Walnut Tree Road is part of a programme of investment by the London Borough of Bexley into highways and public realm in Erith town centre. The aim is to both improve connectivity between Erith Station, the River Thames, town centre amenities and surrounding residential areas, and to create more attractive, accessible spaces that can be enjoyed by the community.

Working alongside Studio ONB and Velocity, we studied the previous shortcomings of Walnut Tree Road which, while lightly used by vehicles, carried one-way traffic downhill from a busy roundabout towards the river on a wide carriageway. Speeding was therefore common, creating a hostile environment for other street users, including those accessing the college and community centre located on the road.

Our proposals focussed on changes to the street character, aiming to slow vehicles by lowering their sense of priority along Walnut Tree Road. We introduced a series of ‘garden gateways’, narrowing the carriageway and doubling as raingardens. We reorganised parking and bus stops, and re-paved the stretch of road between the college and community centre with granite.

The proposals also equipped Walnut Tree Road for planned changes to the bus network that will make the carriageway two-way. We therefore ensured that our designs would function well for traffic travelling in both directions, and that minimal additional work (such as updating signs and road markings) would be required to operationalise these changes to the road layout.