An organisation which describes itself as a champion for London and left-behind Londoners is calling for action to clear the capital’s streets of clutter.
Centre for London says the issue means that pavements aren’t working for pedestrians and businesses as much as they could be, and London is falling behind global rivals as a result.
The not-for-profit company defines street clutter as poorly placed or redundant objects on pavements that negatively affect pedestrians or other pavement users. Its examples include advertising ‘A boards’, unnecessary signage and rubbish bags, discarded e-bikes and vandalised telephone boxes.
The group made a series of recommendations to tackle the problem.
It called for national government to grant local authorities powers and resources to deal with street clutter and said steps could include funding for street clutter assessments and giving local authorities the ability to remove redundant street furniture.
Centre for London also urged the Greater London Authority to ban A boards for all businesses in London, and it said local authorities should develop decluttering strategies, with a focus on how decluttering can be incorporated into their existing street related activities.
The organisation added that local authorities and Business Improvement Districts should work together to reduce the impact of commercial waste on the street.
The call for action came in Centre for London’s report entitled Reducing Street Clutter in Central London, which identified 122 items of clutter in a 400m stretch of just three streets – Goodge Street, Charing Cross Road and Belvedere Road. The survey found that almost half the street clutter had a moderate or severe negative impact on pavement users.
The report said: “As well as being an eyesore which discourages people from visiting central London, clutter also makes it harder to navigate . In order for walking to be accessible for all, people need an adequate amount of space on the pavement to move around comfortably – especially on central London’s busy streets.
“We found several instances where London’s street clutter had a significant impact on the walkability of the locations analysed.
“This matters for many reasons, not least as an equalities issue. Leaving clutter in central London affects people with mobility difficulties, who use wheelchairs, or who are blind or visually impaired, more than other Londoners. As well as discouraging footfall for local businesses, clutter stops disabled Londoners from having equal access to London’s streets and shops.”
