New Consultation Being Held on Grove Park Piazza

Series of improvements planned to area in front of shops

A visualisation of Grove Park Road after the proposed changes
A visualisation of Grove Park Road after the proposed changes. Picture: Hounslow Council

Participate

 

Major Boost for Grove Park Piazza and Barnes Bridge Walkway Projects

Sign up for our weekly Chiswick newsletter

Comment on this story on the

March 2, 2023

Another consultation is being held on a series of proposals to improve the public realm on Grove Park Road between the shops and the Old Station House pub.

The broad idea is to shift the balance of the area away from motor traffic and boost pedestrian priority with the aim of supporting commercial activity in the area.

The council has worked with the Grove Park Group Residents’ Association (GPG) in developing the proposals over the last few years. There was an earlier consultation about the Piazza in 2020 but implementation was put back because of the pandemic. The latest consultation is on plans which are substantially the same but for which more detailed designs have been drawn up in the meantime.

Grove Park Road as it is currently
Grove Park Road as it is currently. Picture: Google Streetview

The new designs would see wider pavements in front of the shops on the north side of the road with the central area and the surrounding pedestrian crossings raised, slowing traffic, and improving pedestrian facilities.

There would be tactile paving provisions at all crossing points to assist the visually impaired pedestrians and provide clear pedestrian routes.

The proposals also envisage more tree-planting and the extension of grass verges with the potential inclusion of rain gardens for sustainable drainage. Additional fixed seating and space for tables & chairs or street trading would be provided.

A visualisation of the extended pavements proposed in front of the shops
A visualisation of the extended pavements proposed in front of the shops. Picture: Google Streetview

Amendments to parking restrictions are proposed. The first 30 minutes of parking will still be free, but the hours of operation for the ‘pay-by-phone’ spaces would be extended to 9am to 5pm from the current 10am to noon to encourage greater turn-over of spaces during trading hours.

The number of ‘pay-by-phone’ parking bays within Grove Park Road would be reduced by two spaces with three shared-use bays within Spencer Road converted to ‘pay-by-phone’ only to make-up for the shortfall in short-term parking.

There would also be provision for a kiosk and utilities for a potential future ‘pop up’ stall.

One possible fly-in-the-ointment for the plan is the uncertainty over the future of the Old Station House pub. Staff have recently been telling customers that the pub is set to stop serving from 17 March but it is not clear if it will reopen once building work has competed at the site.

Proposals for the redesign of the problematic Grove Park Bridge junction have not been included in the consultation as the council says that including this issue would significantly increase the scope and affect the affordability and deliverability of the current project.

A number of drop-in sessions are being held in Grove Park for people to ask questions about the proposals. These take place at St Paul’s Church 56-62 Grove Park Rd at 4pm and 7pm on Monday 6 March and 11am and 2pm on Saturday 11 March.

Residents are being asked to complete a survey giving their views before Sunday 26 March.

Anyone unable to complete the survey online can obtain it in an alternative format by emailing traffic@hounslow.gov.uk or calling 020 8583 3322.

 

Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.

 

Bookmark and Share