Ealing Council sets out vision for ’20 minute neighbourhoods’

Image: Ealing’s vision for 20 minute neighbouthoods 

Revitalising Ealing to make itmore appealing for residents and visitors

Ealing Council has set out a framework for what it calls ’20 minute neighbourhoods’, communities where people can meet most of their daily needs within a 20-minute walk, bike ride, or public transport trip.

Home to some 91,000 residents, the borough’s greatest challenge, says the Council, it’s its unaffordability, which identifies a gap between average wages and average house prices in the borough.

‘This limits the opportunity for people to find homes and jobs locally.’

The ’20 minute neighbourhood’ plan is an attempt to address that by creating flourishing local centres with job opportunities, everyday services and amenities within walking distance of where people live.

Image: Ealing’s vision for 20 minute neighbouthoods 

The Council says:

‘The idea does not limit people’s movement or stop them driving. Instead, it gives people more choice, by ensuring they can access their local community without a car if they want or need to.’

They add: ‘the opportunity to improve the public realm and provide new active travel infrastructure will help overcome barriers to use of both local centres and the metropolitan centre, such as safety concerns and congestion.’

What they are proposing is to improve public spaces in Ealing in the hope that it will be a more welcoming place for visitors. It incorporates the plans of the Ealing Business Improvement District and the West Ealing Business Improvement District to support local businesses, as well as the Ealing Regeneration Framework.

Other ideas involve making more of celebrating the seasons and cultural holidays and making more of the arts and Ealing’s film heritage. Ealing already has very successful comedy and jazz festivals in the summer in Walpole Park, a thriving theatre in Questor’s theatre and vibrant art gallery at Pitzhanger Manor.

The planned support ranges from the most basic services to maintain a busy high street, such as cardboard and recycling collections and pest control, to free listings for job opportunities and the provision of hanging baskets of flowers in public spaces.

Among the aims of the ’20 minute neighbourhoods’ are: increasing physical activity, reducing air and noise pollution, reducing the impacts of road traffic collisions, reducing social isolation, improving access to healthcare, creating new local jobs, supporting local businesses and increasing a sense of community and local pride.

Image: Ealing’s vision for 20 minute neighbouthoods 

Ealing town centre characterised by small businesses

Ealing town centre is home to a high proportion of the borough’s small business economy; 92% of the town’s businesses have less than nine employees. Almost half are in financial and professional services, ICT, media and creative services, but these account for less than a quarter of the jobs in the borough.

The larger employers include construction specialist firms for civil engineering projects, public sector employers such as secondary schools, the NHS, higher education institutions such as the University of West London, and Ealing Council itself.

Image: Ealing’s vision for 20 minute neighbouthoods 

Shrinking economy

The Council says:

‘Ealing demonstrates a shrinking economy with losses experienced in higher value economic activity, this combined with worsening affordability makes a strong case for support to boost the economy and jobs in the town.’

They plan to redesign Ealing Broadway as a ‘coherent destination, with ‘placemaking which provides a welcoming, accessible environment free from clutter and congestions.’

Image: Ealing’s vision for 20 minute neighbouthoods 

In West Ealing, the vision is to ‘support a network of accessible streets to bring West Ealing’s food culture to the fore.’

In South Ealing they are looking at a ‘consistent approach to widen pavements, introduce planting and non-drop street trees, lighting seating and wayfinding, pedestrian crossings.’

Among the plans for South Ealing are improved lighting on streets and within park routes, ‘street furniture, wayfinding, cycle parking and tree and soft landscape planting to improve safety and attraction.’

Image: Ealing’s vision for 20 minute neighbouthoods 

Popes Lane will be prioritised as a ‘key active travel route’ east to Gunnersbury Park, including the junction with South Ealing Road, and the Council is planning for public art to be installed outside South Ealing Station on the railway bridge ‘to welcome visitors and enhance the area.’

The plans have been divided into short, medium, and long-term timeframes for delivery. An example of a short-term goal for Ealing Broadway is to:

‘Improve licensing, noise mitigation, street lighting and safety to support night-time economy activities.

An example of a long-term goal is to:

‘Restore heritage facades, review local listings and step-back ground floor frontages to offer higher quality retail, public realm and town centre experience’ in the metropolitan centre.

You can see the full plans here: Ealing 20 Minute Neighbourhood Framework.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar