The Royal Borough of Greenwich Overview & Scrutiny Call-in Sub-Committee met to discuss the call-in of the Leader of the Council's decision regarding the West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management Trial Scheme. While the sub-committee noted the Leader's original decision, strong concerns were voiced about the scheme's impact on boundary roads. The sub-committee recommended continued monitoring and public data sharing, further development of mitigation measures with stakeholder engagement, and consideration of broader safety issues.

West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management Trial Scheme

The main item under discussion was the final decision regarding the West & East Greenwich Neighbourhood Management Trial Scheme, following a call-in of the decision made by the Leader of the Council on 3 October 2025. The sub-committee ultimately approved the recommendations, but expressed concerns about the impact on boundary roads, and made several recommendations.

The sub-committee recommended:

1. Continued monitoring and public sharing of data.
2. Further development of mitigation measures and engagement with stakeholders, especially Transport for London (TfL).
3. Taking into account broader safety issues, such as any anti-social behaviour from disgruntled drivers.

The decision report (Appendix A Decision Report) outlined the results of engagement, monitoring, and statutory consultation undertaken during the Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) period. It presented ten options for how the scheme could proceed, with Option 3 recommended as the preferred approach: making the scheme permanent with changes to the location of ANPR filters, revised exemptions, but no changes to hours of operation. This option included removing filters on Royal Hill while retaining protection for surrounding side roads, and allowing Blue Badge holders to register up to two vehicles.

The call-in was prompted by concerns raised by Councillors Charlie Davis and Matt Hartley, and Councillors Lakshan Saldin and Tamasin Rhymes, who cited the scheme's failure to deliver benefits in terms of traffic reduction, air quality improvement, and safety improvement for everyone, as well as significant public opposition.

The Cabinet Member Climate Action, Sustainability and Transport responded to the concerns, and the Director of Communities and Environment and Central, Assistant Director Transportation and Sustainability, Head of Programmes and Public Realm and Senior Traffic Engineer were present to provide further information.

The report (Call in report for West East Greenwich Neighbourhood management Trial Scheme Final Decision) addressed the grounds for the call-in, arguing that the scheme had achieved meaningful reductions in traffic volumes, had not significantly deteriorated air quality, and had improved safety within the core area. It also acknowledged concerns about increased traffic pressures on some boundary roads and committed to exploring targeted mitigation measures.

Declarations of Interest

The sub-committee noted the list of councillors' memberships on outside bodies, joint committees and school governing bodies, as detailed in the Declarations of Interest document. Members were asked to declare any personal or financial interests in specific items on the agenda.