west hampstead place plan_annotated

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West Hampstead:

Shaping the Future

A plan or the wider West Hampstead area

March 2012



Shaping the uture o the wider West Hampstead area2

Contents

Foreword by Councillor Hayward 3

Summary 4

The place plan and what it covers 6

What the area is like and what the issues are 9

The vision 17

Delivering the vision 20

Action Plan 46




Foreword

West Hampstead is well loved or its village eel, a characteristic much valued by

the communities that live here and appreciated by those who work and visit thisplace. West End Lane with its interesting variety o shops and caes, the village

green and the characterul Mill Lane all contribute to a eeling o human scale that

people want to experience in the heart o their neighbourhood.

With excellent public transport links, a large residential community, some historic

architecture and a host o activities that contribute to the social and economic

prosperity o the borough and beyond, West Hampstead is a vibrant place. Like

many other areas, the communities here need good services, young people need

opportunities, amilies and other households need appropriate housing and open

spaces need to be improved. This plan is about looking at how best to make the

most o opportunities to meet local needs and it recognises that the way to dothis will be with local people on board.

It is also a place where building construction is becoming a part o daily lie with

major developments underway and planned to bring in new houses and jobs. There

are big changes with inrastructure and development proposals that aect the area

which need to bring opportunities with clear benets or local communities. A key

part o this Place Plan will be about how to ensure this happens with actions that

support local communities to have a role in how developments in the area are taken

orward, about the quality and scale o developments and in identiying priorities or

local benets rom major developments.

The economic climate means we need a renewed ocus on ensuring local

people, particularly young people, have access to the new jobs that will be

created and the training so that they have the skills to compete. Despite West

Hampstead’s excellent connections to the rest o London, moving around the

area can oten be very dicult, particularly or pedestrians and cyclists. We need

to look at opportunities to improve the quality o experience or local people.

Placeshaping is a way o looking at local areas to identiy what local people

need, what the opportunities are and how the two can be linked to make surepeople can make the most o their lives and the opportunities that exist locally.

This Place Plan, with a clear Action Plan, has been developed ollowing

consultation with people and organisations that live and work in West

Hampstead. It also draws on a range o previous consultations and engagement

in the area and a long history o community involvement in West Hampstead.

This involvement looks set to continue with the ormation o a Neighbourhood

Development Forum and i a Neighbourhood Plan is developed, it is hoped that

these will become mutually supportive documents, which guide the uture shape

o the area. This is a living document and the Action Plan will be monitored and

developed over time with continuing input rom the people and organisationsthat live and work here.

With West Hampstead undergoing radical and rapid change, it’s my intention

that everyone who lives here can really share in the benets.

Councillor Sarah Hayward

Cabinet Member or Community,

Regeneration and Equalities




Summary This Place Plan has beenprepared as part o

Camden’s Placeshapingapproach to understandingand addressing the needs,

priorities and opportunitiesin dierent parts o the

borough.

West Hampstead has been chosen as an area o

ocus because o both the need to ensure local

people benet rom the major changes that are

coming as well as the need to protect the village eel

o the neighbourhood. The excellent public transport,

combined with a number o underused sites around

the railway lines means there are opportunities or

signicant investment in the area. Building work is

on-going and more planning applications are in the

pipeline.

Change is thereore very real or residents and this is

exactly where a Placeshaping approach is important

to ensure opportunities to benet the community are

not missed.

The plan is made up o our main elements which are

summarised below:

What the area is like and

what the issues are

The rst part o the Plan on pages 9-17 describesthe area, its people and communities and the issues

they ace. These have been identied rom statistical

data, work that has taken place in the area and

eedback rom consultations with local councillors

and community representatives. Key issues include

the importance o a successul high street, managing

the change in the area to ensure the sense o village

is protected, trac issues and moving around the

area, increasing open space in the area and provision

o local services or all – both existing and new

communities.

Vision

Consideration o the area’s characteristics and

identied issues has inormed the vision, which has

been developed with local communities to guide

the Council’s approach to the area and the actions

and interventions we will make and encourage our

partners to make. The vision is set out in ull on page

19, but in summary it envisages a West Hampstead

where:

• Local communities experience real benets rom

the opportunities that come with redevelopment

and people eel that they have infuenced and

shaped how investment is made in the area.

• Support or local business will be a key part o

enhancing the distinctive village character and

more local jobs will contribute to a successul

local economy.

• Local services, housing, open spaces and

acilities will meet the needs o local communities

as will the quality o experience that people have

moving around the area.

• Co operation with local people, voluntary sector

organisations, developers, businesses and the

council will make this happen.

Delivering the Vision

This section explains how we will go about delivering

the vision. It discusses the actions that are already

being taken and urther actions that can be taken

over the short, medium and long term to achieve

the outlined aspirations or the area. This section is

organised around the objectives which are:

• To secure real local benet rom development

opportunities

• To support a successul local economy with a

thriving neighbourhood

• To provide new open space and improve the

local environment

• To deliver improved local services

• To make it easier and more pleasant or people to

move around the area




Action Plan

The Action Plan on pages 46-52 brings together

the headline objectives identied in the previoussections in a table and details the specic actions

that will contribute to their delivery. For example,

maximising opportunities or additional and

enhanced green spaces includes a variety o

approaches including securing open space within

new developments, using a more detailed planning

guidance process to identiy opportunities to

locate new spaces and investigating opportunities

or providing new space on council owned land or

other pockets o land.

The purpose o the Action Plan is to set out clear

measurable steps to achieve the overall objectives

and identiy the anticipated timerames or delivery.

The actions will be monitored regularly to ensure

that progress is being made and that the plan

is responsive to change and new priorities. The

Action Plan will be reviewed and updated when

necessary.




The place planand what it covers

Why a place plan

Camden Council is committed to addressing the

needs o the diverse communities that live in, workin and visit the places that make up the borough,

recognising that dierent places have their own

particular needs and priorities that need to be

addressed in ways that best suit them.

This ‘placeshaping’ approach is about taking the

opportunity to think and act strategically about

how to address these needs in terms o investment

decisions, service delivery and physical changes.

Understanding local concerns and priorities is at the

heart o this approach which is all the more importantagainst a backdrop o reduced Council resources

arising rom reductions in central Government

unding.

Local ward Councillors have an important role to

play, in helping to understand the needs and issues

o the area and to deliver the objectives o the Place

Plan.

Place Plans are being prepared or a number o areas

in the borough, to agree an overall vision or thearea based on the priority issues identied with local

communities and stakeholders. A set o actions then

orms part o each plan to show how the vision can

be made into a reality over the short medium and

long term.

CamdenTown

CamdenRoad

GreatPortlandStreet

TottenhamCourt Road

Holborn

Farringdon

HampsteadHeath

Hampstead

BelsizePark

Finchleyand Frognal

FinchleyRoad

GospelOak

TufnellPark

RussellSquare

GoodgeStreet

SouthHampstead

SwissCottage

Regent’sPark

KilburnPark

KilburnHigh Road

Brondesbury

Kilburn WestHampstead

KentishTown

ChalkFarm

MorningtonCrescent

WarrenStreet

King’sCross

Euston

StPancras

ChanceryLane

Kentish

Town West

WestHampstead

Kilburn

SwissCottage

GospelOak

KentishTown

CamdenTown King’s

Cross

Euston

St Giles- Holborn

Current Placeshaping areas o ocus




The plans will draw together the range o work the

Council undertakes in particular areas to encourage

and ensure joined up working to address the needso people and places.

Place Plans are not statutory planning documents

and do not orm part o Camden’s Development

Plan. Their scope is wide and they set an overall

strategic vision and a wide variety o actions or each

place which may cover some planning-related issues

along with a range o others.

The West Hampstead placeshaping geographicalarea is centred on the three stations (London

Underground, London Overground and Thameslink)

- oten reerred to as the ‘interchange area’. It

includes the West End Lane retail areas together

with the adjoining residential areas and commercial

sites between the railway lines. It is likely that

this will be the area that experiences the greatest

change and investment in the coming years as there

are a number o sites identied or development.

The plan also covers a wider area up to and

including Mill Lane to the north, across to Finchley

Road to the east, Woodchurch Road to the south

and Sherri Road to the west.

The area does not align with ward, statistical

or borough boundaries and has no xed limits,

although neighbouring areas such as Kilburn High

Road and Finchley Road will be covered in more

depth through the Kilburn and Swiss Cottage plans.

The area covered has a range o needs and is

rich in opportunities. The plan addresses issues

over which the Council has direct control as well

as those where we can infuence others including

major landowners and partners. The intention is that

the plan is about the aspirations the residents, the

Council and its partners have or the kind o place

they would like West Hampstead to be and covers

short, medium and long term actions that can be

taken to achieve this vision.

Places are areas that drawpeople together to live, work,learn and play. Placeshaping

or Camden ocuses onplaces o change and

opportunity, to bring strategiesand investment together indeciding how best to ‘shape’such areas.

“

”


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West Hampstead area map

The plan will be responsive to change, opportunities and new priorities. Regular

monitoring will be undertaken to measure progress and assess the ongoing

relevance o actions. Where it is clear that a new ocus is required or new

actions are needed an updated Action Plan will be produced.


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What the area is likeand what the issues are

9


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Consultation andengagement

This plan draws on the ndings o a number o

consultations, the main ones being Camden’s

Social Capital Survey 2008, the Shaping Services

consultation 2010 and the Placeshaping consultation

on key issues or West Hampstead in June 2011.

The 2008 Social Capital Survey was the third

one o its kind and is a survey o individual residents

including specic comparative data or all wards in the

Borough. The survey aims to measure the strength o

community networks, levels o trust and cooperationbetween people and dierent communities, as these

qualities are seen as the building blocks o ‘social

capital’. The ull survey can be seen on the Camden

website.

The Shaping Services consultation with

representatives o service organisations was set

up to better understand the cumulative impact on

places o cross council savings programmes and

to discuss with local stakeholders the impact o the

changes, looking at how working together dierently

could make the best use o reduced resources. The

ull report can be seen at Insert link to web page.

The Placeshaping workshops were hosted

specically to inorm the development o this plan.

The Placeshaping consultation on key Issues was

with representatives o local organisations, community

groups and local councillors. The The ull report can

be seen at the council’s website.

The second consultation on the drat Plan itsel in

February 2012 showed the increasing concern that

local stakeholder groups have about the ongoing

developments and the need to be involved in how

these go ahead. People also want to see how

Neighbourhood Planning can ensure

opportunities rom development are harnessed and

properly understood.

