Putney MP Urges Residents to Have Their Say on Hammersmith Bridge

Consultation being held on proposal for double decker structure

Fleur Anderson on 21 March, with a 'Reopen Hammersmith Bridge' banner and a drawing of the proposed bridge from the architect

March 24, 2023

Fleur Anderson, the MP for Putney, is encouraging her constituents to take part in a consultation on proposals for the reopening of Hammersmith Bridge.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is looking for feedback on a radical design which could allow the reopening of the bridge to motorised traffic.

Ms Anderson says that Putney residents should be demanding that the council proceeds with the full reopening of the bridge, including for buses, to relieve the traffic pressure that has built up on this side of the river since the closure.

This week she took a banner signed by hundreds of Putney residents to the Houses of Parliament to ask that the Government play their essential part in funding the plans for the historic bridge’s reconstruction.

She said, “On April 10th, Hammersmith Bridge will have been closed to vehicles – including buses – for four years. This continues to have the biggest impact on us in Putney as the increased congestion causes chaos and high levels of air pollution on Putney High Street and the surrounding area. Now it is crucial that residents have their voice heard on the plans. Hopefully this marks an extremely welcome step forwards to the Bridge being reopened, but we seem to be a long way from it being funded.

“I hope that people can have their say in the consultation and ask for the bridge to be re-opened to vehicles as soon as possible, without a toll, and for cycling and pedestrian access to be at the forefront of all new plans for Hammersmith Bridge.“

The online consultation will launch on Saturday 25 March, with in-person drop-ins running from Saturday 25 March to Saturday 1 April.

St Paul’s Centre, Queen Caroline Street, London W6 9P
 Saturday 25 March, 11am – 2pm
 Monday 27 March, 4pm – 8pm
St Paul’s School, Lonsdale Road, London SW13 9JT
 Tuesday 28 March, 4pm – 8pm
 Saturday 1 April, 11am – 2pm

The proposals from Fosters and Partners Architects, which was founded by Norman Foster, involve a temporary, double-decker structure on Hammersmith Bridge – enabling pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles to cross – whilst parts of the historic bridge are removed, by barge, to be inspected and restored offsite and then returned also by barge. The firm specialises in the restoration of sites of national heritage. Its projects include the Millennium Bridge, the Gherkin, Wembley Stadium and the Reichstag building in Berlin.

Ms Anderson added, “The question remains: who is going to fund the reopening of the bridge? The business proposal has been submitted by Hammersmith and Fulham to the Department for Transport, and the cost of the project is going up all the time. Overall, I hope that this will be one step closer to the bridge eventually being reopened, which I’ve been campaigning for for several years. I have now raised it 20 times in Parliament. “