London Assembly Unanimously Rejects Church Street Closure

Says Chiswick Mall flooding means access can't be restricted

Assembly motion says Chiswick Mall flooding makes Church Street access 'crucial'

November 12, 2024

There has been cross party support for a motion in the London Assembly calling for the scrapping of plans to close Church Street as part of a redesign of Hogarth Roundabout.

Assembly Members supported the motion put forward this Thursday (7 November) by the Conservative’s Keith Prince which called on the Mayor to instruct Transport for London (TfL) not to close off the road due to the issues raised by flooding on Chiswick Mall.

He said, “Hogarth Roundabout and the decision to restrict access to Church Street could impact a large number of people.

“The only available road floods twice a day - flooding that cannot be mitigated without negatively damaging the eco-system - and this would disrupt transport for vehicles. Not only would commuters be affected, but also delivery drivers trying to pass through the area, as well as parishioners, mourners and hearses travelling to or from the St Nicholas’ Church site just off the roundabout.

“There is cross-party support in Chiswick in opposition to the plans for Hogarth Roundabout and I am pleased that the Assembly has agreed that something needs to be done.”

Liberal Democrat Gareth Roberts, who represents the area in the assembly, seconded the motion, said, “I am pleased that this motion has been agreed.

“A number of households, a historic public house and St Nicholas Church are regularly affected by high tides and need the current link to Hogarth Roundabout to exit the area. Blocking this link would cause unnecessary disruption.

“We therefore ask the Mayor to cancel plans to restrict access to it.”

The full text of the motion is:

This Assembly notes that Hounslow Council, the Old Chiswick Protection Society, the Vicar of St Nicholas’s Church, the owners of the George and Devonshire Pub and residents of Church Street itself oppose Transport for London’s plan to close off direct access between the Hogarth Roundabout and Church Street.

This Assembly also notes that, due to Chiswick Mall flooding twice a day, vehicular access to Church Street is crucial for local residents, St Nicholas’s Church and the George and Devonshire Pub.

This Assembly therefore calls on the Mayor to instruct TfL to cancel all plans to restrict access to Church Street for motorised vehicles.

Hounslow Council’s transport team produced a report as part of its response to TfL’s consultation on the Hogarth Roundabout plan which was critical of many elements including the Church Street closure which it said should remain open. It did not state outright opposition to the scheme overall, saying that it was awaiting responses to requests for further data from TfL.You can read Hounslow's Council response in full here.

Hounslow Council says that it is 'necessary' Church Street remains open

The consultation ended on 12 September and TfL is now assessing the feedback it has received. No date has been given for the publication of the report into the consultation although it is expected in the next few months.

A TfL spokesperson said, “Hogarth Roundabout is a busy junction carrying large amounts of traffic travelling to and from Chiswick, Richmond, Hammersmith and Gunnersbury, and we are proposing multiple changes to directly address the causes of collisions here and improve safety.

“TfL has recently completed consultations on these proposals and no decision has yet been taken on the scheme. Until a decision on the scheme is taken, the roundabout will continue to operate in the same way, with no changes to the access to Church Street.”

“We continue to carefully consider all feedback received through the consultation process.”