In addition to these consultations, WestHampstead Amenity Transport

(WHAT) undertook some consultation at the

Jester Festival, asking people what their priorities or

the area are and the West Hampstead Lie website

also asked people or their views on the Key Issues

paper or the area.

Local ward councillors have been involved in

developing the nal Plan and their local insights,

comments and views in shaping the vision and

actions are an important part o this work. The ward

Councillors write regular newsletters and also have

blogs and twitter eeds to stay in contact with their

communities.

There are some key themes in relation to West

Hampstead which emerge rom these dierent

consultations.

This is a neighbourhood where people are generally

very satised to live, with 90% o respondents in the

Social Capital Survey believing this. The ShapingServices consultation revealed that there is a strong

sense o community describing the area as having

‘good community spirit, riendly, strong identity’.

The Placeshaping workshops ndings support this,

although there may be some work to do around

increasing links between the dierent elements o

the community.

The Shaping Services and Key Issues workshops

included representatives rom businesses,

community centres, the police, residentsassociations, voluntary groups and local councillors.

Some o the needs or the area which were raised by

these groups were:

• The need or more accessible green space or

better use o existing spaces.

• The need or services to support the growing and

changing population in order to support their

needs such as doctors or school places but also

to allow people to stay in the area.

• More housing that is aordable to people in the

area.

The issues raised are discussed below in more detail.



A relatively prosperous

community

The communities o West Hampstead are diverse

and, like many parts o Camden, include a mix o

ages, cultures and backgrounds. The area can

generally be considered relatively prosperous as

shown in the data in the ollowing box.

However, data does not always show a whole

picture. For example, in addition to local residents,

the three stations are also used on a daily basis

by large numbers o people who do not live in the

area but are interchanging between stations. This

means that at the peak times o the day the number

o people in the area rises signicantly, puttingadditional pressure on the area.

A place with strongmixed communities

There is elt to be a strong sense o community

with a variety o active groups in the area such as

West Hampstead Amenity Transport

(WHAT) and West Hampstead Local

Consultation Group (WHLCG) whohave been actively involved in local issues or

a number o years. There are also a number o

active residents associations including the Housing

Association groups and the recently ormed West

Hampstead Gardens and Residents

Association (WHGARA). These groups are

generally rom the more established members o the

community.

The larger than average proportion o younger

working age residents may be because o theexcellent transport links to other parts o London.

Whilst this contributes to the vibrancy o the area,

residents have said this also means that a large

proportion o the community are less involved in the

area as they leave or work in the morning and return

late in the evening. They may also not stay long in

• The population o the area o ocus

was nearly 8,800 in 2001. The 2011

census data is not yet available. Natural

population growth will have occurred

and the population could grow

signicantly i the expected level o newhousing is provided.

• Higher than average proportion o

people o working age with signicantly

higher proportion in the 20 -34

age group than the borough as a

whole, making up approx 45% o the

population.

• Residents are well qualied compared

against both Camden and National

averages.

• Generally high levels o people in

employment although younger

population (16- 20 age group)

should be careully monitored as,

along with other areas there appear

to be a possible upward trend in

unemployment.

• High number o small businesses and

reelancers in the creative and cultural

industries working rom home in thearea.

• Vast majority o housing in the area

is made up o fats with slightly more

conversions than purpose built

accommodation.

• 37% o households are owner-

occupiers and there is also a higher

proportion o private renting than the

Camden average.

• There are lower levels o council ownedproperties than the Camden average.

• Levels o crime and anti social

behaviour are relatively low



the area, especially due to issues o aordability and

choice in the area’s housing which was also seen as

contributing to ragmentation in the community.

Consultation has also shown that people eel there is

limited interaction between the dierent age groups,

although the use o social media in the area is helping

to address this issue. West Hampstead has an

excellent blog, called West Hampstead Lie

and a twitter eed which has over 4000 ollowers.

This is not only a means o residents getting the latest

news and inormation about meetings in the area, it

also holds regular inormal get-togethers which allow

residents rom a range o groups to meet up.

Local ward councillors play an active role in the local

community and have been vital in helping to set up

a number o Friends Groups, Resident and Tenant

Associations and Community Groups. They help

drive local initiatives and campaigns to benet the

community.

A well connected place

with a mix o uses The three stations and bus routes provide excellent

connections to the wider area. Large numbers

o people use the stations on a daily basis, both

starting their journeys or using the interchange

between stations.

The area comprises o a wide mix o uses with a

vibrant town centre, large residential areas and

pockets o commercial uses, which have developedprincipally on the ormer railway lands.

There are a number o services within the high

street, including the library and Fire Station which

opened in 1901, which contribute to the village eel.

A residential area o contrasts

The residential areas are characterised by large

pockets o Victorian and Edwardian terraces,

semi detached houses and red brick mansionblocks, most o which all within the designated

Conservation Areas o West End Green and South

Hampstead.

These are interspersed with a number o more

recent housing developments, such as The Sidings,

Rowntree Close, Lymington Road and Lithos Road

estates. These estates have mainly been developed

alongside the railway lines and appear in some

cases quite separated rom the surrounding area.

The need or more housing that is aordable to local

residents, particularly amilies, has been identied

as an issue. This could reduce the transience o

parts o the population who cannot presently aord

to buy property and help people build long term

connections to the area.

Commercial areas that provide

employment opportunities

There are small pockets o commercial uses thathave developed principally along and in between

the railway lines, including Council-owned purpose-

built industrial units o Maygrove Road, industrial

units in Iverson Road, commercial/industrial units

along Blackburn Road and car showrooms/

dealerships in between West End Lane and Finchley

Road. A mix o employment space is important to

the local economy and employment opportunities.

The consultations indicated a desire or small

businesses to be able to stay in the area and

the importance o newly developed space beingaordable to their needs.

Community acilities catering

or a wide range o needs

The Council is working in partnership with

local communities to deliver services including

with voluntary sector partners such as Sidings

Community Centre and West Hampstead

Community Centre.

These partners provide services to the under 5s

and elderly, but the need to ensure the long term

sustainability o these acilities is a concern or local

residents, particularly in light o the current cuts in

Council resources.

http://www.westhampsteadlife.com/

http://www.westhampsteadlife.com/



The area is seen as needing better youth acilities,

including more open spaces and better use o

existing acilities to reduce anti-social behaviour andincrease youth engagement in positive activities.

Local services ace a challenging uture all over

Camden and there is a need to consider how

they can be provided in more ecient ways as the

available unding is reduced.

Expected population growth in this area will place

additional pressure on services and resources.

A place with establishedshopping areas that ace

challenges

West Hampstead is one o Camden’s six

designated town centres that have specic

planning guidance. West End Lane orms the spine

o the town centre, with a number o shops and

restaurants also along Broadhurst Gardens.

The area around the stations is viewed by manyto be the ‘gateway’ to the neighbourhood and

during peak travel times is the most heavily used

part o the area. This part a lso eels separated rom

the northern part o the West End Lane, which is

considered to be the heart o the town centre area.

West End Lane is located between Kilburn and

Finchley Road town centres which ensures a

diversied retail oer available to residents, withother shopping destinations urther aeld (such

as Brent Cross) also having an impact on West

Hampstead’s commercial position.

The retail area includes a mix o shops and services

to cater or local people’s day to day needs as well

as a range o caes, restaurants and bars that attract

people rom a wide area. It is characterised by a

mixture o buildings, with ground foor commercial

uses and residential above. Building heights are

generally our to ve storeys, except around the stationarea, where the limitations o the existing railway

bridges, restrict the heights to mainly single storey.

Consultations with local stakeholders show that

maintaining a successul, diverse and well managed

retail centre is one o the main priorities or the area.

However, there are a number o challenges which

are impacting upon its success.

Keeping diversity and small

and independent businesses

There are many independent, long established

and specialist businesses such as La Brocca, Blue

Daisy, The Gallery bar and West End Lane Book

store and independent businesses are an important

and highly valued part o the character o the area.

Local stakeholders have raised concerns over

the changing nature o the shopping centre, with

the introduction o supermarket chains, growing

numbers o coee shops and a narrowing o the

range o services and choices or shoppers.

The results o the council’s Annual Retail Survey

show there has been a slight narrowing o choice

within this centre, with the three largest types o use

being restaurants, estate agents and hairdressers,

which represent 37% o all the retail premises. I

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/two/planning-policy/supplementary-planning-documents/camden-planning-guidance.en






other types o uses that involve ood, such as caes,

takeaways and sandwich bars are also counted,

then this increases to 47%.

This is not necessarily a negative as West

Hampstead has a thriving evening economy with

busy restaurants and bars, which contribute

signicantly to the area’s character, but is o concern

to some local stakeholders.

The long term vacancy levels in West End Lane

appear to be quite low and to have reduced in the

last couple o years. The main issue seems to be

more the regular change o businesses comingand going, which could be a refection o the

growing pressures o relatively high rental levels and

business rates against reduced trade.

As or other areas, the independent businesses

which bring unique character to the area are

increasingly under threat rom competition rom

larger chain stores, although other stakeholders

recognised the benets that these businesses could

also bring.

Support or new and

existing business

Given the considerable growth expected in the area,understanding and responding to local business

needs is particularly important. There is a limited

amount o aordable and quality business space on

the main shopping streets, although major changes

may bring other opportunities.

West End Green was used or a successul

Christmas market in 2010 and 2011, which gave

local business access to a wide range o customers

and there may be scope or urther such initiatives.

Mill Lane under pressure

Mill Lane runs rom the top o West End Lane

towards Kilburn High Road and oers urther

retail opportunities and services to residents to

complement the oer on West End Lane. These

shops and businesses are under substantial pressure

and have seen a signicant increase in the number

o businesses closing in the last two years. This

neighbourhood centre now has one o the highest

vacancy rates in the borough at 18% in June 2010.

The area is less visible and so visitors to the area

do not necessarily know that they are there.

Consultation raised concern about the poorer

quality o the street environment in Mill Lane, with

excessive clutter noted.

A place expected

to undergo majorphysical changes

West Hampstead has been identied as an area o

growth in the London Plan and in Camden’s

Local Development Framework

(LDF). These planning documents identiy that

there is scope or development o the underused

lands between the railway tracks to create new

housing, shops, oces, community acilities and

public space. Whilst this growth is likely to occur

incrementally, it will undoubtedly transorm the area.

