Petition to bring back Battersea pedestrianisation scheme hits 5,000 signatures

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

A council has responded to calls to bring back the weekend pedestrianisation of a street to allow for al fresco dining, after a petition gained more than 5,000 signatures.

Northcote Road, in Battersea, did not close to traffic during weekends in summer for the first time since 2020 this year, after Wandsworth council scrapped the scheme.

The decision was criticised by Wandsworth Conservatives, who lost control of the council for the first time in 44 years last May.

A petition from the group, started last year, called on the administration to “save” the scheme.

The petition said: “We, the undersigned, call on Wandsworth Labour to withdraw their plans to cancel the summer weekend pedestrianisation scheme on Northcote Road, which has saved businesses and jobs and created a safe, fun atmosphere in the summer months for al fresco shopping and dining.”

A new council report reveals the final version of the petition was given to officers in February this year with 5,109 signatures.

In the report, for a finance committee meeting on July 6, the council said there is “little practical incentive” to bring the scheme back, at a cost of £2.5million to the authority, during the cost-of-living crisis.

The response, from the cabinet member for voluntary sector business engagement and culture, reads: “The Northcote Road scheme was a fantastic temporary scheme put in place during the lockdowns, enabled by Covid-specific funding.

“However, times have changed for businesses since Covid restrictions were lifted and businesses across the borough are now having to deal with cost inflation, high energy bills and increasing interest rates.

“Continuing with the Northcote Road weekend closures would have cost the Council £2.5million and an ongoing cost to local businesses of £24,000 per week, meaning there would be little practical incentive for them to continue.

“In these incredibly difficult economic times, with the cost of living crisis affecting everyone in Wandsworth, the council does not view this as the best use of resources.”

The council has commissioned work into different ways to achieve the aims of the scheme, according to the response.

The response adds: “The council continues to encourage people to visit Northcote Road and has invested in the pedestrianisation of Abyssinia Close, off Northcote Road, that will now be given over entirely to pedestrians and enable outdoor trading – this work is expected to complete in summer 2023.”

Pictured top: Northcote Road (Picture: Charlotte Lillywhite)