Plan to link Nine Elms and Pimlico with £40m 'green bridge'

No cars allowed: the design for the proposed ‘green bridge’ near Battersea Power Station
Nick Dines

Battersea Power Station is to be connected to the north bank of the Thames by a new £40 million “green bridge” open only to pedestrians and cyclists under proposals published today.

A design team appointed by Wandsworth council chose the £9 billion development — where 4,000 new homes are being built and Apple’s London headquarters will be based — as the best place for a crossing between Nine Elms and Pimlico.

The recommendation will be considered by the council’s finance scrutiny committee next Wednesday before any further work on the bridge can go ahead. It comes more than three years after the design from Danish architects Bystrup was chosen by the Tory-run authority and six years after the bridge plan was first published.

Nine potential locations were originally identified but this was whittled down to a shortlist of three last October. One of the possible locations — linking Pimlico Gardens to Bourne Valley Wharf — stirred up protest from residents close to the proposed landing point on the northbank who said it would “eat into green space” in Pimlico.

One campaigner said the bridge “will do nothing for Pimlico — apart from making it easier to walk to the new Waitrose.” Westminster council said residents "strongly oppose" the plans.

Today’s paper said that the Battersea Power Station link could “improve accessibility and connectivity to Nine Elms, including public transport routes, and had the strongest public support of the three options.”

By 2030, about 20,000 homes and 25,000 jobs are set to be created in the Nine Elms area. Robin Snell of consultants Robin Snell and Partners, which led the selection process, said: “If approved by the scrutiny committee, we look forward to progressing to the next stage of the design process, continuing to talk to Londoners about our plans and helping deliver what will be a landmark new bridge for London”.

Transport for London first identified the need for a crossing closed to traffic across the Thames between Vauxhall and Chelsea Bridges in 2013.

The Mayor’s transport strategy aims for 80 per cent of all trips in London to be made on foot, by cycle or by public transport by 2041. Peter Murray, chairman of think tank New London Architecture, said the bridge would improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists and increase their numbers.

A Westminster City Council spokesperson said: “We’ve only just received a letter from Wandsworth Council confirming their proposals for a bridge from Nine Elms to Pimlico.

“At this stage we’ve seen no clear evidence of the benefits of such a bridge at this location given the costs, nor any details on how the plans would mitigate the negative impacts on local roads and environment in both boroughs.

“It’s disappointing that Wandsworth has failed to listen to the residents of Westminster who strongly oppose these plans.”

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