Maida Hill Market project consultation you said, we did

Below lists out the main points of feedback shared between the 27 March to 23 April 2023 via the online survey and at the in person sessions at the Maida Hill Market Square.

These are paired with a summary of the ways in which this has been responded to by the council. To minimise length, feedback is collated, and not every point made by individuals is listed.

Prior to the engagement on the design proposals in March to April 2023, the council had undertaken extensive engagement to help inform the design proposals. This included community Working Group meetings, school and youth engagement workshops, targeted outreach meetings and public consultation events.

Engagement summary

Summary of key stats from the recent two-week on-site engagement period: 

• 629 surveys completed with users of the space. 
• 79% were local residents. 
• 5% were representatives of local businesses. 
• 82% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed with the design proposals. 

The project aims

You said

87.3% agreed or strongly agreed.

Comments included:

• Pedestrian desire lines. Some noted the important role the space plays as a thoroughfare. The importance of unobstructed pedestrian desire lines was highlighted alongside the need for these routes to feel safe, particularly in the evening when concerns were raised about the safety of women walking through the space once dark. 
• Anti-social behaviour. 201 respondents highlighted issues with anti-social behaviour in unprompted feedback.
• Whilst there was high support and interest in the design proposals, many responses were caveated with a need for management of existing anti-social behaviour to be properly dealt with by public service providers to ensure the space could be used and enjoyed by the wider community. Many respondents stressed they needed to have confidence Westminster City Council not only had a strategy for addressing problematic behaviour but also a robust maintenance plan in place to ensure the upkeep of the space, especially areas such as the planting.

We did

• Pedestrian desire lines. The planter and street furniture layout has been changed to ensure key pedestrian desire lines are not unobstructed.
• Anti-social behaviour management plan. Our Communities and Public Protection and Licencing team are currently leading on the development of this.
• The PPL are working with the MET Police, including joint patrols on noise enforcement.
• We are looking to start small scale stalls outside 2 Fernhead Road, to improve visibility and contact opportunities between council officers and the local community. If this proves popular with communities in this space, we will look to see if regulated activities can also be introduced over the summer period.

The design proposals

You said

82.5% agreed or strongly agreed.

Comments included:

• What the area needs, excitement for change. The area is ‘run down’ and these improvements are long overdue.
• Welcoming designs. Will improve and uplift the area.
• Management and maintenance plan.113 respondents highlighted issues with enforcement and the need for a space management plan, including cleaning, market and event activation in unprompted feedback. 
• Importance of getting the details right.
• Street lighting and CCTV. Additional lights to make people feel safer at night.

We did

• Welcoming designs. The design principles and key design moves including the cycle lane, road closure, market and event infrastructure provision, planters and street trees have been frozen.
• Management and maintenance plan. We are developing the details of the management plan. Funding for the commuted sums for 20 years of maintenance has been secured.
• Importance of getting the details right. The design team are progressing the technical design to ensure the design details are thought through prior to construction.
• Street lighting and CCTV. The design team are reviewing the proposed lighting designs to ensure the public space is adequately lit.

Closure of Fernhead Road and Walterton Road

The aim was to increase the amount of public space for pedestrians.

You said

75.85% positive or somewhat positive.

Comments included:

• Support for road closure. This addresses current issue of people not realising there is vehicle access which creates issues for pedestrian safety.

We did

• Support for road closure. The road closure as presented in the engagement material will be frozen.

Walterton Road cycle lane

The aim was to reduce the risk of cyclists cutting through the square.

You said

72.65% positive or somewhat positive.

Comments included:

• Definition of cycle lane. To ensure it is differentiated from the pedestrian area, so that pedestrians can see it and cross safely.
• Cycle parking. To ensure there are adequate facilities for cycle parking for high street users.
• Cycle routes. Concern cyclists will continue to cycle through the pedestrian area.

We did

• Definition of cycle lane. The design team will complete a road safety audit and will review the material choice for the cycle lane.
• Cycle parking. The design team have reviewed the number of location of cycle stands.
• Cycle routes. The location of the planters and seating has been considered to reduce the ease of which cyclists can cross the space.
• New trees along Fernhead Road.

New trees on Fernhead Road

You said

89.71% positive or somewhat positive.

Comments included:

• More trees. Request for additional trees in general, both within the scheme and within the wider Harrow Road area.

We did

• More trees. The additional trees proposed has been frozen to include 9 new trees.
• Officer recommendation for funding for additional trees within the North Paddington Programme.

In-ground planters under existing trees

These are used to provide more sustainable drainage.

You said

85.96% positive or somewhat positive.

Comments included:

• More greening. In general strong support for planters and trees, both within the scheme and within the wider Harrow Road area.
• Management and maintenance plan. Concerns predominately regarding litter, cleansing and planter upkeep.
• Edge protection. Concerns about people and dogs walking through the planters.
• Designing out crime. Concerns that the planters will be used to hide weapons such as knifes.
• Community planting. Some interest in community gardening, including allotments within the wider Harrow Road area. 

