Camden High Street will stay traffic-free for good. Camden Council has confirmed that the pedestrianisation trialled on part of the famous shopping street since May 2025 is now permanent, following a summer consultation that backed the change.
The traffic-free stretch runs between Britannia Junction and the junction with Jamestown Road and Hawley Crescent, in front of Camden Town Underground station. Temporary barriers at each end of the pedestrianised area will be replaced with new permanent barriers early next year.
The trial was launched in May 2025 to create a safer, healthier and more enjoyable space for everyone, after feedback that motor vehicles dominating the street were creating a negative experience for residents and visitors. This summer the council consulted on making the trial permanent, as well as seeking views on a potential expansion of the traffic-free area.
In the most recent consultation, 57% of everyone who responded agreed with the proposal to make the pedestrianisation permanent, with 51% of those living in the Camden Town area agreeing.
Councillor James Slater, Cabinet Member for Planning and a Sustainable Camden, said: “Camden Town is an important shopping and transport hub for local residents as well as being an internationally recognised destination that draws people in from across London, the rest of the UK, and the world. Since May last year, we have been trialling a traffic-free section of Camden High Street, in response to feedback that the dominance of motor vehicles on this stretch of road was creating a negative experience for residents and visitors. Pedestrians overspilling from the pavement as well as poor air quality meant we needed to act, so we launched a pedestrianisation trial. After 18 months, we asked this summer whether you wanted to see the pedestrianisation become permanent. Based on our consultation and the positive outcomes we have seen, we have made the decision to make it permanent.”
The decision comes with a package of accompanying measures responding to what residents asked for. On buses, Cllr Slater said: “You told us about further improvements that you would like to see in the Camden Town area including more reliable bus services, improved safety, cleanliness and decluttering the area. Some of you also felt that bus services have been impacted. Better bus journeys around Camden Town are very important to us – that’s why we will be introducing a trial bus lane on Kentish Town Road with the aim of speeding up northbound bus journeys.”
On safety, he added: “Some respondents also told us they wanted to see more safety improvements on the High Street. We will also be introducing additional new community safety patrols as part of a £1 million investment in Community Safety Officer patrols around Camden’s town centres.”
And on cleanliness: “In response to feedback about cleanliness, we will also be carrying out a deep clean of the high street in the coming weeks.”
What happens next is a two-stage process. First, the permanent barriers go in early next year, replacing the temporary ones that have marked each end of the zone since the trial began. Then attention turns to a possible extension. Cllr Slater said: “We also heard that many of you are open to the idea of the pedestrianisation being extended over the Camden Lock bridge towards the junction with Chalk Farm Road. We will therefore be developing and testing a design for a potential extension over the next few months, and we will publish further information next spring to seek your views on it.”
The extension is not yet approved – it will go through design work and a further round of public consultation before any decision is taken.
Camden’s announcement follows Oxford Street going traffic-free this week, as London’s best-known shopping streets rethink how much space they give to vehicles. Elsewhere in north London, community-designed murals were recently unveiled around Finsbury Park station, another example of public space being handed back to local people.
Camden Council’s full announcement, including the consultation results, is published on the council’s news pages.
