New planters add colour and biodiversity to New Oxford Street

17 new planters, including trees, shrubs and flowers, have been installed on New Oxford Street, adding colour and biodiversity to the street. Brought to you by CDA and Cross River Partnership’s (CRP) Healthy Streets Everyday II programme, they form part of CDA’s ongoing ‘Grey to Green’ initiative to increase greening, encourage active travel, improve biodiversity and air quality.

Working in collaboration with Camden Council and CRP, the planters aim to improve the pedestrian experience by introducing a new green corridor along New Oxford Street, bringing more greenery, helping to improve biodiversity and providing a green buffer between pedestrians and vehicles to reduce exposure to air pollution. Meristem Design planted over 100 flowers, shrubs and trees in the planters – click here to find out which species they used!

These new planters show a glimpse into the future for New Oxford Street, which could be a new park and green space for Holborn, as detailed in Camden’s draft Holborn Vision and through work being explored as part of the Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood.

Holborn Vision & Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood

The early ideas for the street created for Camden Council by LDA Design would close traffic on the easterly part of the street from Bloomsbury Way to Dunn’s Passage to create a new type of green sanctuary, with safe pedestrian and cycle connections. The ideas include installing a plaza, a sequence of biodiverse gardens, signature trees, play on the way, long table dining and comfortable seating. A new kiosk could provide a sculptural centrepiece and activate the space. A space like this could provide a new green route between Holborn Station and the British Museum. You can share your views on how you feel about Holborn and your thoughts on the initial ideas on the project website.

The Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood programme is part funded by Transport for London (TfL) and aims to transform Holborn into a place for people with attractive, healthy, accessible and safe streets for everyone, so that people can breathe clean air, with more plants and trees, in beautiful new and improved spaces. Camden Council want this area to be easy and fast to get around by sustainable and healthy types of transport.

These planters have been part funded by the Mayor’s Air Quality funded (MAQF4) Healthy Streets Everyday Phase II project, led by Cross River Partnership (CRP). This collaborative project, of 14 partners including Business Improvement Districts, local authorities and Horizon Europe, aims to address the over-dependence on private vehicles and the associated issues of poor Air Quality, Noise, Safety, Environment, Health & Wellbeing through pedestrian improvements, cycling infrastructure and greening.

If you would like to find out more about the CDA’s placemaking and public realm initiatives, please contact the team at info@centraldistrictalliance.com.

For more information:

• Camden Council, Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood
• Camden Council, Holborn Vision
• Cross River Partnership, Healthy Streets Everyday II
• Mayor of London, Mayor’s Air Quality Fund