The Piazza will create an exciting social focus for the Grove Park shops – a continental-style space for café, shop and pub visitors, providing a safer and more pleasant environment.
This is a unique opportunity to significantly improve the area where we live and work. The Piazza will transform a large, unappealing area of tarmac into an increased pedestrian zone with wider pavements for café, shop and pub visitors. Both the regular and disabled parking bays will be retained. Money pledged will pay for the design phase, 50% funded by the local community and 50% by Hounslow Council. The popular shops area is long overdue for regeneration. Presently the pavement is narrow, sloping and provides poor accessibility. The emphasis on vehicles is encouraging through traffic, particularly during rush hours. Block paving the entire area and introducing traffic calming features will significantly improve pedestrian safety. The project has the support of Hounslow Traffic, local ward councilors, residents and businesses. Every pledge counts, large and small, and in sufficient numbers can trigger an additional donation from The Mayor.
What we’ll deliver:
Why it’s a great idea:
Very little has changed in the Grove Park shops area for the last 30 or more years despite the shops becoming increasingly popular. The narrow pavements, wide expanse of tarmac and volume of through traffic are not suited to what should be a tranquil community hub. The Grove Park Group residents association brought the lack of investment to the attention of the council and proposed the scheme in 2014. They agreed. By shifting the balance away from traffic and back to pedestrians a pleasant space will be created where locals and visitors can relax and take advantage of the shops and local pub. This will provide a significant commercial boost to the shops and businesses around the square. Commuters and others will be more tempted to stay and enjoy the surroundings. An important feature of the scheme is the retention of the parking bays which attract visitors and access for the disabled. The scheme will include further trees for a greener, healthier environment.
Steps to get it done:
Community funding is essential to get the project off the ground. Increasingly councils are looking for a contribution from local communities as cuts in their own funding focuses expenditure on essential services. Relatively modest community contributions can unlock much more significant funding, for example from Section 106 and the Community Infrastructure Levy, for projects that otherwise would remain unrealised. The Grove Park Shops Piazza is one such opportunity to revitalise an area for the benefit of a wide range of users.