Neighbourhood improvements around our offices – Kensington Park Road and Stratford Road

Kensington Park Road Streetscape Scheme

There’s something quite lovely about seeing a local high street being used as more than just a route from one place to another.

On Kensington Park Road, the pavements outside our Notting Hill office have been undergoing a series of improvements as part of RBKC’s streetscape scheme. The section between Elgin Crescent and Blenheim Crescent became especially well known for outdoor dining during the pandemic, when the street began to take on a more relaxed, continental feel. Tables outside, neighbours stopping for coffee, and local restaurants spilling gently out onto the pavement.

Now, the council is making more permanent changes to support that sense of place. The plans include wider footways, more space for pedestrians, improved accessibility, raised planters, trees, greenery, cycle parking and areas that continue to allow for al fresco dining.

For us, it feels like a natural continuation of something many people came to value after COVID: the simple pleasure of being outside, seeing familiar faces, and using our neighbourhood streets as social spaces again. Kensington Park Road has always had that village-like charm, but the recent changes are helping to make it feel even more welcoming. More info here

Stratford Road Streetscape Scheme

And it is not just Kensington Park Road. There are also plans to improve the public realm around our Kensington office on Stratford Road, which is exciting to see. RBKC has identified Stratford Road as a neighbourhood centre with real potential, thanks to its mix of independent shops, cafés and restaurants. The early proposals include wider footways, improved crossings, better-quality paving, space for outdoor dining and greening, and a more comfortable experience for pedestrians.

These may sound like small changes, but they make a real difference to how a place feels. Wider pavements, trees, places to sit, safer crossings and room for cafés to open out onto the street all help create the kind of neighbourhood people want to spend time in, not just pass through.

Key features of the concept include:

• Wider footways to improve pedestrian comfort and allow space for outdoor dining and greening where appropriate.
• Upgrading footways, carriageways, and kerb lines with high-quality natural stone. The specific type of stone will be determined at a later stage, subject to support for this scheme.
• Optimising the layout to make more effective use of parking space while providing a dedicated loading area.
• Introducing one-way westbound working between Marloes Road and Allen Street, while keeping Radley Mews and Blithfield Street two-way.
• Making it easier and safer to cross the road by improving dropped-kerb crossings on side roads and a raised junction at the Marloes Road entry. More info here

It is one of the things we love most about working in these parts of London. The architecture is beautiful, of course, but it is the daily rhythm of local life that gives each street its character, and the sense that a neighbourhood is constantly evolving while still holding onto its identity.

We will be watching the Stratford Road plans with interest and keep you updated.