West Hampstead Interchange

Area or Intensication :

The London Plan has set a target for the

area to accommodate by 2031

• A minimum of 800 new homes

• 100 new jobs

The scale o expected growth means that there is

a need to consider how to approach developmentopportunities in a coordinated and strategic manner

and how the changes can contribute towards the

shared vision or the area identied in this Place

Plan. Property ownership in the area is complex. As

sites become available it will be important to ensure

development contributes to the wider vision or the

area as set out in this plan.

http://www.london.gov.uk/priorities/planning/londonplan

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Shaping the uture o the wider West Hampstead area 15

What kind o building

developments?

To use the opportunities in West Hampsteadeectively, development should make the best

possible use o sites by using land eciently

(including high density development compatible

with the local context) and providing a mix o uses

that are appropriate to the area including housing,

commercial, community uses, and open space.

The approved planning application or a student

housing scheme on Blackburn Road and plans

or 187 West End Lane, can change the housing

mix o the area and need or local acilities. Whilstadditional homes in West Hampstead can alleviate

housing pressures in the area and in other areas o

Camden such as neighbouring Kilburn. The services

and acilities required by new residents will also

need to be considered.

The issue o buildings being let empty has been

raised by stakeholders and that due consideration

should be given to retaining these buildings rather

than redeveloping, particularly or community uses.

The stations

The three stations on West End Lane are used by

more than 13 million people each year and the area

around the stations is a gateway into the town centre.

There are a number o approved planned

inrastructure improvements to the Thameslink and

Overground services which will increase passengerlevels and thereore place additional pressure on

the area.

Station use and numbers o people in the area

will also increase with the potential new building

developments o sites such as 187 West End Lane

and the 02 car park site and so improvements will

need to be ongoing or the benet o local residents,

businesses and visitors.

Council Owned Sites The Council is responsible or a range o property

in the West Hampstead area including community

buildings, commercial premises and some housing.

A number o these require investment to ensure

they are t or purpose in the longer term. The

Council is exploring how to make best use o the

Council’s property and buildings across the borough,

as part o the Community Investment

Programme (CIP)

Community Investment

Programme (CIP)

A long term council programme to

improve, shape and transorm places

and services which aims to :

• manage council resourcesmost eectively in response toreductions in Capital unding romGovernment

• make and generate investment

in better quality t-or-purpose acilities

• release receipts or investment in the capital programme, includingimproving the quality o Councilhomes

• deliver a range o improvements to housing estates, schools, openspaces and community acilitiesin consultation with building

occupiers and local residents

• investigate whether properties

can be used in other ways

in order to meet the needs

and aspirations o the local

communities

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/two/placeshaping/the-community-investment-programme.en







A number o uture opportunities have been

identied in West Hampstead including proposals to

assist the improvements to schools and educationacilities, opportunities to improve community

acilities and sites which might have potential to

accommodate new homes. These include a site

on Liddell Road, (located o Maygrove Road) part

o which could be redeveloped or a new primary

school i needed in the uture and 156 West End

Lane which could accommodate a new mixed-use

development. Local communities will be consulted

on proposals in the Community Investment

Programme as they develop. These proposals are

explored in more detail in the relevant ‘Delivering the Vision’ sections.

Localism Act

Given the extent o changes happening in the

area residents groups have indicated that they

are interested in drawing up a more detailed plan

or the area. The Localism Act became law in

November 2011, although the provisions o the

Act are not expected to come into orce until

April 2012. Resident and Stakeholder groups

have expressed a strong desire or investigatingthe opportunities that this new Bill provides and

potentially drawing up their own Neighbourhood

Plan and a Neighbourhood Development Forum is

being set up.

A place that can be

dicult to get around

The station area is oten crowded with ull

pavements. The Council and partners like

Thameslink and Transport or London (TL) have

worked hard to improve the situation over the last

ew years. Substantial works have been undertaken

to improve junctions, crossings and relocate bus

stops but pedestrian congestion at peak times

remains an issue. Existing pavements between the

stations are narrow and the limitations o bridges

over the tracks restrict what can be done, especially

as it is a major north south road route.

Improved cycle routes have been identied as a

priority along with ootpaths rom the station to the

shopping area and surrounding streets.

Barriers and obstacles

The station area and West End Lane are poorly

connected to the surrounding neighbourhoods,

with the railway lines cutting through the area

contributing to this sense o separation.

West Hampstead grew rapidly rom a small vil lage

called West End, ollowing the arrival o the railways

in the late 19th century. The railway lines cutting

through the area had and continue to have a major

impact today.

There are pathways along or across the railways

and work has recently been undertaken to improve

these to help address this issue.

The main route rom West End Lane to Finchley

Road along Blackburn Road, around the

commercial units and across the O2 car park is well

used, but is o poor overall quality.

Other pedestrian routes include the renamed Billy

Fury Way (ormerly Lithos passage) which also

connects West End Lane to Finchley Road and to

the Lithos Road estate via a bridge over the railway.

This is a narrow, long, alleyway, which councillorsand the Council are working in partnership with the

Saer Neighbourhood Team to improve.

Trac and congestion

West End Lane is a busy route linking West

Hampstead to South Hampstead. It is also an

important bus route or the surrounding areas. The

impact o delivery vehicles or the supermarket

chains has been raised as a signicant issue as they

restrict trac movement on West End Lane.

Car parking and ensuring that new developments

do not make the existing situation worse was a

signicant issue or stakeholders. Some people

elt that the ‘car ree’ status or new developments

did not necessarily prevent people rom having




cars, with people managing to avoid the parking

restriction times.

A place with goodenvironmental quality

that aces challenges

The central retail area sits between two conservation

areas – West End Green Conservation Area to the

north and South Hampstead Conservation Area

to the south. For the most part, West Hampstead

enjoys a high quality environment with a distinctive

village character. Preserving and enhancing WestHampstead’s unique architectural heritage is

important to local residents.

A lack o open spaces

Whilst there are a number o open spaces within

the area, including award winning Maygrove Peace

Park, Iverson Road and Crown Close open spaces,

West Hampstead as a whole has been identied in

Camden Planning documents as an area decient in

open space. The strong desire or more green areasand open space as well as improvements to existing

spaces is a key priority or local people.

Existing green ‘chains’ and habitat corridors along

the railway tracks and existing sites o nature

conservation such as Medley Orchard are highly

valued by residents and need to be protected and

enhanced.

Again, new developments and an increased

population means new open spaces to serve

existing and new residents wi ll be necessary.

Exploring opportunities or new developments to

bring such improvements will be essential i the area

is to have the open spaces needed in the uture.




Taking into account the characteristicso the area and the issues identied, the ollowing vision has been developed to

guide the Council’s approach to the areaand the actions and interventions we willmake and encourage others to make.

The vision




West Hampstead will be a place where:

Local communities experience real benets rom the opportunities that come with

redevelopment and people eel that they have infuenced and shaped how investment is

made in the area.Support or local business will be a key part o enhancing the distinctive village character

and more local jobs will contribute to a successul local economy.

Local services, housing, open spaces and acilities will meet the needs o local

communities as will the quality o experience that people have moving around the area.

Co operation with local people, voluntary sector organisations, developers, businesses

and the council will make this happen.

The vision or the West Hampstead area




1. To secure real local benet romdevelopment opportunities

• Ensure community involvement in shaping developments in the area and identiying

priorities or local benets rom major developments

2. To support a successul localeconomy with a thriving neighbourhood

• Support the local business environment including a thriving and diverse neighbourhood

that meets the needs o people who live, work and visit the area, together with local

employment opportunities

• Work together to promote the area or people who live work and visit the neighbourhood

and to improve the appearance o the shopping areas

3. To provide new open space andimprove the local environment

• Provide new accessible open space that benets the whole community and continue to

improve the quality o the parks and open spaces and ood growing opportunities in the

area.

4. To deliver improved local services • Secure investment rom a range o sources including planning agreements into additional

primary school places as necessary, housing, health, community, nursery places and local

youth acilities

5. To make it easier and more pleasantor people to move around the area

•

Improve the quality o experience or people in streets and public spaces and improvepedestrian and cycling routes.

• Work to urther improve access to stations, road trac and parking issues

Delivering the vision

The Council’s approach to supporting and promoting the success o the West Hampstead area will be based on a set o specic

actions. These have been organised under ve distinct but interlinked sections:

These sections have been used to bring together the range o issues at play in the area, although there are large areas o overlap between them and some issues play a

part in more than one section. A summary o the identied issues and potential ways o addressing them are described under each section below, with specic actions

brought together in the Action Plan on page 46.




To secure real local benets rom development opportunities

The scale o potential change

needs to be managed careully so that

best advantage can be taken o the

opportunities to protect and enhance the area.




West Hampstead Interchange area has been

identied as an area o growth and this change is

beginning to happen. The map below shows key

sites which are likely to be subject to development

proposals over the next 20 years and includes

sites identied in the Camden’s Local Development

Framework drat Site Allocations

document, Camden’s Community Investment

Programme and through recent major planning

applications or expected applications.

The scale o potential change in the area needs

to be managed careully so that best advantage

can be taken o the opportunities to protect and

enhance the area and allow stakeholders to be

involved in shaping the change.

Key Objectives:

• Work with the community todevelop more detailed areaplanning guidance

• Involve the local community (wherepossible) in identiying priorities orhow developer contributions areused

Working together toshape the change

The community has been involved in discussing

potential developments and change in the area or

a long time, including the drat Planning Brie in

2005 (which was not adopted). The desire or clear

guidance to shape the change happening in the

area is ully recognised.

The role o this Place Plan, developed in conjunction

with the community, is to help guide developers

at an overall strategic level as individual proposals

come orward. The Council will work with

developers and the community to ensure that

change can help deliver the shared vision and

To secure real localbenets rom developmentopportunities

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/two/planning-policy/local-development-framework/site-allocations-development-plan.en







improve aspects o the area such as aordable

housing provision, open space, moving around

the area and community acilities as set out in the

ollowing sections.

Other planning documents that can help shape

change in the area include the Site Allocations

document, which once adopted will provide a

planning ramework or a number o individual

sites in the area and clear guidance on what

development is expected to deliver on each site.

This will be an important consideration in planning

applications or these sites.

The Site Allocations document does not however

cover all the sites that could come orward in the

area and cannot control when or i sites are actually

developed. It is thereore important to look at how

each o these sites could individually or collectively

contribute to achieving the overall wider vision and

objectives o this Place Plan.

Developing urther

planning guidance The Council recognise that there is a strong

desire locally or Neighbourhood Planning and the

opportunities or this provided by the new Localism

Act. A new Fortune Green and West Hampstead

Neighbourhood Development Forum is being set up.

