On Thursday 18th November, GM Design Associates (GMDA) lead a group of South Kilburn residents on a community walk to look at design inspiration and relevant built schemes in London, to help inform the design of the Carlton Vale Boulevard (CVB) project.
The Carlton Vale Boulevard project aspires to transform Carlton Vale into an ecologically diverse, tree-lined avenue with re-imagined public spaces and improved transportation links. This important new green infrastructure project will be known as Carlton Vale Boulevard, defined as CVB.
To assist with the event GMDA partnered with South Kilburn Walking group, an established group lead by the South Kilburn Trust (SKT), who meet regularly on Thursday mornings. 15+ South Kilburn residents attended, with representatives of the local community, including Brent Cycling Campaign, with Brent Council officers and design team members present.
Following introductions and a brief overview at The Granville Centre GMDA lead the group along Carlton Vale, to give an opportunity to look at the existing site conditions, before taking the underground from Queens Park to Baker Street. From Baker Street, GMDA guided the party through Marylebone, The Regent’s Park, Bloomsbury and Tottenham Court Road towards Kings Cross. The key highlights included:
Baker Street: TfL bus shelter with Green & Biodiverse Roof.
Marylebone High Street: SuDS planting beds integrated into the streetscene with active shop frontages.
Regents Park, Royal College of Physicians: Richly planted beds outside the main building, with plants being named individually to offer education opportunities.
Fitzroy Square: Showcasing a ‘London Garden Square’ Typology and how these spaces can change and adapt over time.
Whitfield Gardens: A recently refurbished public garden area, next to Tottenham Court Road, with seating, planting and a community mural.
Torrington Place & Byng Place: Highlighting the new two-way segregated cycle tracks. Byng Place is a busy junction, connecting the University of London with Gordon Square, based on a ‘Shared Space’ typology, with small coffee kiosks and food stall activating the space.
Brunswick Centre / Brunswick Square Gardens: These two schemes showcased integrated art, tree planting and SuDS planting beds.
The walk provided an opportunity for the design team and Brent Council to have an open an informal dialogue to discuss design elements, which could be applied to the CVB project.
Lunch and refreshments were held at Whitfield Gardens, providing an opportunity to relax and enjoy the mild autumn afternoon. At the end of the event, each resident who attended was given a houseplant and a packet of Bee-friendly wildflower seeds.
The walkround was delivered by GMDA as part of the Social Value aspect of the CVB project. The Social Value agenda is a high priority for Brent Council, aiming to achieve objectives around social, economic and environmental sustainability bringing wider benefits for the local community.
The CVB project is currently at detailed design stage, following the concept design phase and consultation stage, which was completed in summer 2021. It is anticipated that the construction works will commence in Spring 2022 and will be complete by Summer 2023. We note these dates may be subject to change and any change will be communicated.
Brent Council and GMDA agreed that it was a very worthwhile and informative day out offering a good way to showcase what the Carlton Vale Boulevard project will bring to South Kilburn.