We did

• More greening. The principle for additional trees and planters has been frozen and the planter layout has been revised in response to feedback to ensure pedestrian routes are not obstructed.
• Management and maintenance plan. We are developing the details of the management plan. Funding for the commuted sums for 20 years of maintenance has been secured.
• Edge protection. The design team will review the planter edge condition, to discourage footfall via planters. 
• Designing out crime. The design team will review safety concerns.    
• Community planting. We will consider opportunities for this through the North Paddington Programme.

The type and position of street furniture

You said

74.96% positive or somewhat positive.

Comments included:

• Local need for seating. Many consultees deemed seating essential for the square. Many referenced the lack of seating elsewhere on the high street and the issues this presents for accessibility and inclusivity. Many referred to the need to cater for the existing users and suggested the project could risk being seen as discriminatory if these needs are overlooked.
• Durable materials. The importance of durable materials and the choice of timber treatment.
• Accessibility. The importance of backrests and armrests on seating.
• Large gatherings, noise and night-time use. Concerns that the seating designs could exacerbate the existing anti-social behaviour issues by encouraging people to gather. Request for increased Police presence to address the current ASB concerns.

We did

• Local need for seating. The designs will include seating for equality and accessibility reasons. However, the extent of seating has been reviewed due to concerns regarding anti-social behaviour.
• Durable materials. The design team will review material choices to ensure durability and longevity.
• Accessibility. The design team will review the accessibly of street furniture.
• Large gatherings and night-time use. The extent of seating has been reduced to mitigate against large gatherings. We will trial over the summer period before works start moving the seating to alternative locations in the public realm to see if this has positive impacts to residents and businesses.
• Our Public Protection and Licencing team are currently leading on the development of an ASB management plan with the MET Police.

How the space is organised to accommodate different activities

You said

76.72% positive or somewhat positive.

Comments included:

• General agreement on use zoning
• Mixed opinions on the market. Generally supportive, but some were not convinced the market would ever work or has a need at Maida Hill, while others wanted to see the market better used whilst ensuring it still caters to community needs and income levels. Some wanted to see the market more visible from the Harrow Road.
• Need more community events. Interest in local event programme and increased activation of the square. Request for family and child friendly events.

We did

• General agreement on use zoning. The general use layout has been frozen.
• Mixed opinions on the market. Our Markets team will lead on market activation events, working together with the local community and working with local individuals to try to create more of a market presence. The Markets team will also run a programme of events in the square throughout the year together with the community.
• Need more community events. Due to local interest in an events programme, our Communities team are trialling a weekly programme anticipated to start at the end of June 2023.

Public toilet proposals

The proposals recommended a public toiler with three cubicles, one of which will be fully accessible. This would replace the existing below ground space and the damaged above ground automatic public convenience unit. It will also allow the staircases to be covered over and the railings to be removed to increase the amount of public space.

You said

74.57% positive or somewhat positive.

Comments included:

• Polarised opinions on the toilet. On the whole support to shut the existing below ground toilets and re-provide a new above ground facility. Many respondents referenced ASB and a general sense of unease in using the below ground toilets. Some respondents felt that there should be no public toilet provision at the square due to the levels of ASB taking place within the toilets. 
• Safeguard underground toilet. Numerous respondents highlighted the importance of the below ground space as a community asset and stressed it should not be forgotten, ‘filled-in’ or similar. They discussed its potential to hold some alternative use to support activation of the square later.

We did

• Polarised opinions on the toilet. The council are freezing the toilet option shown in the engagement material.
• Safeguard underground toilet. The designs will ensure that the underground toilet is safeguarded for potential alternative use.

Any other comments about the proposals

You said

• Need for internal community space. Many respondents highlighted the need for a local community centre. Amongst some existing users of the space there was a degree of anger and frustration that this hasn’t been considered as a priority project. They viewed this as being of a higher priority than public realm enhancements. It was felt such a venue could help reduce the number of people congregating at Maida Hill Market whilst playing an important public health role, providing links to services and addressing issues such as social isolation. 
• In lieu of internal space some consultees were requesting a canopy or cover over sections of the public space.
• Activation of Fernhead Road shops. Many wanted to see the vacant shops that border the square opened up.
• Shop forecourt oversizing enforcement. Many wanted the council to take a more pro-active approach on forecourt licencing enforcement due to the issues with forecourt oversizing.

We did

• Need for internal community space. This has been fed back to senior leaders. The Council just created a Community Hubs programme, which will review all existing and potential community hub space and complete a review on how spaces can be used to benefit communities in the Harrow ward.
• Activation of Fernhead Road shops. We will consider opportunities via the North Paddington Programme.
• Shop forecourt oversizing enforcement. PPL City inspectors have reviewed concerns and taken direct action. We are hoping to work positively with businesses to ensure they comply with the necessary rules.