Given that the Council has identied the need or

urther work in this area, opportunities to work

together to produce more detailed guidance should

be investigated urther. This could take the orm o

a more traditional planning document such as aSupplementary Planning Document, an Area Action

Plan or could utilise the new legislation provisions

to develop a Neighbourhood Plan. The Council

will continue to discuss the best way to take this

orward with stakeholders ( Action D1.1 )

Whatever orm this more detailed area planning

guidance takes it could look at the area as a whole

in a more site by site specic way, provide urther

clarity and ensure a coordinated approach across

the various potential development sites to achieve

the priorities identied in this Place Plan. The two

plans could be mutually supporting documents,

which guide the uture shape o the area.

This document could look at the opportunities or

using high density developments compatible with

the local setting to provide a mix o uses whilst

also enabling the provision o more open space

and improved routes through and around the

area. Any higher density development needs to be

clearly balanced against the potential impact on thecharacter o the area but could also identiy the key

views that should be retained and protected. This

would help guide developers in drawing up their

proposals but also help secure the highly valued

village eel o West Hampstead.

Minimising impacts o developments on localpeople

The scale o potential development in the area could

bring a range o benets and the local community

need to eel condent that they will see real gains

rom change.

This can partly be achieved through use o

legal agreements (called Section 106

Agreements ) to secure unding or appropriate




support or local acilities and services. For example

the approval or the student accommodation on

Blackburn Road required a range o local benets

as part o the approval. These include requiring

the developers to make all reasonable endeavours

to use a percentage o local residents o Camden

within the workorce, investigate local procurement

to help support local businesses together with

nancial contributions or improved or additional

open space, social community acility investment,

health acilities and environmental improvements to

the immediate or surrounding area.

A similar approach will be taken with other sites

in the area to secure appropriate benets. The

pooling o these kinds o resources rom a number

o developments would mean that more substantial

improvements and benets can be achieved or the

local community.

The Council is constantly reviewing how they deal

with Section 106 Agreements and how to be more

transparent about the money received and how this is

to be spent. It has thereore been proposed to publish

inormation more clearly on the council website.

The emergence o the Community

Inrastructure Levy will impact on the nature

o the way these unds are generated and also how

money will be spent. The Council is still considering

how best to manage this process and is hoping to

consult on this in late 2012.

Local stakeholders have expressed a strong desire

to be involved in setting the priorities or how the

unds generated through Section 106 contributions

and the Community Inrastructure Levy will be

spent. The Council is actively looking at ways in

which this could be achieved and the more detailed

planning guidance oers a signicant opportunity to

set priorities, but is not the only way.

Local community groups could be consulted about

the use o certain unds, such as community acility

unds or environmental improvements, but the

process needs to be transparent and representative

o the whole community’s needs. The Council will

continue to investigate ways in which to do this

in conjunction with the community, taking council

resources into account ( Action D1.2 ).

Co-ordinating Councilowned properties

The Council’s own land and buildings in the area

are being explored through the Community

Investment Programme (CIP) and in

West Hampstead in particular could help deliveraordable housing, new school places and

improved community acilities.

The District Housing Oce at 156 West End Lane

is a key site within the town centre, with various

council oce unctions on West End Lane and

Travis Perkins builders’ merchants to the rear. The

decision has been made to dispose o the site to

generate unds or investment in CIP priorities like

community centres, schools and housing estates.

The site oers a signicant opportunity or the

provision o new retail and business space and both

aordable and private homes.

The site’s location adjacent to Crown Close open

space also presents opportunities to improve this

provision or the wider benet o the area and to

potentially improve the ootpath link adjacent to the

site (discussed urther in ‘To improve open spaces

and environmental improvements’ section).

Further sites in the area may emerge rom the

CIP, which is a long term programme. The more

detailed area planning guidance mentioned above

could assist in co-ordinating the development o

Council-owned sites with those owned by private

developers in the area ( Action D1.3 )

Maintaining balancedcommunities throughimproved housing mix

An important aspect o protecting the character and

diversity o West Hampstead will be ensuring there

is a good mix o housing in the area. In particular

it is important that there is a range o housing that

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/two/planning-applications/making-an-application/supporting-documentation/community-infrastructure-levy.en











people can aord, so they are able to remain in the

area and remain connected to their communities.

The need or aordable housing was identied as a

priority or stakeholders.

There are clear planning policies requiring the

provision o aordable housing, generally provided

by Registered Social Landlords (RSL) or shared

equity schemes. There is limited potential or the

Council to mitigate the impact o high cost home

ownership in the area or private housing, but there

are measures that can assist access to cheaper

housing. This includes positively considering

proposals or low cost market housing, through

innovative unding arrangements, designs and

methods o construction and also seeking a mix o

homes o dierent sizes in schemes. The CIP aims

to help address this issue by ensuring the delivery

o a range o housing types and tenures to increase

diversity and choice in an area. Other developments

coming orward will also need to provide an

appropriate mix o housing unit sizes and tenures

in line with the Council’s adopted planning policies

( Action D1.4 ).

Communicate withlocal community

Given the extent o change and development

anticipated in the area, it is particularly important

that the community in West Hampstead is able

to input into the design o major schemes at an

early stage and to ensure there is communication

between developers and the community. The

Council will continue to encourage developers to

take a proactive approach to engage with local

people in relation to major development proposals.

This should include the use o Development Control

orums as well as ensuring that residents are kept

inormed o progress on major schemes ( Action

D1.5 ).

What is already being done:

• Drat Sites Allocation Documentprovides a planning ramework ora number o sites in the area.

• CIP exploring best-use o Council-owned land in the area.

• Development Control orums or large sites with potentialdevelopments prior to planningapplications.

Proposed headline actions:

• Work together with stakeholders to develop more detailed areaplanning guidance. Either throughexisting planning legislation suchas a Master Plan, Supplementary Planning Document or throughsupporting stakeholders todevelop a Neighbourhood Plan.

• Work with the community toidentiy priorities or spendingcontributions rom developers(where appropriate).

• Ensure delivery o key CIP sitesand other major developmentsassist in meeting objectives andaspirations or the area and itscommunities.

• Ensure developments provideimproved housing choice in thearea, to enable people to stay in

the area long term.

• Communicate more eectively thebenets o major developments aswell as how local people can bewill be consulted and involved in

the process.




Supporting local businesses,

particularly through the current economic

downturn and capitalising on the strengths

and opportunities o the area’s varied

business environment is important to theeconomic and social wellbeing o the area

To support a successul local economy with a

thriving neighbourhood




West Hampstead benets rom a strong local

economy, with West End Lane shops being at the

heart, a wide variety o businesses in the area and

a large number o micro businesses or reelancers

working rom home. Supporting local businesses,

particularly through the current economic downturn

and capitalising on the strengths and opportunities

o the area’s varied business environment is

important to the economic and social wellbeing o

the area and is a key priority o the Place Plan.

Key Objectives:

•

Protect and promote the villagecharacter o the area

• Support West End Lane and MillLane shops and businesses

• Meet the needs o the people wholive, work and visit the area

Supporting West End Laneand Mill Lane shopping areas

On the basis o our current data, West End Laneappears to have seen its overall vacancy levels

decrease rom a peak in 2010. However a notable

eature in West End Lane has been the high number

o businesses moving into and out o the area.

The units do not appear to be staying vacant or

long, which indicates that demand is high, but that

individual businesses are perhaps struggling to

compete in the current economic climate.

Mill Lane shopping area has however seen a

signicant increase in its vacancy levels and has

one o the highest rates amongst the Borough’s

neighbourhood centres. The number o long term

vacant units appears to be generally low but again

there is a high turnover o uses moving in and out,

which may indicate that businesses are struggling.

It is recognised that the two retail areas have

completely separate identities and dierent

requirements and roles to play however, they have

similar issues that need to be addressed by the

council and its partners.

The Council previously had resources to und direct

business support activities, however because o

the local government cuts we have been orced to

adopt a new strategy, acting as an enabler to small

businesses through signposting them to national

and regional growth support organisations.

The Council’s support to businesses now includes

signposting retailers to inormation, providing

support to Town Centre business orums and trader

groups, ensuring retail sector representation on

the new Camden Business Board, streamlining

communications through the Council’s Business

Portal and assessing and reporting on the annual

monitoring o the boroughs main town centres

including West Hampstead ( Action E1.2 ).

A new West Hampstead Business Forum has

recently been ormed, with representatives rom

a variety o businesses in the area. The Council

helped to acilitate this and will continue to oer

support and assistance, although the Forum will

be remain sel-managed and independent o the

Council. The Forum are currently establishing their

role and activities but this could provide a more

comprehensive local network or the channelling o

inormation so that local businesses are kept up to

date with opportunities and support ( Action E1.1

and E2.1 ).

Maintaining diversity in WestEnd Lane and Mill Lane

A successul, vibrant and diverse West End

Lane is a key priority or local people in the

area. The Council’s recently adopted Local

Development Framework (LDF),

contains specic planning policies to robustly

protect shopping rontages and to ensure that

an appropriate balance o uses is maintainedwithin town centres and neighbourhood centres.

Camden Planning Guidance contains

additional area specic guidance relating to West

Hampstead identiying key retail rontages and

secondary rontages and providing clear guidance

relating to the percentage o retail versus non-retail

To support a successullocal economy with a thriving neighbourhood










uses that can be allowed. The Council can control

some changes to uses in the town centre but not all

as a number o changes, such as the change rom aretail shop to a coee shop, can take place without

the need to obtain planning permission. The Council

will continue to monitor the mixture o uses careully

and where planning approval is required apply this

guidance or take appropriate enorcement action

where necessary ( Action E1.4 ).

Mill Lane is very dierent in nature to West End

Lane, with a mixture o independent shops and

services meeting a dierent range o needs. Thehigh vacancy rate is a concern and actions need

to look at how this could be addressed. This may

include working with landlords, more eective

promotion o shops and services and physical

improvements ( Action E1.3 )

Whilst independent businesses contribute

signicantly to the character o the area, the Council

can have no control over whether existing premises

are occupied by an independent business or chain,

provided that it operates within the authorised

planning use class. However, local people can

actively support independent businesses, as where

people choose to spend their money can be a huge

support to local independent businesses. Local

people can in this way infuence the shops and

services available in the area.

New retail developments

Some o the potential developments happening in

the area would have rontages onto West End Lane

and would thereore have an important impact on

the town centre. Camden planning policies seek to

help and promote small and independent shops by

encouraging small premises suitable or occupation

by small businesses including aordable provision.

