An art school principal has warned it will die a “slow death” if nearby traffic restrictions come into force.
Camden Council has proposed a ‘Healthy School Streets’ scheme around St Luke’s Church of England School and St Margaret’s School in Hampstead.
But Isabel Langtry, who heads Hampstead School of Art in nearby Penrose Gardens, described plans for timed traffic restrictions during school drop-off and pick-up times as “ludicrous”.
If implemented, most traffic would be barred from Kidderpore Avenue, Ferncroft Avenue and Kidderpore Gardens at peak times.
The council says the measures are necessary to ensure children can get to and from school “safely and healthily”, and that they would be introduced after an 18-month trial.
But Isabel told Ham and High that she was not directly consulted, and that the plans could impact more than 1,000 of her students.
She said: “We rely on deliveries arriving in the morning at a time when they want to shut the roads.
“Our oldest student is 95 – she comes in and does stone carving and needs to arrive in a taxi with her equipment.
“This plan is not workable; it is ludicrous, and it is anti-democratic. If we shut down, this will be a slow death.
“Camden is a thriving cultural area, this is a cultural corner, don’t shut it down.”
Camden Council has said that only vehicles registered to homes and businesses in the affected streets will be exempt, alongside parents with a Blue Badge and emergency services.
Those without an exemption would be fined for using restricted roads during school drop-off and pick-up times.
Those living in the affected streets fear the exemptions will not be flexible enough to meet their needs.
Naomi Gordon, who lives in Kidderpore Gardens, said: “Where I feel very angry is that the way in which they have set out these exemptions is far from clear.
“What if I do my back in and I need a taxi to collect me and take me to the Royal Free?
“There is not going to be an exemption for electric vehicles. So, what does this tell you about their clearer air initiative? It is all about money.”
Dozens protested outside flats in Kidderpore Avenue on Friday (April 19), with many questioning whether anyone other than the council even wanted the school streets scheme.
Manos Collias, who lives in the Westfield apartment complex, said: “There’s not one single person who is positive about what the plans are.
"As far as we can see are just a money-grabbing opportunity and nothing more. They have certainly not consulted anyone in Westfield.”
John Cucoara, a senior porter, added that he could not understand the reason for the measures.
He said: “Maybe make it a one-way road. But there are a lot of people working in this area, driving in and out and we have not seen any issues at all.”
A petition against the plans has so far gathered almost 900 signatures.
Camden Council claims it handed out 2,167 flyers, and that notices were displayed on lamp posts during a three-week consultation period.
But some people living in Kidderpore Avenue and Kidderpore Gardens claim they never saw these flyers, so had little time to respond.
A Camden Council spokesperson said: “We consulted on a proposal to introduce a healthy school street in this area which finished on March 18.
“All views and feedback received is being considered before a decision is made on whether to put the scheme in place on a trial basis.”
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