Strengthening Portobello Road consultation

Closes 13 Oct 2024

Opened 22 Jul 2024

Contact

Growth and Delivery Team

020 7361 3012 (Planning Line)

growthanddeliveryteam@rbkc.gov.uk

Overview

Kensington and Chelsea Council have been working with the local community for over a year to develop draft ideas for improving the infrastructure of Portobello Road.

We support the thoughts, wishes and experience of residents, traders, and businesses to ensure Portobello remains a place people are proud to live, trade and work and continues to be a cleaner, safer and fairer destination.

Portobello Road is home to a world-renowned street market, rich in heritage, character, and community. The Council recognises it is a place to protect and celebrate for generations to come.

The project area includes the length of Portobello Road from Pembridge Road to Bonchurch Road.

At this stage, we are looking for feedback on focused infrastructure improvements for the Antiques Gateway from Chepstow Villas to Westbourne Grove including the junction with Denbigh Terrace. This is intended to be the first phase of the delivery process, with details for each future section of the street subject to additional consultation.

We are also looking for feedback on nine specific elements such as lamp posts and power supply for traders that are relevant to the length of the project area, from Pembridge Road and Bonchurch Road. The nine elements are:

  • Road safety: traffic barriers, safer junctions, pavement and road surfaces
  • Infrastructure: reducing flooding, improving lighting, power supply
  • Experience: signage and wayfinding, greening, seating

Your feedback will inform detailed designs for the Antiques Gateway and help shape the approach to the nine specific elements.

If there is support to continue the project, construction works in the Antiques Gateway could begin in autumn 2025.

Whilst this project focuses on infrastructure improvements, the Council is working to ensure that improvements to the area are addressed in a holistic way, including a focus on market operational elements. 

The Street Trading Office will launch a separate consultation in the autumn 2024 with a series of questions that will help inform how best to support the market and street traders.

Please email growthanddeliveryteam@rbkc.gov.uk to sign up for updates on the future street trading consultation.

Get involved

The consultation is open for an extended period until Sunday 13 October 2024.

Fill in the online feedback form available below to have your say now.

You can also pick up paper copies of the consultation material from North Kensington Library, the Street Trading Office (Monday - Saturday 8.30am to 1.00pm) on Tavistock Square, or the Westway Trust.

You can speak to the project team at weekly consultation surgeries at the market. See schedule below in the Events section.

If you need additional support to take part in this consultation, including translations, please contact the project team on growthanddeliveryteam@rbkc.gov.uk and 020 7361 3012 (Planning Line).

Click to see draft proposals for Chepstow Villas to Westbourne Grove and Denbigh Terrace junction

Draft proposals for Chepstow Villas to Westbourne Grove and Denbigh Terrace junction

We are proposing a phased approach to deliver the project to minimise disruption to trading during construction. 

Works would begin at the southern end of the road, from Chepstow Villas to Westbourne Grove (Antiques Gateway). This is a major gateway to Portobello and a key part of the antiques trading area.

There is also opportunity to improve the junction with Denbigh Terrace for pedestrians.

Please note that these proposals will introduce a new road closure during market trading hours on a Friday and Saturday, in line with the rest of the road. This is to allow for anti-terror measures to be implemented.

Chepstow Villas to Westbourne Grove

This illustration of Portobello Road looking north near Denbigh Close shows the following sensitive improvements to the infrastructure of the road:

  • Strengthened road safety through new traffic barriers​
  • Extend existing road closure during market hours (Fridays and Saturdays) to include section between Chepstow Villas and Westbourne Grove ​
  • Pavements enhanced and upgraded surfaces​
  • Parking bays at same level as pavement​
  • Clear marking of the carriageway with kerbs​
  • New colourful lamp posts and electric vehicle charging

Denbigh Terrace junction

This illustration shows a special moment for pedestrians at Denbigh Terrace junction with the improvements:​​

  • Water fountain ​
  • New trees where possible​
  • Temporary seating​
  • Cycle stands​
  • Traffic barriers for pedestrian safety active during market hours (Fridays and Saturdays)​​

The junction or the street will not be pedestrianised.​

Click to see draft guiding principles for improving Portobello Road

Draft guiding principles for improving Portobello Road

Working with community members, we developed nine draft ideas focused on these improvement areas: 

  • Road safety: traffic barriers, safer junctions, pavement and road surfaces
  • Infrastructure: reducing flooding, improving lighting, power supply 
  • Experience: signage and wayfinding, greening, seating 

These draft ideas are intended as guiding principles for improving the length of Portobello Road from Pembridge Road to Bonchurch Road. However, delivery will be phased over multiple years starting from the Antiques Gateway.

Why your views matter

Results from this consultation will be used to inform detail designs for the Antiques Gateway (from Chepstow Villas to Westbourne Grove), as well as refining the nine guiding principles for improving the infrastructure of Portobello Road.

The draft proposals in this consultation were developed with community members.

Click to find out more about how the community influenced the project so far and technical evidence

We began long-term conversations about potential improvements to Portobello Road in mid-2023 by creating the Portobello Engagement Oversight Panel. The panel is made up of around 20 local people, including residents, traders and business. Its purpose is to ensure that the involvement of the community is genuine, robust and that the Council’s process and work is transparent throughout this project.

The second step was to run a series of in-depth deliberative workshops involving a sample of about 40 independently recruited residents, traders and businesses. The purpose of these workshops, called Portobello Conversations, was to bring together community members to discuss differing views on the road and market and find common ground. This took place in February 2024 and was run by independent facilitators.

After the Portobello Conversations, technical consultants used the citizens’ recommendations to draft a series of proposals that seek to deliver positive changes while respecting the heritage and character of the road.

Evidence base: Citizens’ recommendations

Participants in the Portobello Conversations put forward recommendations based on a series of topics that addressed sensitive improvements to the infrastructure of the road.

You can read a full account of the Portobello Conversations including how the citizens' recommendations were created on the report available below.

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Evidence base: Technical surveys 

The draft proposals out for consultation are based on initial technical surveys and analysis conducted between 2023 and 2024. This included traffic and transport analysis, loading and parking surveys, and flooding.

These studies provide a better understanding of the current infrastructure challenges on Portobello Road and the most feasible and cost-effective solutions.

The draft proposals also draw from the Markets Plan 2022-2027.

You can review the technical evidence on the documents available below.

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Your browser does not support inline PDF viewing. Please download the PDF.

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