APPENDIX 3
Memorandum submitted by the London Borough
of Enfield
1. The Olympics will provide an opportunity
for all parts of London. Enfield believes it can play a role in
providing facilities and infrastructure for a successful Olympic
Games. As a borough rich in sporting history, Enfield is committed
to bringing the Olympics to London and ensuring that the games
are successful.
2. Enfield is a diverse Outer London Borough
including both areas of wealth alongside areas of deprivation.
The Borough lies within the London Stansted Cambridge Corridor
and therefore within a growth area identified within the Government's
Sustainable Communities Plan. Enfield is also within the Upper
Lea Valley Opportunity Area identified within the London Plan.
3. Enfield can play more than a supportive
role and feels there is much that Enfield can offer to help London
host a successful Olympic Games. This belief is based on three
core assets. They are:
— An abundance of green open space;
— Excellent transport links, although
one in particular needs major improvement;
— A range of accommodation.
4. It is generally accepted that transport
will be one of the key factors in ensuring a successful games.
Although London does have an extensive transport infrastructure
which is used by millions of travellers each day, during an Olympics
there will be special and varied demands that will require not
only innovation but also major investment. This is highlighted
in the Transport Assessment submitted with the Planning Application
for the Olympic Site. Transport is likely to be one of the major
regeneration benefits and important legacies from a successful
Olympics. The transport system during the Olympics will need to
be flexible enough to cater for the movements of spectators, competitors
and officials, all of whom will have different needs.
5. As one of the largest sporting spectator
events in the world, staging the Olympic, Paralympics and associated
events in East London will have a significant and widespread impact
on transport infrastructure throughout the south east of England.
6. The London Plan indicates that there
could be a considerable growth in jobs and housing in North London
though there is no provision for the major transport infrastructure
improvements required to support such growth. The Mayor of London
should be looking for transport projects that are deliverable
within the timeframes of the London Plan and the Olympics. Consideration
should be given to fast-tracking proposals for transport improvements
to ensure they are ready for the period of the Games and do not
conflict with the event itself.
7. It is generally accepted that orbital
travel, particularly in Outer London is difficult and there will
undoubtedly be a demand to make orbital journeys during the Olympics,
particularly between Wembley Stadium and Stratford. The North
Circular Road is the key link between east and west London, avoiding
the congestion on road, rail and bus in Central London, and forms
part of the Olympic Route Network. The improvement of those sections
of the A406 that have not been improved are in our view essential
to ensure ease of transport between the major centres and the
Olympics and should be recognised for the regenerative and environmental
legacy benefits that it would bring. The improved A406 would also
assist in improving orbital public transport links in North London.
8. The London Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield,
and Haringey, as part of the North London Strategic Alliance,
and on a cross party basis, have considered the future of the
North Circular Road within North London and have agreed to work
together to seek the improvements required for this important
part of the infrastructure of North London.
9. The Transport for London (TfL) Board
has given its approval to a £25.4 million scheme which it
believes will reduce levels of congestion on the North Circular
Road bottleneck between Green Lanes and Bounds Green. TfL claims
its latest proposal will increase road capacity by 20% and though
promised to the Boroughs, insufficient information has been supplied
by TfL clarifying how the revised scheme will reduce congestion.
TfL believes this scheme is an improvement on its proposals in
2002, which were rejected during consultation for not doing enough
to address congestion and rat-running.
10. We are concerned about the effectivness
of Transport for London's (TfL's) proposals for the North Circular
Road in North London. These are the Bounds Green to Green Lanes
Improvement, Golders Green Road Junction Improvement and the A406/A1/A598
Regents Park Road Junction Improvement. We are concerned about
the inadequacy of the proposals brought forward by TfL. We wish
to see a major improvement to this section of the A406 to address
the serious issues of congestion, safety and environmental impacts
in a wide area surrounding this part of the A406 and to maintain
a consistent six lane dual carriageway, with grade separated junctions,
between Wembley and Stratford.
11. The Mayor's publicly stated position
is that he would have proceeded with the major improvements, had
the Government provided sufficient money. He maintains that the
allocation to London, although an increase, fell well short of
his bid and as such he does not have sufficient money to proceed
with major improvement schemes, possibly those inherited from
the Highways Agency for the schemes in Barnet, and a lesser scheme
for the Bounds Green to Green Lanes section, currently estimated
at £150-200 million. We are disappointed that having assisted
the Mayor and Transport for London in lobbying for additional
funding for London as part of the Spending Review only £25
million of the £10 billion allocated has been given to the
A406, no real increase from the funding allocated in TfL's original
Business Plan.
