Part of council's £4million improvement project for the town centre
New planters on Putney High Street
A series of planters containing trees, plants and shrubs were installed on Putney High Street last weekend.
The are situated on the newly widened pavement near the junction with Putney Bridge Road and are part of a £4million project to improve the high street.
Planters are being used because of the many different utility pipes and cables that run just underneath pavements in the high street.
They are the latest measure in a series made recently in the centre of Putney including the widening and repaving the eastern side of the pavement between Disraeli Road and Putney Bridge Road, the provision of ‘Copenhagen Crossings’ at side streets and repaving the area outside the railway station.
Funding for all these works has come from council budgets, with contributions from the Putney BID and also a grant from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund.
The next phase of works which have been part funded by a new £1.058m Government grant will include redesigning the Lower Richmond Road junction – with the aim of improving pedestrian and cycle flows through the junction and between the high street and the riverside with increased priority and crossing facilities. This includes reducing the number of signalised pedestrian crossing stages and traffic islands.
Changes at this junction will also look to incorporate improvements for cyclists particularly those turning left from Lower Richmond Road onto Putney Bridge, as well as on the bridge itself. The council says it plans to further investigate opportunities to create quieter and safer routes north and south so cyclists can avoid the busy high street.
The hope is that the planters will make the town centre a more pleasant place to shop
The council has also begun upgrading pavements on the western side of the high street between The Upper Richmond Road and Felsham Road, incorporating a new pedestrian safety measure at the junction with Norroy Road.
Transport spokesman Cllr John Locker said, “The arrival of these attractive planters and the trees and shrubs they contain have added some welcome greenery to the high street.
“The other changes that have already been completed have also had a hugely positive effect on the high street by improving the physical and visual environment and helping to improve air quality.
“Our aim is to make the high street cleaner, greener and safer by tackling congestion and encouraging alternative forms of travel and we have been helped in pursuing these goals by the many local people, businesses and stakeholders who have shared their ideas with us and shown great support and enthusiasm in helping us deliver this landmark project.”
August 12, 2021
