Revitalising Earl’s Court Road

We asked for your views on a vision and collection of projects within the draft Local Action Plan for Earl’s Court Road.

We asked you to choose your most important project from each of the three project categories:

· Improving the environment

· Character and heritage

· Managing the street

We also asked for your views on the draft Earl’s Court Shopfront Design Guide, and if you had ideas for any further projects for the Local Action Plan.

We received 184 responses to the survey and a further eight responses by email. Of the 192 responses, 93 per cent supported or strongly supported the vision and objectives of the plan.

Most comments about the vision and objectives of the plan and its proposed projects fell under the following themes:

· Address anti-social behaviour, improved safety and more policing

· Dissatisfaction with retail offer and desire for a different and more varied mix of shops and businesses

· Improve the pedestrian experience, cleanliness and repair pavements.

The most popular projects within each category were:

· Improving the environment: Decluttering the street

· Character and heritage: Shopfront Design Guide

· Managing the street: Tackling waste and recycling bins

Comments about the Shopfront Design Guide were received from 110 survey respondents and 98 were supportive, i.e. 89 per cent.

Following the consultation, we are amending the projects and action plan accordingly. The key changes are:

· Add ‘safe’ to the vision so that it reads, “Earl’s Court Road will be known for its special character both as a safe, attractive and convenient neighbourhood high street and an appealing London destination”.

· Add information about other ways crime and anti-social behaviour are being tackled as well as supporting the street population.

· Add information about how to report problems via Report a problem

· Add ‘including young people and families with children’ in objective 4 so that it reads, “Earl’s Court Road will offer a selection of useful and appealing shops, facilities and services for local residents and visitors including young people and families with children.”

· Through the market stall feasibility projects, explore the contribution a market could make towards providing a more neighbourhood shopping offer e.g. a weekly farmers’ market, to address the deficit in the retail offer identified in the comments.

In addition, we will take the following actions:

· We will continue to support work towards forming an Earl’s Court Business Improvement District which would give businesses funds to implement crime and anti-social behaviour reduction measures and other measures to improve the pedestrian experience.

· Discuss speed cameras and enforcement on Earl’s Court Road with TfL.

· Discuss additional pedestrian crossings raised by respondents, with TfL – including one between Barkston Gardens and Penywern Road.

· Given the high level of support for the Shopfront Design Guide, we will now consult on adopting this as a Supplementary Planning Document. If adopted, it would become a material consideration in determining shopfront planning applications and applications for advertisement consent within the Earl’s Court Road District Centre.

The following project ideas were suggested by respondents, and these will be relayed to relevant services and considered for inclusion in the plan when it is reviewed in 12 months:

· More pedestrian crossings on Earl’s Court Road, in particular from Barkston Gardens to Penywern Road

· Speed limit enforcement measures on Earl’s Court Road

· Conservation Area Management Plans for other Conservation Areas (Philbeach and Earl’s Court Square mentioned)

· Freddie Mercury commemoration as a draw for visitors

· Earl’s Court to have a central part in London Pride with events and streetscape/shop front celebrations. Blue plaques to create a “Walk with Pride” walk from the station, down past the Boltons and Old Brompton Road.

· Address nuisance caused by delivery bikes

· ‘Gum trees’ or similar to reduce gum waste

· Loyalty scheme for local businesses

· More seating in the public realm

· Christmas tree in Hogarth Road

· Tourist/visitor information map or leaflet that could be available at the kiosk since the traders are frequently asked for help