12. The concern with the decision to abandon
progression of major improvement schemes is that it was done without
sufficient consultation or full consideration of the implications
of that decision. The Mayor's Transport Strategy identifies the
need to reduce traffic congestion and improve journey time reliability
for car users, which will particularly benefit outer London where
car use dominates. In addition, it accepts that there are a few
locations where new road capacity could be appropriate to overcome
a critical obstruction or bottleneck in order to assist wider
economic, environmental and social objectives.
13. Conditions on the North Circular worsen
day by day, and we believe that in its present state, or with
the modest improvements proposed by Transport for London, it will
impede access to the London 2012 Olympics and jeopardise the ambitious
plans for new jobs and homes in this area of North London. TfL's
Business Plan explains that the schemes will have a "Neutral
effect (journey times) on general traffic". To spend £25
million on improvements and not reduce congestion is unacceptable
on any analysis, but particularly for a host city of the Olympic
Games.
14. The proposed schemes do not provide
any grade separation, nor will it improve the quality of life
of people living alongside the road. Moreover, the Mayor's decision
to include a bus lane on the Bounds Green section without full
carriageway widening will negate the perceived benefits of his
modest proposal. Congestion, rat-running and pollution levels
will continue to be appallingly high. For instance there is a
Primary School on Bowes Road, which the Mayor visited and saw
for himself the disgraceful environmental state in which young
children are being educated, unable to have proper breaks because
of the high levels of pollution.
15. The London Plan paradoxically proposes
45,000 new homes and 25,000 new jobs for North London by 2016
with a focus on the Upper Lee Valley, Tottenham Hale and Cricklewood/Brent
Cross. The success of this growth and that of the redevelopment
of Wembley Stadium, irrespective of the Olympics, will also be
dependent on improved transport links in North London. The London
Plan indicates very little transport infrastructure improvements
in North London, in particular to assist with orbital movement.
The North Circular Road is the key link between east and west
London, which enables travellers to avoid the congestion on road,
rail and bus in Central London. The improvement of the A406 will
be key to the success of the London Plan and should be recognised
for the regeneration and environmental benefits that it will bring,
and past planning mistakes should not be repeated. The improved
A406 would also assist in improving orbital public transport links
in North London.
16. We are concerned that the proposals
from TfL for the A406 are those that do not have the majority
support of the local community or their elected representatives
and were widely rejected when consulted upon in 2002.
17. The Boroughs would like to work jointly
with Transport for London to implement improvements, which are
appropriate to the strategic role of the North Circular Road.
The Boroughs are willing to work jointly with Transport for London
to identify the funding required for any programme of works.
18. The Boroughs welcome the £4 million
allocated by TfL to tackle problems created by traffic avoiding
the North Circular Road and using streets in adjacent residential
areas. We are working together to develop complementary traffic
calming and traffic management measures for these residential
areas.
19. We recognise the constraints on public
expenditure and are not necessarily looking for the original scheme
at Bounds Green, excellent as it was in environmental terms, to
be implemented at this stage. We are currently developing an "alternative"
scheme costing considerably less than the current estimate for
the inherited scheme, £315 million, but more than the £25
million scheme on the table. What we do insist on as an absolute
minimum is grade separation as this has been shown to be the only
way that sufficient capacity can be created.
20. For the two sites in Barnet, the original
schemes have passed through Public Inquiries, one sitting for
more than 100 days, and all the necessary planning and order making
processes are complete. We understand all the required properties
are in TfL's ownership and are either demolished or beyond economic
repair. With minor updating, the two schemes could progress to
detailed design and construction almost immediately. Thus two
very quick wins could be achieved in tackling the chronic traffic
congestion which blights North London.
21. Many of the current rail projects being
proposed are not deliverable in time for the Olympics but the
West Anglia Route Modernisation Enhancements (WARME) could be
delivered by 2012, if the funding is available. Unfortunately,
it no longer figures in either the SRA's Strategic Plan or the
Mayor's Rail priorities. The WARME project has been developed
over a number of years and has shown it could bring significant
benefits for rail passengers in the Lee Valley, including reinstating
connections to Stratford and improving connections to Stansted
Airport. The role of the Lea Valley Line is underplayed and could
make a far greater contribution to improving access for the Olympic
Zone.
22. The parking capacity of current stations
on the Lea Valley Line and stations adjacent to the M25, such
as Cockfosters Underground Station, needs to be carefully assessed
to ensure they can accommodate any predicted increase in the demand
for car parking during the event. Many of these stations could
be attractive alternatives to the proposed park and ride sites
in Hertfordshire, for spectators.
23. In terms of legacy, consideration must
be given to the sitting of facilities to ensure that they do encourage
access to the local community. Facilities should be placed as
close as possible to local communities, with safe walking and
cycling routes and excellent links to public transport. Facilities
should be part of a healthy transport route, offering changing
and storage facilities for walkers, runners and cyclists. Facilities
should aim to be seen as healthy living centres rather than elite
sports centres, incorporating health centres, education, training
and information points
26 August 2005
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