Camden Planning Guidance seeks to

ensure that where large developments o new retail

provision (generally over 1000 square metres) isbeing provided it should include suitable provision

or small businesses. This would be in the orm o

a small unit o no more than 100 square metres,

designated or retail use. Camden also encourages

developers to seek ‘independent users ‘ or this

provision, which is dened as being a user generally




with ‘no more than 5 stores’.

There is also an emphasis on seeking an aordable

rent or that specic centre and securing this

through a legal agreement. This needs to be

negotiated in each case and to take account o the

overall economic viability o any scheme. Given that

small and independent businesses are a strong

characteristic o this town centre, retaining this is a

key priority or the area ( Action E1.5 ).

Support or anoccasional market

The successul Christmas market held in 2010and 2011 on West End Green demonstrates

the potential benets that an occasional

market could bring to the area. Presenting the

opportunity or small businesses and traders to

promote themselves and draw people into the

neighbourhood.

The location o such a market does need to be

careully considered to ensure that any negative

impacts are minimised. Opportunities or a

more permanent space should be explored asdevelopments in the area come orward, with

landowners or as part o the overall more detailed

area planning guidance process ( Action E2.2 ).

The setting up and running o an occasional market

has been championed by ward councillors to

date and requires a lot o planning, organisation

and basic administration. Opportunities should be

explored to see who may be best placed in the

uture to take on this role including talking to the

traders associations and local groups ( Action

E2.2 ). The Council is also undertaking a review o

its Street Trading Strategy which includes markets

and could potentially help in providing support and

guidance or occasional markets.

Look and eel o theshopping areas

The town centre is characterised by the windingnature o West End Lane and a mixture o mansion

blocks with commercial uses at ground foor and

some lower level purpose built units. A number o

historic shop ronts remain, and the Conservation

Area Appraisals and Management Strategies

identiy a number o these as positive contributors

to the character o the area. It is also recognised

that some detailing has been removed or covered

by newer shopronts and that any urther erosion o

the character needs to be careully monitored

The Council has recently adopted new planning

guidance on good shopront design principles and

advertising has been produced and is being applied

by the Council’s Development Management and

Planning Enorcement Teams. The Council will make

urther eorts to support retailers and local businesses

in West Hampstead to make positive improvements

to their shop rontages and take enorcement action

where necessary. Through working together with

the business community improvements to the

appearance o West End Lane can be secured

( Action E2.4 ).

I in the uture it is elt that the erosion o the historical

character is still an issue, the Council could then

consider urther measures to control this by applying

additional planning controls in the orm o an Article

4 Direction. This would mean that certain alterations

that are currently permitted would require planning

permission.

Works to improve visitors to West End Lane and Mill Lane

Signicant work has been carried out around

the station area o West End Lane with a view to

improving the street environment, removing street

clutter and improving movement around the area

and this is discussed in more detail in a later section

o the plan. The works however did not extend

north o the main station area and opportunities to

extend these improvements should be exploredurther to ensure a unied perception o West End

Lane. The overall setting o the shops and services

along Mill Lane could be investigated urther to

consider whether there are opportunities to improve

the appearance o the centre ( Action M1.2 ).




Legible London signs are being proposed or West

End Lane to assist people moving around the area.

The inclusion o Mill Lane retail area on the Legible

London scheme could help in making people more

aware o the shops in the area and encourage them

to visit ( Action E2.3 ).

Support or creative /micro businesses

West Hampstead has over 200 businesses rom the

cultural and creative industry sectors many o which

are micro businesses with under 5 employees or

reelancers working rom home. These contributesignicantly to the local economy and the character

o the area.

The principle business types are sotware and

electronic publishing, ollowed by music, lm,

photography and advertising.

As or other parts o Camden the availability o

aordable workspace to make the transition rom

working rom home to commercial premises is

dicult. Given the indication o high levels o thesetypes o business, opportunities or the provision o

this type o space, including small workshops and

serviced oce space should be explored particularly

as part o new developments. This could include

the provision o some orm o touchdown space or

serviced meeting space to allow businesses to have a

ormal setting or meetings to help the transition rom

the home working environment Action E1.6 ).

Helping young peopleinto work

Whilst West Hampstead generally has high levels

o employment, the younger population (16 – 20

age group) has shown a possible upward trend o

unemployment together with neighbouring Kilburn.

Given the potential development opportunities in

the area, the Shaping Services work is investigating

opportunities to prepare young people to take

up opportunities locally through working with the Voluntary Community Sector to ensure people are

work ready ( Action E1.7 ).


• Support the newly establishedBusiness Forum

• Facilitate engagement with local landowners and landlords to considerhow the private sector can supporta thriving centre and reduce the

vacancy rate in Mill Lane

• Negotiate with developers o retail space to try and secure theprovision o space suitable or small

independent retailers (A1) and utiliseS106 negotiations to secure this asaordable space where possible.

• Look or opportunities or theprovision o a space suitable oran occasional market, with bothdevelopers, existing landowners oron public land.

• Work with Business Forum andpartners to investigate opportunities

to increase visitors to West EndLane and Mill Lane.

• Secure new employment foor spacein developments appropriate orsmall start up businesses, sharedmeeting spaces or serviced oces.


• Supporting business community through targeted inormation andsupport,

• Applying planning policy and

supplementary planning guidance to protect diversity o high streetuses

• Updated planning policies andguidance have come into eectrelating to shop ronts.




Improving the amount o accessible

open space and quality o the

environment was a priority identied by

local people. Opportunities to explore

could include new public spaces,orchards, ood growing opportunities

and more street trees.

To provide new open space andimprove the local environment




Improving the amount o accessible open space

and quality o the environment was a priority

identied by local people. Opportunities to explore

could include new public spaces, orchards, ood

growing opportunities and more street trees.

Key Objectives:

• Provide new accessible openspace to benet the area

• Continue to improve open spaces, ood growing , biodiversity andsustainability

• Maintain the valued quality andhistoric character o the area

New opportunities orpublic open space

The West Hampstead growth area and

development opportunities oer the potential

to provide new accessible open space or

both existing and new residents and to secure

improvements to existing spaces.

The Council and the community will work together

with developers to secure appropriate open spaces

to meet the identied needs in a coordinated

manner. The nature o these open spaces should

be developed in consultation with the community

whilst being mindul o potential impacts on Council

resources rom potential ongoing maintenance

costs. ( Action G1.1 ). A more detailed area

planning guidance document can investigate this

issue in more detail ( Action G1.2 ).

Opportunities should also be explored or the

provision o space suitable or occasional markets

and community events which can also assist in

boosting the local economy ( Action E2.1 and

E2.2 ).

Improving existingopen spaces

The Council has completed improvement works

to Maygrove Peace Park, with new and improved

traditional playground, natural play or older

children, outdoor gym and multi-use games area.

These improvements and the active community

around it helped earn the park a Green Flag and

Silver award rom London in Bloom in 2010.

West End Green has also been improved and new

natural play equipment provided in Sumatra Roadopen space. Mill Lane open space will be upgraded

ollowing the completion o the expansion o

Emmanuel primary school and will include improved

natural play provision and enhancement o the

ecological value and educational aspects or the

school and wider community. This work will be done

in conjunction with voluntary groups and partners.

( Action G1.3 ).

Improving Green Chainsand Corridors

The railway embankments are important parts o

the green chains and biodiversity corridors in this

area particularly due to the number o railway lines

that pass through this area. It is important to ensure

that these are protected and enhanced, particularly

where developments are proposed alongside the

railways.

The Council are also seeking to encourage partners,

such as Network Rail, to ensure these lands are

actively managed to ensure they help support

the biodiversity o the area as a whole and work

together to improve the missing green habitat link

( Action G1.6 ).

New opportunities ormaking the area greener

Work to provide more greenery on a number o identied estates has been undertaken in the

area, including West End Sidings estate which

includes the provision o ood growing areas. A

new community orchard has also been planted on

Lymington Road estate.

To provide new open spaceand improve the localenvironment




Achieving a Greener Camden is a key objective

or our Green Action or Change plan

which identies that working with our partners and

communities is essential to achieving this.

The establishment o the ‘Green Zones’

scheme, will encourage communities to come

orward with ideas or undertake audits to identiy

opportunities to improve all or a part o thei r local

area, estate or street, and work with Camden to

make those changes happen. There is likely to

be some small unding opportunities or certain

elements o this programme ( Action G1.4 ).

This is because improvement to open spaces and

nding ood growing opportunities can be more

than just Council parks or land as there are lots

o spaces in the area that locals know about that

could be improved, in various ownerships.

Local action is already happening in this respect,

with a good example o this relating to a piece o

land immediately adjacent to the entrance o Billy

Fury Way and to the rear o 138 West End Lane.

This is currently a dumping ground or rubbish and

a potential re hazard. Discussions initiated by the

Saer Neighbourhood Team between the owners,

Network Rail and the reeholder o the adjacent

residential mansion block are exploring options or

the tenants to take over the management o this

space, upgrade it and bring it back into use.

I successul, this would signicantly improve this

area, provide a small pocket o additional space

and is an excellent example o partnership working

( Action G1.3 ).

There are a number o pockets o isolated land

around the area, particularly along the railway lines

similar to this that could benet rom improvements,

which could be done on a piecemeal basis or

more holistically as part o the green audit process( Action G1.2 ).

Food growing opportunities

New ood growing schemes have been

implemented through the Capital Growthprogramme at a number o locations including the

Homeless Hostel on Dennington Park Road and

work has commenced to establish a community

orchard at Lithos Road.

This programme enables interested / active groups

wanting to establish community ood growing

projects, to access practical help, grants, training

and support. Camden Sustainability Team and the

Green Zones programme oers support and an

enabling role to help set up schemes, in terms o helping to check ownership issues, assistance with

leases and support to make the applications.

Opportunities can also be explored or new ood

growing opportunities as new sites come orward

or development to incorporate aspects to allow this

such as appropriate water points, positioning etc at

early design stage ( Action G1.5 ).

West Hampstead has a new Transition group, who

have also been looking to identiy sites or urtherood growing opportunities as well as other green

improvements to the area.

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/green/green-action.en

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/green/food/food-growing-grants.en


http://www.transitionwesthampstead.org.uk/

http://www.transitionwesthampstead.org.uk/







Tree Planting

Street trees can contribute signicantly to a sense

o green within an area and can assist in improving

biodiversity and adapting an area to a changing

climate. Camden is committed to its tree planting

programme, including maintaining, replacing andnew trees. The southern part o West Hampstead

has been identied as a priority area or the provision

o new street trees and Camden Council are

applying or unds rom the Mayor’s 10,000 Street

Tree Fund or greater London to help address this

issue. I unding is granted the new provision could

signicantly improve streets in the southern part o

the area ( Action G1.7 ).

