Camden secures funding for transport schemes and homes retrofit
Camden Council has secured over £4m from Transport for London (TfL) for sustainable transport schemes and £3.58m from the Government to retrofit 283 council homes.
The £4m secured from Transport for London – the highest amount awarded to an inner-London borough and the second highest award in the capital overall - will be used as follows:
- £1.5m for new and improved cycling infrastructure, including segregated cycle lanes – this responds directly to the recommendation from the Citizens Assembly on the Climate Emergency in Camden for more segregated cycling infrastructure and is a key action of the Council’s Climate Action Plan;
- £1m for new bus priority schemes, to protect bus journey times across the borough, help enable more bus trips by residents and visitors to Camden and contribute to reducing private vehicle use;
- A partial contribution to a total £1m investment in Holborn in 2023/24 including significant road safety, public realm and green improvements in the Holborn gyratory area, and further feasibility work on the wider Holborn project;
- A partial contribution to a total £1m investment towards new and improved Safe and Healthy Streets projects across Camden, which reduce through-traffic, encourage walking and cycling, and provide more greening.
Meanwhile, Camden has secured £3.58m from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to retrofit a further 283 council homes, this building on the pilot work already underway.. The retrofit of council homes, 148 of which are in St Pancras and Somers Town ward, includes:
- A partial retrofit of 262 homes – new double and triple glazing, roof insulation and ventilation.
- A retrofit of 11 homes in Clarence Gardens to a new build Passive energy standard. This is a prototype project and includes fitting wall panels with inbuilt insulation and roofing with inbuilt solar panels.
- A deep retrofit of 10 homes including double glazing, internal wall insulation, heat pumps and solar panels.
Camden Council has also agreed funding for the retrofit of Highgate Library, which includes the installation of heat pumps, secondary glazing, roof and internal wall insulation, solar panels and ventilation improvements. It is progressing with agreeing funding for the retrofit of Kingsgate School and Hampstead School.
This funding will help reinforce Camden’s position as a leading local authority in tackling the climate emergency.
“We are right in the centre of London and have excellent transport links. We want to encourage our residents to travel by bus, bike or on foot where possible – and to do that we are putting in the infrastructure that will help people get about safely and easily.
“We are committed to retrofitting our council housing, schools and public facing buildings wherever it is viable and makes practical sense to do – and if not, build new energy efficient replacements through our Community Investment Programme. We have already completed a retrofit at Swiss Cottage Library and work is nearly complete at Talacre Leisure Centre and Acland Burghley School. Mass retrofit will help residents and the council to reduce its energy bills, keep homes and facilities warm and significantly cut Camden’s carbon emissions.
