The Cally Liveable Neighbourhood
We are delivering The Cally Liveable Neighbourhood
Latest project updates
In December 2024, we announced the decision to deliver The Cally Liveable Neighbourhood. We will be starting by transforming Freeling Street (East) into a green public space with playful elements, new seating, rain gardens and new planting.
To carry out these works we will need to temporarily close parts of Freeling Street, the pavement on the western side of Caledonian Road and Carnoustie Drive from Monday 17 March 2025 in three stages:
- Freeling Street (East) (excluding the north pavement) will be closed from 17 March to 23 May 2025.
- The north pavement of Freeling Street (East) and the adjacent pavement on Caledonian Road will be closed from 27 May to 4 June 2025.
- A section of Carnoustie Drive to the north and south of the bollards and adjacent to Freeling Street (East) will be closed from 5 June to 24 June 2025.
You can view the designs and the traffic management plans for these schemes using the links in the “Key Documents” menu on the sidebar.
We will be in further contact to notify residents and businesses with more details about the schemes we will be constructing later in the year across The Cally.
We are delivering The Cally Liveable Neighbourhood scheme from Winter 2024/2025, with some changes to our plans based on feedback we received in our public consultation.
Islington Council is determined to create greener, healthier, and more welcoming streets, where people can come together and communities can thrive.
We announced our plans for a liveable neighbourhood in The Cally in March 2020 but it was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, we've listened to your feedback over three rounds of engagement and been guided by the We are Cally Community Plan, which was informed by six months of engagement from September 2020 and March 2021. Based on what you told us, we developed final designs for a series of improvements and held a public consultation on these designs between Monday 19 February and Sunday 17 March 2024.
We have decided to deliver a liveable neighbourhood in The Cally, with some changes to our plans following local people's feedback during the consultation. On this page you can see details of the changes we are making.
We will start delivering improvements from Winter 2024/2025 and we expect the construction of all improvements to last approximately 12-18 months. We will keep residents updated as the delivery of improvements across the area continues, and will let you know if construction will affect you. We will do our best to reduce any disruption. You can also check this page for updates.
The final measures we will be delivering are shown on the map:
Map of The Cally Liveable Neighbourhood improvements we will be delivering
What are the improvements we will be delivering?
We have decided to deliver the following improvements to create a greener and healthier neighbourhood:
1. Pavement improvements on Caledonian Road, prioritising repairing and decluttering the pavement between Bridgeman Road and Richmond Avenue to make it easier for people walking, wheeling and using pushchairs.
2. Three new pocket parks and new greening measures, at Tilloch Street, Freeling Street (East) and Story Street to create safer and more inviting local streets and places that are climate resilient:
- Tilloch Street will be transformed into an ‘outdoor room’ with a pergola for local people and businesses to enjoy, with the kerb at Caledonian Road reinstated to ensure that people feel safe using the space.
- In Freeling Street the creation of a new public space with greening and playful elements, which will remain closed to vehicles.
- Story Street will build on the commercial history of the area with the creation of additional trading plots for new street traders, with the street permanently closed to traffic.
3. Improvements to create a safer and greener environment at Frederica Street, including low-level planting and rain gardens, pavement widening, a new continuous crossing and additional on-street cycle parking.
Artist's impression of our planned improvements at Lyon Street
4. Walking, wheeling and cycling improvements between York Way and Caledonian Road, including a new cycle ramp at Lyon Street, upgrading the existing corridor with wayfinding signage and improvements to the pavements and streetlighting to enhance this informal walking, wheeling and cycling route.
5. Improvements to the approaches to Bingfield Park at three locations (Randell’s Road; Rufford Street and Gifford Street; Freeling Street (West)) to extend the benefits of the park beyond its entrances and make it more welcoming and pleasant for local people. Improvements include a new cycle path around the park, new planting beds and trees, improved lighting, new cycle parking, wider pavements and playful elements.
Artist's impression of our planned improvements on Randell’s Road
6. Traffic filter at Blundell Street to build on the benefits of the existing main road school street project at Robert Blair Primary School, supporting the street’s role as a local walking, cycling and wheeling link and to reduce traffic in the scheme area whilst still maintaining appropriate access for local businesses and emergency vehicles.
Traffic filters are points in the road that vehicles are not permitted to drive through, to make space for walking, cycling, and wheeling. In some cases these are enforced with physical restrictions like planters and bollards, and in others using cameras. There will usually be exemptions for local Blue Badge holders who live inside the project area, some council service vehicles, and the emergency services. We will monitor the trial traffic filter to assess whether it should be made permanent.
