A greener, safer Hackney Central: Pembury Circus transformation revealed
New images have been revealed of the planned transformation of Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus in Hackney Central, which will reduce traffic and improve safety for people walking and cycling, create a 1,900sqm linear park and encourage people to spend more time in the area and support high street businesses.
The latest set of computer generated images now show detailed plans to tackle the dangerous Pembury Circus junction, which is being completely redesigned to improve safety for people walking, wheeling and cycling.
The Council recently completed its first project to create a greener, healthier Hackney Central, a new pocket park in Marvin St. This project was proposed by local residents and has beautiful new trees and planting, a dockless cycle hire bay and a loading bay for businesses.
The environmental-led transformation of Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus is one of the major projects in Hackney Central that are being delivered through a £19 million UK Government investment. The projects have been designed with the input of thousands of local businesses and residents over the last five years.
Throughout the year, the Council has hosted a series of in-person workshops, drop-in events and conducted an online survey to identify what is most important to people who live or spend time in Hackney Central.
Safety for pedestrians and cyclists was a concern raised by many people, particularly around the busy Pembury Circus junction – which saw 66 people suffer injuries in collisions in the five years up to 2022. The junction will now be completely redesigned, with new crossings installed to reduce the risk of vehicle collisions with pedestrians and new banned turns to reduce the risk of other collisions.
The Council is also proposing advanced stop lines for cyclists to be able to wait ahead of other traffic, as well as an early green light for cyclists on the Hackney Downs station and Pembury Road arms of the junction. It is also working with Transport for London to add an additional early green light with a minimum four second delay for cyclists on the Dalston Lane (east) and Amhurst Road (west) arms of the junction. Accessibility for those with more limited mobility was also an important concern and the plans have sought to make the junction accessible for all those walking and wheeling too.
These plans introduce a bus gate, so that motor traffic will be restricted along Amhurst Road between the junctions of Brett Road and Graham Road between 7am and 7pm. Only buses, cyclists, emergency services, blue badge holders with e-companion badges, and business vehicles loading and unloading will be permitted to use the street during these hours. These changes will help to reduce the amount of car traffic passing through Hackney Central and will also help to cut bus journey times and make it easier to change between buses and train stations in the town centre.
Reducing car traffic on Amhurst Road will make Pembury Circus junction safer for people walking, wheeling and cycling.
The environmental improvements are designed to encourage more people to spend more time in the town centre, helping to increase footfall for local businesses.
The Council considered introducing ‘CYCLOPS’-style plans for Pembury Circus, which would include cycle lanes around the perimeter of the junction, however this would mean pedestrians would continue to need to use multiple crossings across roads and cycle lanes. In seeking to provide improvements for both cyclists and pedestrians, the Council is not proceeding with this option.
The existing cycle network includes a number of quiet routes running parallel to Pembury Circus junction along Navarino Road and Wayland Avenue and the Council is continuing to develop this network to support cycling in Hackney.
The transformation of the Hackney Central area is set to begin in the new year. Changes to Pembury Circus and Amhurst Road are subject to a statutory consultation which will begin on 29 November. Any objections or other representations about the traffic orders should be emailed to streetscene.consultations@hackney.gov.uk within 21 days from the beginning of the statutory consultation period. All objections must specify the grounds on which they are made.
Videos showing the plans for the transformation of Pembury Circus and Amhurst Road are available online.
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Hackney Central is changing. The transformation of Amhurst Road and Pembury Circus is a once-in-a-generation chance to create a greener, more accessible, liveable and safer town centre, which meets the needs of people walking, wheeling and cycling here. This is part of a series of projects backed by £19m of UK Government funding.
We’ve spoken to thousands of residents over the past five years about their priorities for Hackney Central and our plans have been formed on the basis of what they’ve told us. I’m continuing to have those conversations and listen to local people’s views so we can make Hackney Central one of the best town centres in the country.
Cllr Sarah Young, Cabinet Member for Climate, Environment and Transport