Give Little Venice street over to pedestrians, says campaigner
By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter
A resident is petitioning the council to ban cars from a street in London’s Little Venice to turn it into a nice place to sit and enjoy a coffee without cars using the road as a rat run.
John Gregson, 71, believes that preventing cars from accessing Formosa Street, a short walk from Warwick Avenue, would not only provide an area for people to gather but also increase footfall for local businesses.
The retired management consultant, who has lived locally for 20 years, said he has received positive feedback from residents and businesses to-date, with more than 100 people signing his petition so far.
The current petition, which Mr Gregson filed on August 13, is not the first to attempt to nudge Westminster City council towards pedestrianising the street. Two previous submissions in 2011 and 2020, neither of which Mr Gregson was involved with, were rejected by the former Conservative administration on grounds including potential impacts on traffic and noise.
Mr Gregson is however hopeful that the current Labour administration, which won the local elections in the City for the first time in 2022, will prove to be more amenable.
This is in-part due to its appetite for schemes improving the public realm, such as the nearby Warwick Avenue project. He is hopeful some of the money earmarked for that scheme could even be redirected towards Formosa Street.
His vision is to level the street and to provide an easily accessible pedestrianised area. It could, however, be as simple as placing planters blocking vehicular access to the street, depending on the money and ambition.
He added it should not be difficult to remove the existing parking spaces on Formosa Street, with alternatives available on nearby roads, and for delivery bays to be installed at each end.
Mr Gregson said: “There are two categories of people I would say use these facilities, in particular the restaurants and the pub. One of them is locals, and others are tourists. Because Paddington Basin is just up the road, you do get tourists that come down here.”
People attending Lord’s for the cricket would also be a likely audience, he added, due to the number who enter and exit Warwick Avenue station. “What I’m trying to do is to create a space for the community to meet and just hang around in, to make it more of an asset to the community as a whole rather than just a bit of a rat run for vehicles.”
In his petition, Mr Gregson claims 85 per cent of local businesses are in favour of the proposal. He added he is also getting positive feedback from residents he has spoken with about the plans. Real Drinks wine and beer store and The Red Pepper restaurant, both expressed support for the scheme.
Rachel Lambert, manager at Real Drinks, said she is ‘100 per cent’ behind the proposal, describing the road as ‘a cut-through that doesn’t need to be there’. She said: “With the other bits that are going on and the green bit in Warwick Avenue, it would be perfect to do this at the same time.”
Cllr Sara Hassan, a Labour councillor in Little Venice, said: “Formosa Street is a hidden gem in Little Venice. When one of my residents approached me about the petition, I thought it was a brilliant idea. While it already has buckets of charm, I’m keen to see how we can protect and enhance it as an area of unique character and heritage.”
Mr Gregson’s petition is due to run until September 25. For more information, view the petition on Westminster City council’s website here
Pictured top: John Gregson in Formosa Street (Picture: LDRS)