LSE team worked with the Mill Hill Neighbourhood Forum to identify opportunities and solutions for issues related to mobility, the high street and community’s assets
A team of eleven Regional and Urban Planning students from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) have produced a report with key recommendations for Mill Hill in north London. The area, known for its wealth of green space, faces significant challenges including congestion, high population growth, loss of jobs, and decreasing shop diversity. The report provides recommendations to ensure that the community remains vibrant, sustainable and resilient in the context of a growing Greater London.
The Mill Hill Neighbourhood Forum commissioned the LSE team after being charged with writing the area’s Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP). The report benefits from a wealth of international viewpoints, as the student authors hail from no fewer than eight different countries. The group worked closely with John H. Gillett, the Mill Hill Forum’s Chairman, and had the support of Dr Alan Mace, Assistant Professor of Urban Planning Studies at LSE.
Benjamin Walch from the LSE team said: ‘As we explored the area, we identified great assets but also potential for improvement to many regards. The community has actively committed to shaping its future and we are proud to have been able to help’.
With a population growth of 41% expected from 2011 to 2041 and the decline of its main shopping street, Mill Hill has many challenges ahead, but the Forum is keen to ‘encourage the right changes’ that ‘improve the way we all live, work and play’ according to John Gillett.
The solutions offered by the LSE team are based on the experience of similar neighbourhoods in other parts of the UK and abroad. The 14 measures proposed include the installation of vertical walls of vegetation on the side of the bridge facing the Mill Hill high street. These ‘green walls’ would improve the station’s visual aesthetic, work as a particulate trap for airborne pollution, and provide an instant connection with visitors and residents, presenting Mill Hill as a gateway to the amenities of the Green Belt.
Inspired by successful examples in locations such as Madrid, Los Angeles and elsewhere in London, the innovative and targeted recommendations of the report also include a new town square, better pedestrian crossings around the Broadway, improved cycling infrastructure, and an arts centre.
The report will be circulated among Mill Hill residents and contribute to the debate on the Neighbourhood Development Plan in the coming months. Once completed, the NDP will become an official planning document for the area, giving residents a voice on the future of Mill Hill.
> download the full report