Central London is set for new cycle lanes, traffic limits and green public spaces as part of a “transformative” £55 million makeover.
Camden Council, with financial backing from Transport for London (TfL) has published the first sketches of how Holborn could look after its “Liveable Neighbourhood” revamp of several streets in and around Holborn.
The illustrated early designs include proposals for urban planting at busy thoroughfares, segregated cycle paths and wider pavements at Southampton Place, Museum Street, Bedford Place and many more.
According to the council, the aim of the multi-million pound project is for residents to be able to “breathe clean air, with more plants and trees, in beautiful new and improved spaces”.
The Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood website adds: “We want it to be easy and fast to get around by sustainable and healthy types of transport.”
As part of the changes, the council is also proposing to limit or restrict motor vehicle access at several junctures by making roads one-way only, including at John’s Mews in Bloomsbury.
The Town Hall is also floating pedestrianising Great Russell Street altogether, and making Great Ormond Street one-way except for ambulances coming to and from the nearby hospital.
While the sketches give the public an early idea of what the revamped neighbourhood will look like, the council is still gathering feedback on the designs until February.
After that, it will develop a draft proposal to be put to formal public consultation in summer 2026, according to the current timeline.
The local authority has already been asking the public to identify specific sore points within the neighbourhood, which it has tracked on an interactive map.
Many respondents have already shared their reaction to the plans. Several highlighted the need to free up space for cycling and make the spaces greener, with some unhappy about motorbikes using roads as a “cut through” and “dangerous” junctions including at High Holborn.
However, others suggested the need to “prioritise pedestrians, not cyclists”, while one commenter said the planting featured in the early designs looked “miserable and scruffy”.
Another respondent was less than thrilled at the though of additional traffic controls: “Why don’t you just ban all road traffic in Camden and be done with it. No need for useless consultations and [you] make your cycling lunatics happy.”
Residents can share their views on the sketches on the council’s website.
