Hanover & Tarner Liveable Neighbourhood Project goes before councillors
Councillors will next week be asked to approve the next steps in creating the city’s first ‘Liveable Neighbourhood’ pilot. The scheme aims to create a safer and more pleasant environment for walking, cycling, wheeling and socialising in the area.
Members of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee will be shown the current design proposals when they meet on Tuesday 21 June.
If approved, the design will go out to full public consultation in the next few weeks, which will last 2 months.
Councillors will also be asked to consider bidding for up to £1.1 million from the council’s Carbon Neutral Fund for 2022/23 budget.
Much of this would be used for measures to support the project on Elm Grove and Queen’s Park Road, which border the scheme. This would include greening and tree planting, as well as road safety measures, such as speed monitors and extra crossings.
This will be considered for approval by Policy & Resources Committee.
Other recommendations include working with the local community to identify which measures would best improve the roads bordering the Liveable Neighbourhood project.
Liveable Neighbourhoods
A Liveable Neighbourhood (also known as a Low Traffic Neighbourhood) scheme can transform areas dominated by vehicles and open up streets for more community use.
They cut rat-running and make it easier and safer for people to travel through the area on foot, by wheeling, cycling or on public transport. This is done by installing ‘filters’ such as bollards, planters or camera technology and in some cases, changing traffic flows and introducing bus gates.
Liveable Neighbourhood schemes provide the opportunity to create new green spaces, and have been shown to increase physical activity, benefit local businesses through increased footfall and higher spending.
Many have been found to reduce local crime, improve air quality, increase social interactions between neighbours and strengthen communities.
Co-creating with the local community
Since last October, we have held events, in the form of street stalls and workshops, during two separate engagement phases with the local community. We have also used an online mapping tool to collect views, comments and suggestions on how to make the area safer and more pleasant.
Find out more information about the information we collected.
We have used residents’ comments to make a number of changes to the design, including measures around Carlton Hill School, traffic flow changes on Quebec Street, Montreal Road and Toronto Terrace, and revisions to plans for Cobden Road and Bentham Road.
We’re also planning to install real time air quality monitors at Elm Grove Primary School, Carlton Hill Primary School and Orchard Day Nursery.
We're planning an extensive public consultation this summer to help further shape the design of the scheme so that it really is co-created with local residents, businesses and stakeholders.
Working together
Councillor Elaine Hills, ward councillor for Hanover and Elm Grove and member of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee said: “I’m very excited to see the latest design as it brings us a step closer to creating the city’s first Liveable Neighbourhood, which I believe will transform our area.
“We’re working very hard to make sure this project is shaped by the local community, so residents’ feedback has been invaluable. We want the changes to work for everyone and have taken the community’s input on board to come up with the current design. We’ll continue to listen to local people throughout.
“Rat-running is becoming an increasing problem for people living in the Hanover and Tarner area. Reducing traffic will encourage more people to walk, wheel and cycle and open up space for community use.
“The creation of healthier, low traffic/pedestrianised communities was the third most popular measure suggested by members of the Brighton & Hove climate assembly in 2020, when tasked with identifying ways to decarbonise our city.
"I’m hoping our scheme will be a model for future liveable neighbourhoods throughout Brighton & Hove.”