Warwick Way town centre highways scheme consultation FAQs

How will the road layout change?

Warwick Way:

• The existing temporary one-way westbound traffic direction on Warwick Way between Upper Tachbrook Street and Belgrave Road will be made permanent.
• The existing temporary left turn ban into Warwick Way from Wilton Road will be made permanent.
• The existing temporary right turn ban into Warwick Way from Denbigh Street will be made permanent.
• No access for general traffic to Warwick Way from Belgrave Road except cyclists
• Guildhouse Street will be closed at the junction with Warwick Way, except for access for emergency vehicles and cyclists.

Upper Tachbrook Street

• The existing temporary one-way southbound traffic direction on Upper Tachbrook Street will be made permanent.
• The temporary access for northbound cyclists will be formalised with a northbound contraflow cycle lane introduced between Warwick Way and Longmoore Street.

Longmoore Street

• The existing temporary one-way eastbound traffic direction on Longmoore Street between Wilton Road and Upper Tachbrook Street to be made permanent

Churton Street

• Churton Street will become one-way northbound between Belgrave Road and Tachbrook Street.
• Vehicles must turn right into Churton Street from Charlwood Place.
• Vehicles must turn left into Churton Street from Churton Place.

Tachbrook Street

• Tachbrook Street will become one-way eastbound between Churton Street and Charlwood Street.
• There will be no access for general traffic into Tachbrook Street at the junction with Charlwood Street. Consequently, the priority at this junction will change.

Why is the one-way operation being implemented?

Making Warwick Way and Churton Street one-way provides an opportunity to widen footways which in turn allows for improved pedestrian accessibility and the potential for outdoor dining.

An online consultation, held during August and September 2021, found significant support for developing the existing temporary al fresco scheme into a permanent scheme. Following the consultation, a meeting held by WCC officers, local councillors and other stakeholders in April 2022 agreed that proposals making Warwick Way one-way westbound, Churton Street one-way northbound and Tachbrook Street one-way eastbound should be developed.

What purpose does the footway widening serve?

Footway widening allows for improved pedestrian movements and provides space for outdoor dining. At junctions or where pedestrians tend to cross the carriageway, the widening provides better visibility for pedestrians and reduces the crossing distance. This enhances permeability between different sides of the road, creating a pedestrian friendly environment for people to walk, shop and dine.

Also, the footway widening will:

• Reduce the dominance of traffic and help to calm traffic speeds
• Enable provision of inset parking and loading bays, thereby protecting parked vehicles and free vehicle movement along the carriageway
• Provide space for tree planting, and other infrastructure such as cycle parking

What alfresco dining will be provided and what happens to the existing alfresco dining?

The widened footway provides room to maintain alfresco dining. Within the permanent scheme this would be located against the building line instead of utilising parking bays within the carriageway as is currently in operation within the temporary scheme. It is envisaged that this will provide a more efficient set up for businesses and allow pedestrian to make full use of the widened footway space. 

Licences for alfresco dining are agreed between businesses and Westminster city council on a case-by-case basis.

What greening is being introduced to the high street?

On Churton Street, Upper Tachbrook Street and Denbigh Street, a number of trees will need to be relocated to the new widened section of footway. On top of this, the widened footway provides an opportunity to introduce new trees which have been proposed on Warwick Way, Upper Tachbrook Street and Churton Street. There will be a net increase of eight new trees on Warwick Way, one new tree on Upper Tachbrook Street and six new trees on Churton Street. Final tree location and numbers will be subject to further investigations.

What happens with the parking and loading bay?

Compared to the temporary scheme arrangement, there will be a gain of three parking spaces for the Warwick Way proposal and a gain of four spaces for the Churton Street proposal.

Existing parallel parking on the northern side of Tachbrook Street will be converted to echelon parking resulting in a net gain of four parking bays.

Existing parallel parking and disabled parking bay on the southern side of Tachbrook Street will be retained.

Three existing resident permit holder bays on Churton Street by Tachbrook Market will be converted to pay by phone parking bays, offset by resident permit bays being provided elsewhere along Churton Street and Tachbrook Street.

Dedicated inset loading bays will be introduced/maintained at four locations on Warwick Way and three locations on Churton Street. These will be at locations where loading is currently permitted.

One new inset loading bay will be introduced on Upper Tachbrook Street and another on Denbigh Street.

How is cycling affected?

Eastbound cyclists on Warwick Way will follow new route onto Guildhouse Street then along Longmoore Street to Upper Tachbrook Street as they currently do in the temporary scheme. Westbound cyclists would follow Warwick Way with general traffic.

Cyclists on Churton Street would be restricted to travelling one-way northbound with general traffic.

The number of cycle parking stands will be increased and spread out throughout the entire wider area and the detail will be considered during the next stages of design.

What would be the likely impact of construction?

The scheme would be built in phases to minimise disruption.

Pedestrian access to all properties will be maintained throughout but some parking suspensions and road closures are required to facilitate safe practices and excavation.

During construction noise and dust will be carefully managed, and a Public Liaison Officer (PLO) will be on site weekly to inform all stakeholders about progress. The PLO will also agree with commercial frontages timings to pave their frontages, temporary parking suspensions and resolve any questions, doubts, or concerns.

How long it would take to get built and what closures are to be expected?

It is anticipated that construction of the scheme could commence in Autumn 2023. The City Council will work with its contractors during the next design stages to establish the works duration and assess construction methodology that will minimise disruption.

Are any other works being done?

If the scheme is taken forward, construction will be coordinated with other planned utility repairs and maintenance.