7. Public space improvements at York Way Gardens, including the removal of the vehicle entrance from Copenhagen Street, removal of clutter and redundant street furniture and removal of all parking bays. The green space will be improved with newly designed planting beds and new seating, additional cycle parking, improved lighting and a new designated loading bay with access from York Way only. The changes will also provide a wider pavement space that businesses may wish to apply to use for additional outdoor trading.
Project background
The proposals for The Cally LN were guided by the We are Cally Community Plan, which was informed by six months of engagement from September 2020 and March 2021 with Cally residents and people who work in the area, from the local voluntary sector, council, and other public sector agencies. The liveable neighbourhood will create more pleasant and livelier streets, where communities can come together and will contribute to realising the five themes of the We are Cally Community Plan which include aspirations to create opportunities for children and families, support local businesses and employment, foster community connections, enhance green spaces, and improve health and air quality.
What you have told us through the project
The council has been listening to feedback from local people in The Cally area, building upon the We are Cally Community Plan across three stages of engagement:
- From February - April 2023, we heard what local people had to say about issues in the area and what they would like the project to bring to the area, through public meetings and workshops.
- Between July and August 2023, we invited the community to share their views on draft proposals through a survey and public workshops. We also met with local businesses, local older and disabled people.
- In February and March 2024, we consulted publicly on a set of final draft designs which were displayed both online and at the Jean Stokes Community Centre and West Library. Again, we received feedback through a survey, public workshops and talking to local businesses.
We also received comments sent via email to the project team at: thecallyln@islington.gov.uk.
Our consultation proposals reflected what local people told us, including:
- pavements improved with more space created for people walking, wheeling and with buggies and mobility aids;
- more pleasant, green public spaces and more places to stop and rest;
- streets should be made safer with slower traffic and fewer vehicles; and
- it should be safer for people cycling in the area.
Your feedback to our consultation in February and March 2024
Most people who responded to our public consultation survey in February and March 2024 said they agreed that The Cally Liveable Neighbourhood would be positive for the area and people's health and wellbeing in response to a range of statements. Some examples of these statements and the responses received included:
"The proposed scheme would..." | Strongly agree | Somewhat Agree | Neither agree or disagree | Somewhat Disagree | Strongly disagree | I don’t know |
make me more likely to walk or use a wheelchair, mobility scooter, or other mobility aid to get around | 38% | 23% | 9% | 3% | 19% | 5% |
make the streets safer for people walking, wheeling, and cycling | 45% | 23% | 6% | 6% | 17% | 1% |
make it safer for children to travel to school and/or play outdoors | 42% | 22% | 12% | 7% | 10% | 3% |
make me more likely to spend time in the streets and public spaces in the area | 38% | 24% | 9% | 8% | 14% | 1% |
help make the air in the area cleaner | 36% | 25% | 10% | 5% | 14% | 4% |
There was majority support for all six of the proposals, with significant support for the greening schemes. The most common comments in support of the proposals included:
- overall support for the scheme;
- they would make the area more welcoming and aesthetically pleasing; and
- they would have a positive impact on cycling and walking in the area.
Other feedback about the proposals included:
- the potential impact of the traffic filter on road safety, local businesses, displacement and congestion; and
- maintenance of greening features.
For more information on the feedback received during the consultation, you can view:
- the proposals we consulted on in February and March 2024;
- a report showing the consultation results in detail; and
- responses to issues raised in the consultation.
What changes are we making in response to your consultation feedback?
In response to feedback we have:
- Amended the design so that the road on the south side of Frederica Street will be reinstated as pavement, making it easier for people to walk and wheel while also providing space for additional cycle parking stands.
- Amended the design of the pocket park at Freeling Street (East) to remove a crossover at the junction with Carnoustie Drive to enable a safer scheme without vehicles turning in and out of this area. The proposed design has been amended to introduce all permanent bollards, in agreement with the emergency services.
- We will implement the filter on Blundell Street as a trial, to allow any impacts to be monitored. The final scheme design includes early warning signage on the wider road network and on the approach to either side of the traffic filter to ensure that drivers are aware of the changes. The final scheme design has also been designed with consideration to existing trees to ensure they do not obscure signage.
How you can get in touch
If you have any questions about the project, or you need this information in another language, a reading format such as Braille, large print or Easy Read, or a printed paper copy of these web pages, you can:
- email: thecallyln@islington.gov.uk
- write to: Environment, 1 Cottage Road, London, N7 8TP
We will keep local people updated as delivery of the liveable neighbourhood progresses. You can also check this page for updates.
Contact the project team
The Cally Liveable Neighbourhood project team
Climate Change & Transport, Islington Council