Detailed investigation work will need to be

undertaken to identiy suitable locations. In some

places it may not be easible to locate new trees

due to the proximity o underground services close

to the surace o the pavement. This work is likely to

be programmed or 2012.

Promoting sustainability

The consultations indicated that residents in West

Hampstead are very supportive o promoting

greener and more sustainable ways o lie. This

is also a key objective o the Council ’s Green

Action or Change (2011-2020) plan

which outlines goals to reduce the carbon ootprint

and waste output o the borough through working

with partners and communities.

Given the wide span o conservation areas and the

number o listed buildings in West Hampstead there

is a need to ensure energy eciency measures

preserve historic eatures and character. It is

possible to improve the perormance o these

buildings whilst saeguarding them and their

appearance so that they remain comortable and

attractive places to live into the uture.

The Council has produced specic planning

guidance ‘Retrotting Planning

Guidance – June 2011’ to guide residents

through the planning process when considering

retrotting their houses with eciency or renewable

energy measures. This provides guidance or

most o the typical orms o housing within West

Hampstead and advice as to when planning

permission or listed building consent will be

required.

The Council will continue to investigate

opportunities to assist with the costs o these works

together with promoting national programmes such

as the Green Deal which will come into eect in

2012. This scheme will oer loans to home owners

to install energy saving measures in their houses

Maintaining the area’s valued historic character

The area’s extensive conservation areas and listed

buildings refect its signicant architectural heritage

which is highly valued by local people. Both the

conservation areas have appraisals which set out

the special character o the area which are to be

preserved or enhance. South Hampstead and

West End Green Conservation Areas also haveManagement Strategies which were adopted in

February 2011 and provide clear guidance about

how the Council will seek to manage this historic

environment. This guidance will be applied to all

new developments in the area and provides an

excellent tool or maintaining the valued character.



http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/two/planning-policy/supplementary-planning-documents/filestorage/retrofitting-planning-guidance.en









South Hampstead has an Article 4 Direction, to help

preserve the character o the area as it had been

previously indentied as a conservation area at risk.

This means that residential properties need to apply

or permission or nearly all external alterations to

their properties and boundary treatments to ensure

there is no urther erosion o the character.

Basement controls

With high land values in the area, the development

o basements has become increasingly popular

as a means o gaining additional space, without

having to relocate. This is a general trend here

as well as in other parts o Camden. Whilst

basement development can make ecient use

o the boroughs limited land, in some cases they

can cause harm to amenity o the neighbours,

aect stability o buildings, cause drainage

problems or damage the character o the area.

The Council has produced some detailed guidance

in the Camden Planning Guidance

– Basements and Lightwells, which

provides clear guidance where planning permission

is required to ensure that this type o development

does not detrimentally aect the area or neighbours.


• Negotiate appropriate accessibleopen space in new developments andopportunities arising rom Council ownedsites.

• Use more detailed area planning guidance to look at co-ordinating locations.

• Continue to improve existing parks andopen spaces in conjunction with localcommunities.

• Work with partners to lobby Network

Rail to address the missing green habitatcorridor along the railway and enhancebiodiversity.

• Work with partners such as Transition,local residents groups and SaerNeighbourhood Team to explore allopportunities to improve green aspectso the area including establishing GreenZones and identiying potential sites orimprovement.

•

Support opportunities to increase oodgrowing and or groups to access CapitalGrowth unds.

• Explore opportunities to deliver morestreet trees in conjunction with theMayor’s 10,000 street trees programme.


• Maygrove Peace Park awardedGreen Flag.

• Completed park improvementworks to Maygrove Peace Park,

West End Green and Sumatra Roadopen spaces.

• New ood growing opportunitiesprovided at West End Sidingsestate and community orchard atLymington Road estate.

• New guidance on retrottingsustainability measures.

• Updated Conservation Area Appraisal and ManagementStrategies or South Hampsteadand West End Green Conservation

Area.

• Camden Planning Guidance orBasements and Lightwells.








West Hampstead has active community groups

and a number o acilities or local people, which are

highly valued. Local people raised concerns about

community provision across all age ranges and howservices will continue to be delivered with cuts to

government unding.

The development opportunities within the area

provide a real opportunity to assist in ensuring the

continued delivery o services to the community

that meet the needs o both the existing and new

residents. Although innovative methods o delivery

should be investigated to ensure the long term

sustainability o the services ( Action C1.1 ).

Key Objectives:

• Continue to monitor the demand orschool places and nursery provision

• Continue to support local voluntary sector organisations andinvestigate innovative delivery o services.

• Negotiate with developers or

‘aordable’ provision o community space or local groups

School and Nursery places

A lack o primary school places in the West

Hampstead area has been an ongoing concern or

sometime. At the start o school year 2011/2012

provision had been increased at the new St Luke’s

Free School and through the expansion o the

existing Emmanuel school one year earlier thanoriginally expected. This increased the overall number

o places by an additional 30 within West Hampstead

and the wider area. Despite this there were still a

number o unplaced children this year and the latest

projections or uture demand remain high.

As part o the CIP the Council is considering

the development o a new primary school in the

area with the Council owned Liddell Road site (o

Maygrove Road) being identied as a possible

location. Ocers are due to report back toCouncillors in summer 2012 regarding pressure on

places and the possible building o a new school on

this site. The Council and its partners will continue

to monitor the situation and explore the possibility o

a new primary school in the area ( Action C1.2 ).

The number o nursery and play centre places in

the area also need to be considered and kept under

review, particularly with regard to the changes in

ree provision requirements or disadvantaged 2

year olds. The reviews will include consideration o

capacity in council buildings, voluntary sector and

rom new developments ( Action C1.3 ).

Health services

The predicted growth in the West Hampstead Area

will contribute to a signicant population increase

in the area in the coming years. This will in turn

increase the demand or local services such as

Doctors and Dentists.

The NHS (currently through the Primary Care Trust)

works with the Council to ensure that the needs

o the area are met however, in the past the level

o NHS engagement in major planning proposals

has been limited. To ensure that the growing health

care needs o West Hampstead can be met the

NHS and the Council should consider how they can

improve joint working in the uture to ensure that

resources are allocated in the most ecient way to

where they are required. As major schemes come

orward, applicants will also be required to submit

social inrastructure studies to demonstrate what

impact their schemes could potentially have on

acilities in the area ( Action C1.4 ).

Supporting the voluntary

and community sector The Council’s Communities and Third Sector Team

have designed and implemented a new support

and investment programme or voluntary and

community sector organisations in Camden which

is aimed at targeting reduced resources in areas o

highest impact.

To deliver improvedlocal services

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/two/placeshaping/the-community-investment-programme.en?page=3

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/planning-and-built-environment/two/placeshaping/the-community-investment-programme.en?page=3




West Hampstead is home to a number o

community groups which play a vital role in

supporting the community o the area. These are

less numerous than in other parts o the borough,

and only a ew have been unded by the Council in

the past. The impact on council budgets o central

government unding cuts has meant that some

voluntary and community sector organisations are

acing a reduction in unding and in some cases the

withdrawal o unding.

The Sidings Community Centre which is a

major provider o local services in the area was

successul in securing unding. They provide

community education and recreation programme’s

or adults, ESOL, creative writing, computing,

dance and healthy eating amongst other things.

The Community Association or West Hampstead

(CAWH) which operates West Hampstead

Community Centre was unortunately one o the

organisations aected by the cuts. The Council is

working with the CAWH to oer transitional support

and to assist with accessing alternative sources o

unding. The Council has also introduced a new rent

relie policy that will enable the CAWH to occupy the

premises without needing to pay rent.

Continuing to work with voluntary and community

sector organisations will be key to the continued

delivery o community services ( Action C1.5 ).

As discussed earlier in this plan, the Council is

undertaking Shaping Services to think creatively

about how it can support local services in the

uture. This work will consider how the Council can

help enable services to be delivered more eciently

and in a way that ocuses on the local priorities.

This might include considering co-locating services

to improve eciency and resilience and considering

the role o the area’s schools as hubs or the

community ( Action C1.1 ).

Youth Services

Some local people thought that the West

Hampstead area had particularly poor youth

acilities and identied a connection between this

and anti-social behaviour.

There are however a number o youth services in

the area and in the surrounding areas which can

be easily accessed by local young people. These

include the Sidings Community Centre at Brassey

Road, the Kilburn Youth Station at Kingsgate Place

and a bit urther away Hampstead Community

School and Westcrot Youth Project in Barnet and

The Winch in Swiss Cottage. These provide a range

o activities, sports, arts and youth support.

The Council is in the process o setting up the Area

Youth Partnership, with West Hampstead alling

within the North Area. The partnership is made

up o local youth service providers including the

Council and voluntary sectors and aims to oer a

coordinated service which maximises local stang

and nancial resources, avoids duplication and is

not restricted by area boundaries ( Action C1.6 ).

The Council conducted a Youth Review

Consultation and ound that generally young

people were aware o the services available to

them in their area, but that knowledge o services

amongst parents and adults was limited. Youth

projects in West Hampstead have been engaging in

outreach work to get more young people involved

with local projects, and have also been liaising

with local police, housing and schools to publicise

their programmes. However, urther publicity and

promotional work would help to inorm parents

o the acilities on oer and to raise awareness

( Action C1.7 ).

One potential small change that could help increase

awareness o the existing acilities in the area

could be to provide clearer signage to the Sidings

Community Centre to improve way nding to the

centre which is located at the top o Maygrove

Peace Park ( Action C1.8 ).




Lack o aordablemeeting space

Local representatives elt that there was a lacko aordable meeting spaces or voluntary and

community associations to access. Such spaces

may be identied or created through the many

planned developments in the area or through the

CIP programme and there may be possibilities

to secure such spaces through Section 106

Agreements in major developments. Local

representatives could also explore possibilities with

local businesses or organisations which may have

spaces they are willing to oer or this purpose.

( Action C1.6 )

Community Saety

Local people also raised the connection

between the provision o youth services and

anti-social behaviour. Following the civil unrest

o summer 2011 local youth projects in the

West Hampstead area helped to engage young

people in the Community Summit, Youth Actions

Group conerence, held in September 2011. This

outreach work has been carried orward withyoung representatives rom Kilburn Youth Station

meeting with the local police to discuss concerns

and to orge better relationships between young

people and the local Saer Neighbourhood Team

(SNT). The SNT are also active in setting up events

with local youth groups and sports acilities to

encourage more young people to become involved

in local activities and to divert them rom anti-social

behaviour ( Action C1.7 ).

Burglary remains a concern or local people and the

local saer neighbourhoods team consider this to be

a priority in the area although recent gures show

that rates o this type o crime have signicantly

reduced. One o the main actors infuencing this

reduction is likely to be the SNT’s targeted action

with the local community over the last couple o

years to set up wide reaching neighbourhood watch

schemes that currently boast over 160 members.

This has also included the circulation o a newsletter

with inormation about how to secure property.

Improvement works to Billy Fury Way (as described

in open space section) have helped to improve

the environment and saety on this key pedestrian

connection between Finchley Road and West End

Lane. The Grati project which provided the mural

at the West End Lane end o the passage has now

been expanded borough wide with the railway

bridge along the passage being a potential site or

uture coordinated grati work with local young

people. The SNT is working with Network Rail and

local residents to secure urther improvements to

the walkway ( Action M1.3 ).


• The Council have designed andimplemented a new supportand investment programme or

voluntary and community sectororganisations and are oering

various orms o support to voluntary organisations.

• The Council is undertaking ShapingServices work to think creatively about how it can support localservices in the uture.

• A review o Play Services throughout Camden.

• The north area youth partnershiphas been set up to deliver youthservices more eectively in WestHampstead and the wider area.

• The local SNT have worked with the community to set up a numbero neighbourhood watch schemesand have hosted particular events

to engage with young people in thearea.



T k i i d




The three stations and the

excellent public transport options

they provide to the surrounding

area is a valued aspect o the area,but also a source o concern.

To make it easier and morepleasant or people to movearound the area




The three stations and the excellent public transport

options they provide to the surrounding area is

a valued aspect o the area, but also a source o

concern, due to the diculties it can present in

moving through the area and as a gateway to the

town centre as a whole. Improvements to the train

stations and services are already being delivered in

the area and more are expected in the near uture.

Movement around the area away rom West

End Lane connecting the town centres and

residential areas would also benet rom signicant

improvement.

Key Objective:

• Continue to improve how peoplemove around and between the

three station

Improvements to the trainstations and services

The works to the Thameslink station are complete

with the new access onto Iverson Road now

open. The new bridge and lits, have improved

accessibility and also serve to reduce the pressure

on the ootbridge, to the north o West End

Lane. The works to expand the platorms to

accommodate 12 carriage trains are also complete

and whilst these longer trains are now operating on

the line they do not yet stop at West Hampstead.

The Overground station is currently small and the

ability to provide a disabled access compliant

station is limited. Increased service and capacity

is also expected on this service post 2012. A

proposed upgrade o this station is on Transport or

London’s list o priorities.

Given that the site adjacent to this station is

an identied potential development site (187

West End Lane). Agreement has been made

with Network Rail in conjunction with council

discussions, to saeguard a parcel o land to allow

or the uture expansion o this station. Thereore

any development occurring beore this would

not prejudice this expansion and will ensure

that a substantial improvement to the on street

interchange environment is achieved ( Action

M2.1 ).

The Underground Station also has no disabled

access at present, but is not currently scheduled

or upgrading. There has been ongoing upgrading

works o the tube lines and suspension o services

at weekends. West Hampstead Amenity

and Transport (WHAT) are continuing

to investigate issues on this line and work or

improvement to services ( Action M2.2 ).

Improving the on streetmovement between stations

At peak times o the day in the morning and

evenings the pavements between the three stations

are crowded. With the expected increase in train

services, capacity and local population ensuring the

‘interchange area’ is sae, attractive and unctional

remains a key objective or the area.

The Council has recently completed a number

o improvements to the on street area between

stations, including widening the pavements where

easible, extending crossing widths and removingstreet clutter where possible. Bus stops have

been relocated and guard railing removed. These

works have signicantly improved the public

realm area and the Council are continuing to

work with partners such as WHAT around urther

improvements.

Given a number o potential new developments

ront onto West End Lane and the potential

increased users o the area, opportunities to

urther explore on street improvements should beundertaken. The Council have expressed a clear

requirement in the drat Sites Allocation document

or new buildings along West End Lane to be set

back adequately to provide a wider ootpath to ease

the pressure on the public realm ( Action M1.1 ).

To make it easier and morepleasant or people to movearound the area




Improving movement in andout o the area via pathways

The railway lines contribute to the division o the area

and the ability or people to move around the area

away rom West End Lane. There are a number o

ootpaths adjacent to the railway lines which link theresidential area to West End Lane and to each other.

Considerable work has been done by the Saer

Neighbourhood Team, Councillors, council

departments and other partners to improve the

existing pathways across these areas.

The paths have been hotspots or anti social

behaviour in the past and are in a rundown

condition and poorly used. Work so ar has included

renaming the laneways so that they are clearly

identiable to all and could allow or consistent

monitoring o any antisocial behaviour.

This has led on to a wider community project

being championed by Council and the Saer

Neighbourhood Team, with the renamed Billy Fury

pathway (ormerly Lithos Passage) celebrating its

connection to the 1950’s musician who recorded

in the local area. A mural has been provided at the

entrance to the pathway and Network Rail, the

Council’s street engineering and street cleaning

services are working together to repair and improve

the appearance o the entrance to ensure that

it is more attractive to users. This is an excellent

example o ongoing joined up working to deliver

clear improvements to the area ( Action M1.3 ).

Billy Fury Way ootpath provides a good link rom

West End Lane through to Finchley Road and

across to Lithos estate. It is a long pathway and

urther opportunities or improvement should

be investigated as part o a wider strategy or

movement around the area.

Black Path, north o the Thameslink station and

Potteries, the ootpath next to 156 West End

Lane provide important links to and rom the town

centre rom the surrounding residential areas.

Opportunities to urther improve these to ensure

they are used should be explored, particularly i 156

West End Lane is developed ( Action M1.3 ).

The main route along Blackburn Road towards the

02 centre is well used but could benet rom some

overall improvements to the pavement suracing,

sightlines and lighting ( Action M1.3 ).

There are also currently limited existing opportunities

or north south links across the interchange area as

a whole. All these movement issues would benet

rom an overall strategic approach and this can

be urther investigated in the more detailed area

planning guidance study ( Action M1.4 ).

Promoting alternativemeans o transport

Improving how people can move through the area

and creating more pleasant environments or the

pedestrian and cyclist would help support people

using these alternative means o travel.

Opportunities that can be explored relate to

reducing trac speeds in residential areas,

allowing cyclists to go down one way streets and

trac calming measures at junctions to prioritise

pedestrians. Increased cycling parking in suitable

locations could also assist in promoting cycling in

the area.




The Council is investigating these potential

measures with residents in the area and implement

easible schemes ( Action M1.5 ).

Issue o car parkingCar parking is always an issue that generates

debate. Camden’s overall position is to encourage a

reduction in motor trac levels and encourage and

promote the use o sustainable modes o transport

such as walking, cycling and public transport. There

is clear Planning Policy which is rigorously applied

to development proposals requiring there to be car

ree where there are good public transport options,

which there are in West Hampstead.

The car ree status o developments is a legal

requirement on properties which prevents occupiersreceiving a residents permit, which would allow

people to park in the area. Internal systems ensure

that this restriction is communicated to the Parking

Department. Any breeches o the car ree status, in

terms o receiving residents parking permits can be

investigated.

The issue o people avoiding the parking restrictions

however requires a more general assessment o

the parking controls in the area, to ensure that they

are delivering the best option or all residents. The

Council is undertaking a Parking Policy Review

which will provide an opportunity to investigate this

issue urther.

Demand or parking in Camden is high and the

Council seeks to maintain the balance between

dierent and competing users: residents and their

visitors, businesses operating and carrying out

deliveries across the borough, disabled people and

trades people.

There will be a continued need to manage this

pressure, particularly as West Hampstead is

identied as an area expected to accommodate

more housing and employment space.

The Council’s existing parking arrangements have

played a key role in reducing the number o private

cars travelling on Camden roads between 2001

and 2010 by 26%. In 2001 56% o households in

Camden had no access to a vehicle. The number

o resident permits issued in recent years has not

increased indicating that car ownership in the

borough as a whole is continuing at the same level

and that the majority o households in the borough

still do not have access to a vehicle.




As a result o the Parking Policy Review it has been

agreed that a public engagement exercise will be

carried out concerning controlled parking zones. As

part o this process stakeholders will be providedwith the opportunity to comment on the size, hours

o control and the length o maximum stay in pay

and display bays. The results o this consultation will

be used to determine where changes to the current

arrangements are required and will be investigated

urther ( Action M2.3 ).

The Council will also continue to encourage

the provision o car clubs as part o major

developments.

Impact o servicing on West End Lane

Stakeholders were concerned about the impact

o vehicles servicing the two local supermarkets

on West End Lane and the impact this had on

general trac fows. Specic complaints have been

investigated with the supermarkets and the delivery

times amended where easible. A review will also

study the waiting and loading restrictions along the

whole o West End Lane to ensure these deliver the

best solution or all users ( Action M2.4 ).

Dealing withconstruction trac

West End Lane is the main north south routethrough the area and given the number o

development potentially happening at the same

time it is important that the potential impacts o

construction are well managed. The Council

requires detailed construction management plans

or developments and has a range o regulatory

powers to ensure impacts like noise, trac, dust

and pollution are minimised during the physical

construction phase. Careul coordination o these

plans will be required to minimise the impact on the

area ( Action M2.5 ).


• Improved pavements and crossingson West End Lane around theinterchange area.

• Decluttered the ootpaths, removedguard rails.

• Footpaths all renamed to assist in

better way nding and consistency.

• Lighting improvements to Black path.


• Continue to work with partners,such as Transport or London, FirstCapital Connect and Network Railabout transport service provision in

the area.

• Negotiate with developers o 187 West End Lane to ensure that potential to improve LondonOverground Station is notprejudiced.

• Provide improvements or cycling in the area, including additional cycleparking.

• Investigate the controlled parkingzone restrictions as part o theParking Review.

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/transport-and-streets/parking/parking-policy-review/parking-policy-review.en?page=9

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/transport-and-streets/parking/parking-policy-review/parking-policy-review.en?page=9




Action Plan

This Action Plan sets out measurable steps towards delivery o the vision, identies responsibities and the timerames involved. The key to the successul delivery o this

work will be by continuing and developing the work local people, voluntary sector organisations, developers, businesses, councillors and the council services are doing

and working together to deliver the vision. The Action Plan will be monitored on a regular basis and actions will be updated to be responsive to change.

Timescales: Short term - delivery by end 2012 Medium term - delivery by end 2014 Long term - delivery beyond 2014 Ongoing - continuing action

Objective Actions Timescale By who?

To secure real local beneft rom development opportunities

D1 Ensure

communityinvolvement

in shaping

developments in

the area and

identiying

priorities or

local benets

rom major

developments

D1.1 Work with the community to identiy the best way to deliver more

detailed area planning guidance, either through a Council led planningdocument, Neighbourhood Plan or similar approach to identiy priorities

or investment and how individual sites can help contribute

Short /

Medium

Council Placeshaping Service, Local

Councillors, Local Groups, NeighbourhoodDevelopment Forum and Business Forum.

D1.2 Seek to secure appropriate contributions through planning

agreements and Community Inrastructure Levy (CIL) and use

opportunities to involve representative local stakeholders in identiying

how contributions are used.

On-going Council Planning Service, Community

and Third Sector Team, Parks and Open

Spaces and Transport Strategy Team, Local

Councillors, Local Groups and representatives.

D1.3 Ensure coordination o council owned and private development

sites in the area to contribute towards the shared objectives

On-going Council Property Services, Placeshaping

Service, Planning Service and Local

Councillors.

D1.4 Recognise the local housing priorities in uture Community

Investment Programme projects and negotiations with private

developers and consider positively proposals or low cost market

housing in the area as part o the residential mix (where appropriate).

On-going Council Planning Service, Placeshaping

Service and Housing Service.





D1.5 Identiy how to engage and consult representative local people

through clear communication strategy and ensure residents are kept

inormed about progress o major developments.

On-going Council Placeshaping Service, Council

Planning Service, Council Communication

Team, Local Councillors and Developers.

To support a successul local economy with a thriving neighbourhood

E1 Support the

local business

environment

including

a thrivingand diverse

neighbourhood

that meets the

needs o people

who live work

and visit the area

together with

local employment

opportunities

E1.1 To work together with and support the new Business Forum

and other representative business groups to support the local business

environment.

Short /

medium

Council Economic Development Team,

the Business Forum and Business

representatives and Local Councillors.

E1.2 Signpost businesses and business representative organisationsto national and regional business growth support and unding

opportunities via Camden Council’s website and through targeted

business communication.

ongoing Council Economic Development Team.

E1.3 Facilitate engagement with local landowners and landlords to

consider how the private sector can help to support a thriving shopping

area and reduce the vacancy rate in Mill Lane.

Short /

medium

Council Economic Development Team,

Placeshaping Service and Business

Representatives, Landowners.

E1.4 Continue to monitor the diversity o uses in West End Lane and

Mill Lane.

Annually Council Placeshaping Service and Economic

Development Team.

E1.5 Negotiate with Developers or the inclusion o small units within

any new retail development suitable or small independent traders.

Ongoing Council Planning Service.





E1.6 Provide space and support or the creative industries / microbusinesses o the area and new start up work space, serviced oce

space or shared meeting spaces within new developments to meet the

needs o the small businesses / reelancers in the area.

Ongoing Council Planning Service, EconomicDevelopment Team and Developers.

E1.7 Work in partnership with the Voluntary Community Sector to

ensure opportunities are coordinated to support young people to access

employment opportunities.

Short /

medium

Council Shaping Services (Children Schools

Family service lead).

E2 Work together

to promote the

area or people

who live work

and visit the

neighbourhood

and to improve

the appearance

o the shopping

areas

E2.1 Work with partners and business associations to explore

opportunities to promote the West Hampstead Town centre.

Ongoing Council Economic Development Team

Corporate Communications Team, Love

Camden, Business Representatives, West

Hampstead Lie and local press and Local

Councillors.

E2.2 Explore opportunities with landowners and developers or space

suitable or the provision o an occasional market and discuss with

the Business Forum and local groups the possibility o being the main

organisers.

Short /

medium

Council Planning, Street Trading

Placeshaping & Economic Development

services, Business Forum, Local Councillors

and Local Groups

E2.3 Lobby TL to include Mill Lane neighbourhood centre shops on

the Legible London signs, to help increase ootall to the area.

Short Counci l Transport Strategy Team Transport

or London (legible London Ocer).

E2.4 Support local businesses through the planning process to secure

positive alterations to shop rontages including protecting and reinstating

the historic shop ronts to improve the appearance o the high street and

take enorcement action where necessary.

Ongoing Counci l Planning Service.





To provide new open space and improve the local environment

G1 Provide new

accessible

open space

that benets

the community

and continue

to improve the

quality o the

parks and open

spaces and

ood growing

opportunities in

the area.

G1.1 Secure accessible open space within new private and council

developments and ensure that Council wide programmes such as

Community Investment Programme and housing reviews explore all

opportunities to try and address this need in conjunction with local

communities.

Ongoing Council Planning Service, Parks and Open

Spaces Service, Community Investment

Programme and Property Housing Adult

Social Care Service.

G1.2 Use the more detailed area planning guidance to investigate

the best potential location or major space provision and smaller scale

opportunities.

Short /

Medium

Council Placeshaping Service and

Neighbourhood Development Forum and

Local Councillors.

G1.3 Work with voluntary groups and partners to improve existing

parks and open spaces and identiy potential new sites, sites or

improvement and management o spaces options.

Medium /

ongoing

Council Parks and Open Spaces Service,

voluntary groups, Saer Neighbourhood

Team and Network Rail (community project)

and Local Councillors

G1.4 Encourage local groups to set up a ‘Green Zone’ to improve

their area, street or estate.

Short /

Medium

Council Sustainability Team, Community

Groups, Residents Associations.

G1.5 Increase ood growing in the area, ensuring new developments

include opportunities or growing areas and acilities and supportinggroups to access Capital Growth unds.

Short /

mediumOngoing

Council Sustainability Team, Local Groups,

Transition, Council Planning Service andDevelopers.

G1.6 Work with partners to lobby Network Rail to address the missing

green habitat link along the railway lands and enhance biodiversity and

the habitat corridors. Proactively engage with Network Rail to raise the

prole o this issue and support action.

Medium Council Parks and Open Spaces Service

and Local Community Groups.





To deliver improved local services

C1 Secure

investment

rom a range o

sources including

planning

agreements

into additional

primary school

places as

necessary,health,

community,

nursery places

and local youth

acilities

C1.1 Investigate innovative delivery o services in partnership with

local communities and voluntary groups.

Ongoing Council Shaping Services, and Communities

and Third Sector Team Local community

organisations.

C1.2 Continue to monitor current and projected demand or primary

school places in the area and i demand remains high, progress the

development o a new primary school as part o the Community

Investment Programme.

Short /

Medium

Council Children Schools Family Service.

C1.3 Investigate the options or nursery place provision including

consideration o capacity in council buildings, voluntary sector and rom

new developments.

Short /

Medium

Council Children Schools Family Service,

Property Services and stakeholder groups.

C1.4 NHS and Council to consider ways to improve joint working,

including pre-planning and planning stage or large developments

to ensure that adequate health acilities are provided to cater or the

predicted population increase.

Short/

medium

Council Planning Service and Communities

and Third Sector Team.

C1.5 Continue to support local voluntary and community sector

organisations providing guidance on unding and operational support.

Short /

ongoing

Council Communities and Third Sector

Team and Local Groups.

C1.6 Negotiate with developers or community use space within new

developments to provide aordable space or local groups.

Ongoing Council Planning Service and Developers.





C1.7 Continue to deliver improved youth services and consider waysto promote youth services in the area to increase awareness o local

youth acilities including urther community events to engage the young

in sporting clubs and activities.

Short / Medium

Council Youth Services Team, CommunityCentres & Local groups Kilburn Youth

station and Saer Neighbourhood Team.

C1.8 Improve physical signage and way nding to Sidings Community

Centre rom Town Centre and at bottom o Maygrove Peace Park.

Short /

medium

Council Planning Service Council and

Transport Strategy Team.

To make it easier and more pleasant or people to move around the area

M1 Improve the

quality o

experience

or people in

streets and

public spaces

and improve

pedestrian and

cycling routes.

M1.1 Ensure that development contributes towards improving on

street interchange between the three stations and surrounding area by

ensuring that developments are set back adequately to provide wider

pavements in the interchange area.

Ongoing Council Planning Service.

M1.2 Investigate opportunities to carry out urther public realm

improvement works to the northern part o the town centre and Mill

Lane.

Short /

Medium

Council Transport Strategy Team.

M1.3 Use existing budgets to make improvements to ootpaths in

short term whilst investigating long term opportunities to urther upgrade

routes and community saety along Blackburn Road to the 02 centre ,

Billy Fury Way, Black Path and Potteries ootpaths.

Short /

Medium

Council Transport Strategy Team, Planning

Service, Community Saety Team and Local

Saer Neighbourhood Team.

M1.4 Investigate long term opportunities or improving the movement

routes around the area including north to south across the railways as

part o the overall area planning guidance.

Medium /

Long

Council Placeshaping Service and Transport

Strategy Team.




M1.5 Investigate opportunities to improve the environment or cyclingand deliver improvements to cycle saety, ease o movement and cycle

parking around the area.

Short / medium

Council Transport Strategy Team and Localgroups.

M2 Work to urther

improve access

to stations,

road trac and

parking issues

M2.1 Ensure land adjacent to the London Overground station is

saeguarded rom development and any development adjacent to this

site does not prejudice uture improved access.

Short /

medium

Ongoing

Council Planning Service.

M2.2 Continue to liaise with London Underground, First Capital

Connect and TL as well as community groups to ensure co ordinated

improvements to transport services into and through the area including

improving access to stations.

Ongoing Council Transport Strategy Team and

Transport Partners.

M2.3 Undertake Parking Policy Review in consultation with residents /

stakeholders regarding the proposed controlled parking zone restrictions

and pay and display areas and act on eedback.

Short /

medium

Council Transport Strategy Team, Local

Groups, Business Forum.

M2.4 Review the waiting and loading restrictions on West End Lane

as a whole to ensure no detrimental impact on trac movement and

servicing.

Short /

medium


M2.5 Use co ordinated construction management plans to minimise

impacts on local people rom construction trac.

Ongoing Council Planning Service


west hampstead place plan_annotated

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