Wandsworth Bridge Road Changes Delayed By Resident Responses
Council says time needed to consider volume of correspondence
Cllr Downer-Sanderson says council is “ignoring residents on and around Wandsworth Bridge Road”
September 9, 2025
Works on Wandsworth Bridge have been delayed by several weeks due to the “volume of correspondence” received during consultation including dozens of objections.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council was meant to have begun a new round of changes in the week commencing August 18, to last around a month. The planned alterations include the installation of new raised zebra crossings, cycle parking bays and an extended kerb.
A council spokesperson has however confirmed the works have been delayed, with a start date now expected this week. They said this is partly due to the volume of correspondence received during consultation “which required proper and due consideration”.
Conservative Cllr Liam Downer-Sanderson, Shadow Member for Environment and Ecology, said Wandsworth Bridge Road “is simply not suitable for buildouts”.
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 Clean Air Neighbourhood (CAN), a scheme which has also seen cameras erected on streets to the east and west of Wandsworth Bridge Road to with the stated aim of preventing non-resident rat-running.
Fines are issued to those caught, and the council says the combined efforts have led to 15,000 fewer vehicles per day using residential streets as cut-throughs, removing an estimated 1.9 tonnes in carbon emissions daily.
In a letter sent to local residents and businesses on 25 July, Cllr Florian Chevoppe-Verdier, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, wrote a range of further upgrades were planned for the road.
One parklet will be replaced with an extended kerb featuring communal seating, greenery and planters
The works were meant to start in the week commencing 18 August, and involved 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.”
Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier added future decisions about replacing seating structures outside Bon Bon and Joe’s Brasserie “will be taken in conjunction with local businesses”.
Cllr Downer-Sanderson and Cllr Amanda Lloyd-Harris, Shadow Member for Public Realm, wrote to Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier following the distribution of his letter detailing concerns about the scheme and what they argued was a lack of consultation.
The dispute continued into last week when Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier wrote to the Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Jose Afonso, in which he accused him of spreading “extraordinary misinformation”.
On the claims of a lack of consultation, he wrote the development of the CAN and the Wandsworth Bridge Road redesigns is “the result of the largest public engagement and consultation exercise this council has ever undertaken”, involving hundreds of hours of meetings and working groups among other activities.
“Our critics, like you, claim that it is useless to try and tackle the problem,” he wrote. “You say you cannot change a main road from a traffic-dominated highway into a high street for people. We do not accept that. We believe Wandsworth Bridge Road can once again become a high street that is vibrant and accessible – a place of which we should all be proud.”
The same day Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier wrote to Cllr Afonso, 5 September, the council uploaded a report to its South Fulham Clean Air Neighbourhood webpage in which it details and addresses objections to the works.
These were submitted in response to two consultations; one which ran until 6 August following the publication of a Traffic Order Notice concerning parking and loading bay changes, and another until 14 August in relation to a Section 23 Notice, proposing the installation of the raised zebra crossings. Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier’s letter, which went to 6,761 homes and 282 businesses, is also noted.
According to the report, 290 responses were received across both statutory notices, featuring a mix of objections, general feedback and supportive comments.
Of those, 214 were based on a template shared by Cllr Afonso, which the report states “do not introduce new or unique concerns beyond those already considered during earlier engagement phases”.
Also among the representations were 57 specific objections, commenting on concerns such as parking, micromobility bays, access and local impact.
The report makes a series of recommendations in response to the submissions including some changes to the scheme. These include deferring the installation of loading bays in Studdridge Street and Beltran Road and micromobility bays in Studdridge Street, Clancarty Road and Ashcombe Street.
The report also commits the council to “maintain community liaison” and ongoing monitoring of the changes, with formal reviews to be conducted six and 12 months following their implementation.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked the council why the 18 August date was given in Cllr Chevoppe-Verdier’s letter if the consultations were still running, but did not receive an answer to this question.
Cllr Downer-Sanderson said, “This Labour-run council has form when it comes to ignoring residents on and around Wandsworth Bridge Road. Their latest ‘consultation’ is nothing more than another sham.
“Our position is clear: yes to safer crossings, no to parklets, no to pavement widening. Wandsworth Bridge Road is simply not suitable for buildouts.”
A Hammersmith and Fulham Council spokesperson said, “Works will commence this week on the Wandsworth Bridge Road transformation programme. Delays have occurred due to the volume of correspondence received during the statutory consultation process, which required proper and due consideration, and the finalisation of agreed traffic management measures between our contractors and Transport for London.”
Ben Lynch - Local Democracy Reporter
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |