Locals take London Labour council to court over ‘flawed’ LTN plan

Enraged residents in a leafy London suburb are taking their Labour council to court for holding a “flawed” public consultation into imposing a low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN).

Lambeth Council is seeking to go ahead with the LTN, despite a near 70 per cent opposition rate from locals – but now, the West Dulwich Action Group is asking the High Court in London to shut down their plans.

The Labour-run council is accused of having “erred in law” and exhibiting “failings” while gathering residents’ views, court documents say.

The papers, unearthed by The Telegraph, show that the council’s own consultation found 67.5 per cent of those asked “were either unhappy or very unhappy” with the LTN.

Locals – 63.5 per cent of whom said they were “very unhappy” with the plans – say the consultation only resulted in “modifications to the scheme, not to the principle of an LTN”.

But the council is pressing on ahead with the plans regardless – even though the Labour Government insists that LTNs should not be imposed if there is widespread opposition.

The action group claims the council consultation had been unfair and irrational – and accused the authority of having “refused to engage” with the group because it was considered “anti-LTN”.

It had written up a 53-page report warning that the scheme would actually increase pollution – which the council “ignored” – leading lawyers to say: “In other words, there was a refusal to engage with those who might be critical of what the council was proposing.”

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The Labour council had tried to “avoid using the term” LTN over its negative connotations, the papers say, calling the scheme “street improvements” instead.

The documents also claim that “decisions as to which businesses to consult seem to have been taken on a whim”, with the council then coming up with a “changing story” on exactly who was contacted.

The authority had arranged a “drop-in” session at a local library to hear concerns face-to-face – but officials fled, seemingly amid “hostility to the proposals” from residents.

“The council members and officers who had attended took an early lunch break and also subsequently concluded the event early such that anyone who arrived during the unadvertised lunch break or towards the end of the advertised time slot was unable to participate,” documents say.

A spokesman for the West Dulwich Action Group said: “Once again, Lambeth council is riding roughshod over the wishes of the vast majority of its residents, showing a blatant disregard for pollution and collision data.

“The council refuses to listen or engage with the community, insisting it knows best despite evidence to the contrary.

“Democracy has been replaced with diktats, as councillors and staff relentlessly pursue a green ideology, regardless of whether their policies actually improve the environment.”

While a Lambeth Council spokesman said it was “working to make the neighbourhoods safer and healthier for all”, adding that the borough has “some of the country’s most polluted air”, and lacks outdoor space with “dangerous roads resulting in too many people getting injured”.

He added: “The street improvements project supports these aims, and was created in response to business and residents’ appeals. It is an 18-month trial and will be continually monitored by Lambeth Council.

“We have thoroughly engaged with the local community throughout, and there will be further opportunities for local people to feedback during the course of the trial.”