End of the road - but what next for the Hammersmith Flyover?

PLANS to remove the Hammersmith Flyover and potentially replace it with a tunnel are nothing new.

- By BEN LYNCH Local democracy reporter

There are plans to remove the Hammersmith Flyover

(DARREN PEPE)

As detailed by the Hammersmith Society, the proposal was first mooted in the 1960s, the same decade the flyover itself was constructed, and has since been revived on a number of occasions - including last year when it featured in a key planning document, and most recently in Hammersmith and Fulham Council's draft Local Plan.

Due to go out for consultation, the draft plan, which is intended to guide development across the borough from 2027 until 2042, details how removing the flyover and parts of the A4 would free up land and reconnect communities separated by the road.

Examples of potential development which could be constructed in its place include new homes and cultural and leisure facilities, plus upgrades to St Paul’s Green and Fur-nivall Gardens.

It is hoped the cost of the tunnel would ultimately be paid off by monetising the land to be freed up by removing the flyover.

Walking out of the south exit of Hammersmith Broadway Station the flyover looms large, acting as a kind of elevated marker of the edge of the town centre.

Kim Holt, 44, works in Hammersmith and said she has been looking at the flyover for the last 20 years. Asked if she thinks its removal would prove a good idea, she said: “Yeah I think so. It is a little bit of a blight on the space, particularly when you come to this side of the station.”

She said if it was to be demolished there would need to be some form of alternative, such as the proposed tunnel, due to the level of traffic in the area.