Work to Begin on Layout Changes on Wandsworth Bridge Road
New design includes raised zebras, kerb buildouts and cycle parking bays
One parklet will be replaced with andextended kerb featuring communal seating, greenery and planters
August 1, 2025
Hammersmith & Fulham Council is to start the next round of works redesigning Wandsworth Bridge Road within weeks as it progresses its plans to turn the area into a destination high street.
New raised zebra crossings, cycle parking bays and an extended kerb are among the changes to be made. The works are expected to begin around 18 August and last for four weeks.
Two opposition Conservative councillors have however called for the scheme to be paused, claiming “proper consultation” needs to be held.
A council spokesperson previously said, “We made a strong commitment to enhance and improve the Wandsworth Bridge Road during the consultations over the Clean Air Neighbourhood [CAN] camera schemes to the east and west.
“Residents and businesses have told us they want a high street, not a highway. These works are designed to start that journey towards returning Wandsworth Bridge Road to its former self, as a high street at the centre of the community.”
The changes represent the next stage of the council’s plan to reduce congestion and improve Wandsworth Bridge Road for locals and businesses. Last year the local authority installed a range of traffic-calming measures, such as planters and seating decks, along the road.
They are designed to function as part of the wider South Fulham CAN, a scheme which has also seen cameras erected on streets to the east and west of Wandsworth Bridge Road to prevent out-of-borough drivers rat-running.
Fines are issued to those caught, and the council says the combined efforts have led to 15,000 fewer cars per day using residential streets as cut-throughs, removing an estimated 1.9 tonnes in carbon emissions a day.
The installations on Wandsworth Bridge Road have however proven controversial among some residents. Silva Deakin, whose home faces a planter damaged earlier this year, previously described the measures to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) as “idiotic”.
“It’s just [a] nightmare,” she said. “And you know, where do they find funds to do ridiculous things like that?”
In a letter sent to residents and businesses on 25 July, seen by the LDRS, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, Cllr Florian Chevoppe-Verdier, wrote that work will start in the week commencing 18 August on the next stage of the road’s redesign.
This will involve the installation of four new raised zebra crossings, new cycle hire parking bays, replacing the existing parklet at the Ryecroft/Bovingdon crossing with an extended kerb featuring communal seating, greenery and planters, and designated loading bays for businesses.
“A series of permanent upgrades of existing crossings will put the safety of people first – making the neighbourhood an even more accessible and better place to live, work and socialise,” Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier wrote.
“The full works are designed to boost the local economy by making the urban centre greener with more space for people, so promoting the area’s burgeoning café and hospitality sector.
“The changes will help reduce cycle accidents at side street junctions, tackle excessive speeding on the road, discourage large HGVs and make walking and cycling in the area safer and easier.”
He added future decisions about replacing seating structures outside Bon Bon and Joe’s Brasserie “will be taken in conjunction with local businesses”.
He said, “We will be asking them to put forward their own proposals as part of the redesign of the town centre.”
The works will be carried out between 9am and 6pm with roadside parking restrictions in place.
Conservative councillors Liam Downer-Sanderson, Shadow Member for Environment and Ecology, and Amanda Lloyd-Harris, Shadow Member for Public Realm, have since written to Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier detailing concerns about the scheme.
They claimed the redesign is moving ahead “with no proper consultation”, with no detailed designs shared.
“Of particular concern is the proposed kerb extension and the narrowing of what is already a narrow and busy highway,” they wrote. “This risks creating even greater congestion and safety issues rather than solving them.
“We must also question the logic behind installing seating directly on the highway. Wandsworth Bridge Road is a narrow, heavily used arterial route. If the council genuinely believes people will want to sit there it shows how out of touch these proposals are with the reality of local life.”
The two councillors wrote clarity is needed on the plans for the existing parklets and planters, and requested the works be paused and a “proper consultation” held.
In March the Market Research Society (MRS) found a survey conducted by Opinium ahead of the introduction of the South Fulham CAN had breached four industry rules. This included that it did not take reasonable action to ensure participants “were not led towards a particular point of view”.
The MRS noted Opinium “fully co-operated” with the investigation and that no further action was required.
James Endersby, Chief Executive of Opinium, said at the time: “We support the Market Research Society’s review process. We were pleased to see its conclusion that no corrective steps were necessary, but we had already reviewed this study many months ago and put in place additional layers of quality checking in our ongoing commitment to high standards.”
A spokesperson for Hammersmith and Fulham Council said, “The overwhelming majority of residents have made their position clear. They asked us to reduce congestion and pollution in their neighbourhood and we have delivered with cleaner, safer and quieter streets.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
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