Millions to be spent on improving public spaces in London

Almost £150 million will be spent on improving transport services and town centres across London.  

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Transport for London (TfL) have confirmed £148m in funding for the London boroughs in 2016/17.

The annual borough funding is provided by TfL to help the boroughs pay for local transport projects set out in their Local Implementation Plans (LIPs). LIPs are plans that show how the boroughs will support the Mayor’s transport strategy in their area. For 2016/17, TfL's financial support for the boroughs’ LIPs has been maintained at £147.8m and will fund improvements that benefit local communities.

The funding will support a range of different transport projects delivered by the boroughs across London. Local areas will see safer roads, better public spaces, improved walking facilities and cycling made safer and easier.

Funding includes:

• City of London - £1.4 million including £200,000 towards proposals to transform Bank Junction with widened footways, cycle routes and improved public space to make the busy junction safer;



• Westminster - £6.4 million including £1 million to transform public spaces and create better cycling routes through the West End, including at Cambridge Circus and Villiers Street;



• Kensington and Chelsea - £2.1 million including £150,000 for pedestrian improvements at the junction of Old Brompton Road / Pelham Street;



• Camden - £4.9 million including £2 million towards the West End Project, which will transform the area around Tottenham Court Road and Gower Street and will deliver high quality public spaces and streets, including walking, cycling and bus reliability improvements;



• Islington - £2 million including £350,000 for borough-wide road safety improvements, such as junction improvements, traffic calming measures and pedestrian crossings, will be targeted in areas in the borough where higher than average accident statistics have been recorded;



• Southwark - £4.1 million including £820,000 to improve safety at Camberwell, particularly for cyclists and pedestrians.

Mr Johnson (pictured) said: “This latest round of funding will help to transform scores of locations in all four corners of our great city. It is specifically targeted to help make our roads, town centres and open spaces more attractive places with better facilities for walking and safer cycling. By helping the boroughs deliver on important local transport schemes, we can help to spur jobs and growth across London.”