URBAN REALM DESIGN |
Yarnton Way, Thamesmead Streetscape + Landscape Design
LB Bexley
Yarnton Way is (2017) a two-lane dual carriageway with a wide (up to 5m) central grass verge, which runs east to west through the heart of South Thamesmead. Trees on the reserve have matured, as have those on adjacent school and residential land, providing a parkland setting for the residential tower blocks. The corridor at the western end is relatively narrow at 22m, which results in narrow footways on both sides. East of the Abbey Way linear park bridge the corridor widens on the northern side to allow for an off-road cycle facility, grass verges and parking areas. An earlier highways project, aimed east reducing traffic speeds, had turned all the junctions on Yarnton Way into roundabouts.
Urban Movement was commissioned by Bexley Council in 2014 to develop a concept design that would help to ‘humanise’ this dual carriageway making it more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists. The agreed vision for Yarnton Way was to create a linear park that incorporated all the corridor’s transport needs in addition to incidental play features within a matrix of essentially native planting. This was achieved by moving all the general traffic and buses onto the northern two lane carriageway to allow the southern two lanes to be given over to the creation of the linear park. This new park landscape would incorporate substantial native planting areas; sustainable drainage measures (SuDS); a bi-directional cycle track; generous pedestrian footways; social spaces with seats and intermittent places to play. The regeneration of Thamesmead is now underway but is a long term project and it is anticipated that Yarnton Way will be delivered as a future phase of these works.
Urban Movement was commissioned by Bexley Council in 2014 to develop a concept design that would help to ‘humanise’ this dual carriageway making it more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists. The agreed vision for Yarnton Way was to create a linear park that incorporated all the corridor’s transport needs in addition to incidental play features within a matrix of essentially native planting. This was achieved by moving all the general traffic and buses onto the northern two lane carriageway to allow the southern two lanes to be given over to the creation of the linear park. This new park landscape would incorporate substantial native planting areas; sustainable drainage measures (SuDS); a bi-directional cycle track; generous pedestrian footways; social spaces with seats and intermittent places to play. The regeneration of Thamesmead is now underway but is a long term project and it is anticipated that Yarnton Way will be delivered as a future phase of these works.
