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Fitzrovia nightmare
• THERE is a problem in the south of the borough.
As part of the Crossrail/Tottenham Court Road Tube refurbishment, the utility companies have decided they will have to renew water mains etc in the east end of Oxford Street, to save them collapsing when London Underground/Crossrail starts to dig a new tunnel.
In this case, there is a proposal to route all the traffic – including 800 buses per day – through the side streets of Fitzrovia: Newman Street, Goodge Street, Chenies Street.
This is not just an issue for Fitzrovia residents. Anyone who hopes to catch a bus from the east end of Oxford Street, and arrive on time in the 10 months from January 2010 should take note.
For Fitzrovia residents, it is a disaster. The increase in noise and pollution, the potential for structural damage to Georgian houses in Goodge Street, and the inevitable aggravation in narrow streets is a terrible prospect.
An independent company has been commissioned to carry out an impact study, which will report by the end of November. The two authorities, Camden and Westminster, are being asked to make their decisions early December, after this study is published.
Because this work comes under the Public Utility Act, the local authorities’ powers are limited.
Readers can write to London Buses/TfL (13th Floor, Centre Point, New Oxford Street, WC1A 1DD) urging them to reconsider.
Cllr Penny Abraham
Labour, Bloomsbury ward
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