Camden seeks review of London Lorry Control Scheme in freight and servicing action plan

Camden Council is seeking a review of the London Lorry Control Scheme (LLCS) to allow more heavy lorries to move through central London overnight and in the early morning in order to take pressure off the road system in the borough.

The LLCS currently bans the movement of lorries over 18 tonnes on most roads in London overnight between 9pm and 7am Monday to Friday and in the day time from 1pm on Saturday until 7am on Monday morning.

The council’s Freight and Servicing Action Plan which was published last week and is due to be signed off this week by Cllr Adam Harrison, cabinet member for a sustainable Camden, sets out 30 action points to meet its aim to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions from road transport as well as improve road safety as set out in its transport strategy.

According to a report for Cllr Harrison, “demand for freight and servicing will continue to increase across London and in Camden, partly driven by population and job growth”, putting “increased pressure on the road network”.

Camden’s transport strategy published in 2019 commits the council to “mitigate the impacts of freight movements in the Borough” and to contribute to the Mayor of London’s target of a “10 percent reduction in morning peak freight transport in central London by 2026”.

The published action plans seeks to “reduce” the number of freight and servicing trips in the borough; “remode” the methods of delivery by transferring operations to low-emission vehicles such as pedestrian portering, cargo bikes, electric vehicles and to rail and the canal system; and “retime” freight movements outside of the morning peak, so reducing air pollution and improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists between 7am and 10am.

At action point 20 it states: “Lobby London Councils to review the London Lorry Control Scheme to explore opportunities to reroute and retime lorry movement for noise control and efficiency improvements.”

The published plan does not specify by how much the current overnight lorry ban would be altered but it does recognise the concerns raised during the public consultation about noise nuisance from heavy lorry movements.

“The Equalities Impact Assessment highlighted one potential negative impact on lower income groups that have a higher propensity to live in affordable properties next to main roads, and therefore may be at risk of being disproportionately affected by any noise increase through the review of the LLCS to enable more freight and deliveries to take place at off-peak times.

“To mitigate this concern, this action will include further research to understand the noise implications of this action, taking account of technological changes in freight vehicles and ‘point-of-delivery’ noise production,” states the report.

Cllr Harrison is asked to consider the responses to the consultation along with the results of the equalities impact assessment, and to agree that the plan is adopted by the council and that officers go ahead and make progress on the actions identified.

Camden Council: Issue details: The Camden Freight and Servicing Action Plan.