noise.
These improvements to local high streets are in addition to the Mayor’s Liveable Neighbourhoods grants of between £1m and £10m for boroughs to transform local neighbourhoods.
TfL research shows that improvements to make it more appealing to walk and cycle in London’s town centres and high streets lead to an increase in retail rental values, more retail space being filled and a 93 per cent increase in people walking. The research has also found that people walking, cycling and using public transport spend the most in local shops, spending 40 per cent more each month than car drivers.
