Lower Marsh 'parklets' to be made permanent
An experimental scheme to convert parking bays in Lower Marsh into mini-gardens with seating is to be made permanent.
Funded by the WeAreWaterloo business improvement district, four 'parklets' were installed in Lower Marsh in 2022 as a post-covid measure.
Now Lambeth Council has agreed that the parklets can be made permanent.
"The purpose of creating the parklets was to provide a more attractive environment in order to support the economic recovery of local businesses and for visitors to sit down and spend time in the area," says Lambeth Council in its report on the scheme.
"The introduction of parklets and a cycle corral is a continuation of reimaging [sic] Lower Marsh that started with the Covid-19 measure to create a pedestrian (“no motor vehicles”) zone during certain hours during which the market was in operation."
The parklets feature seating which can be locked out of use overnight to deter antiosocial behaviour. The council says it has received no complaints relating to the parklets.
A separate Lambeth Council-funded scheme which proposed the creation of one new parklet in each ward in the borough attracted no applications from any resident or business in the Waterloo & South Bank ward, according to the council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) request by the SE1 website.
