Queens Crescent

The Commonplace engagement survey, which was available on this page during the trial scheme, is now closed. Following a public consultation that closed on March 18 2022, we decided to make the traffic changes proposed during the consultation permanent.

This includes the smaller pedestrian and cycle zone on Queen's Crescent, the moving of the Grafton Road restriction further north, and new cycle hangars.

You can read the full decision report here and read the monitoring factsheet for data on the scheme here. The update leaflet sent to residents in July 2022 is available at the bottom of this page.

Keep reading for updates on the Queen's Crescent project as we look to start construction, along with information about the history of the project. 

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Update - September 19, 2023

Read our latest update on the Queen's Crescent project below:

• We want to reassure you that all the feedback we’ve heard is helping us design a makeover for Queen’s Crescent that is accessible, enjoyable, supports the market and helps build a thriving community.
• It has been a while since our last update – that’s because we’re talking to the building contractors about the timetable for the street works and finalising the design with further input from the contractors. We will shortly provide more information about when the street works will commence and how life will continue on Queen’s Crescent during these works.
• It’s taking us longer than we expected to start construction on Queen’s Crescent. This is due to factors out of our control, such as long waiting times for materials. This is caused by the demand for and supply of certain materials, as well as the current economic climate.
• Before we start construction, we will need to carry out some work to repair and maintain services such as electricity connections to streetlights. As you mentioned lighting as a key concern, we want to make sure everything is working properly before we start construction. The building contractor will be on site to check the condition of the Queen’s Crescent Arch and gates to see if they need to be replaced or repaired as part of the main construction.
• Check back here regularly for updates on the project and information about the construction timetable, which should be ready soon.

Update - April 18, 2023

Are you interested in hearing what’s been going on as part of the Queen’s Crescent project? We'll regularly be posting flash updates here about our work as part of this transformative project. Read on to find out more about our plan to transform the Crescent into a greener, more pleasant and thriving community street.

• In March, we completed survey works on Queen’s Crescent. This involved digging holes at specific points on the street to check what was underneath the pavement or road – this will help us better plan where to place new features like trees, while making sure we don’t disrupt essential services. We have now filled in these holes, thank you for your patience during these works. 
• On Monday April 24, we will be carrying out survey work on the drains on Queen’s Crescent. The works will make sure the drainage system is effectively getting rid of the water that runs into them as well as a CCTV inspection of the drains. We will need to suspend any parking where the drains are located – please check on-street notices for more information. 
• In the coming weeks, we will carry out more survey works on the electrical bollards located on Queen’s Crescent – please check back for more information. 
• We’re working to finalise the design of the street and the construction programme. We’ll shortly be sending an update through your letterbox with information on the layout of the street and a timeline of when the works are expected to take place. Stay tuned for more updates!

What is the Queen's Crescent project?

Following an approval of traffic measures that we consulted on in March, we’re now turning our attention to the works on Queen’s Crescent worth £1.9 million from the Mayor of London – this includes improvements to pavements, trees, seating, lighting, support for the market, and more.

This work includes a new iconic entrance to Queen’s Crescent from Malden Road. You told us the entrance to the street is uninspiring – that’s why we’re laying down a ‘welcome mat’ that will make it clear you have entered the Queen’s Crescent market with an iconic crescent design. What’s more, this welcome mat will make crossing the road here safer and easier.

We will also be making Queen’s Crescent a more pleasant, comfortable, and safe place to visit with the introduction of lighting that will improve the feeling of safety when it’s dark, improved footways, and seating along the street that will allow people to rest when visiting the Crescent.

We will also look to increase the number of trees on the Crescent – one of your main requests to make the street more pleasant. And the market, which is the heart of the street, will be supported with new electricity bollards ahead of the development of a new market strategy that will breathe new life into the historic market.

The update flyer sent to residents and businesses in December 2022 can be found at the bottom of this webpage.

History of the Project

Following a public consultation in early 2021, we introduced a trial motor traffic-free environment on a section of Queen's Crescent between Bassett Street and Weedington Road. We also introduced a motor vehicle restriction on Weedington Road and on Grafton Road to prevent traffic that used to travel down Queen's Crescent from using these streets as a route between Southampton Row/Malden Road and Kentish Town Road/Prince of Wales Road.

The need for improvements to Queen’s Crescent to support walking and cycling and reduce traffic volumes and speeds was first identified in 2015 via the Gospel Oak Regeneration consultation. Since then, a scheme of public realm improvements on Queen’s Crescent has been developed in response to the findings of the Gospel Oak Regeneration consultation. Since 2015 the scheme has been through the following steps:

• 2015 – Local community shared priorities for Queen’s Crescent via the Gospel Oak Regeneration consultation, identifying key issues including dangerous driving and rat running. Suggestions were made to reduce through traffic and improve the pedestrian and cycle environment.
• 2019 - £1.1m was secured from the Mayor of London’s Good Growth Fund to support improvements to Queen’s Crescent.
• 2019 – Camden undertook a co-design with the community to guide a programme of public realm improvements and support for the market. Through this process local people expressed a clear priority to address vehicle dominance on the street and improve pedestrian experience
• 2019 – The Queen’s Crescent Public Realm Strategy was prepared which included green planting and trees, build outs and raised tables to slow traffic, feature lighting and infrastructure to support the market.
• 2020 – A full public consultation on the Queen’s Crescent Public Realm Strategy was due to take place during the summer of 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the consultation had to be postponed.

During the summer of 2020 a proposal in the Stage 2 report was brought to the funder’s (the Greater London Authority (GLA)) Design Review Panel. The GLA’s panel indicated that a more ambitious scheme should be considered to respond to the challenges posed by the pandemic and the priorities raised by the community in the Stage 2 report. During the community co-design of the Queen’s Crescent Public Realm project, local people expressed a clear priority to address vehicle dominance on the street and improve the pedestrian experience, which included:

• Slowing traffic
• Restricting/reducing parking
• Reducing congestion/traffic numbers
• Making Queens Crescent one-way

In response to the feedback from the GLA and local residents an enhanced public realm scheme is being proposed as a trial. The experience gained during the trial and the information gathered from the community to date and during the trial will feed into a proposal for a permanent scheme which will be consulted on 6 months after the launch of the trial. This permanent scheme proposal consultation will potentially contain both elements of the trial and elements of the proposals within the Stage 2 report of the Queen’s Crescent Public Realm project.

We had over 340 responses and following the consultation we have modified the proposals based on the feedback received and made the decision to implement the proposed modified changes as a trial. You can read the decision report  relating to this scheme, which contains full details on the consultation and our responses to feedback received, as well as an Equalities Impact Assessment .

The scheme is intended to make it easier and safer for people to walk and cycle and to help make Queen's Crescent and the streets around it a more pleasant place to visit, shop and spend time. The changes are being made on a trial basis before a full public consultation, 6 months after a trial scheme, is launched.

Please note that all visualisations included on this webpage are aspirational. As the final design of the Queen’s Crescent scheme progresses, some elements are subject to minor changes and may appear differently in the final scheme that is built.