Innovative boardwalk trial launched in London's Bankside

Steer Davies Gleave is delighted to announce the installation of the Bankside Boardwalk, an innovative and vibrant boardwalk in London SE1 that expands the narrow pedestrian walkway space and injects playfulness into the urban realm of the area.

In 2016 Better Bankside secured funding through Transport for London’s Future Street fund to trial a project on Lavington Street to temporarily reshape the urban environment. The trial project has seen the implementation of an experimental specially-commissioned modular boardwalk structure that extends the street’s narrow pavement to help improve the quality of the environment for those on foot. 

The modular Bankside Boardwalk has been designed by Steer Davies Gleave’s design team. The appointment came as a result of winning a design competition in Summer 2016, in which we were selected as winners amid 28 organisations by a panel made up of key partners including Better Bankside, Southwark Council and Transport for London. The boardwalk was manufactured and installed by Trueform. 

Initially located on Lavington Street, this innovative structure helps to test how streets and pavements can be reconfigured to respond to the changing pressures that streets in cities and towns face, including accommodating increased footfall and the need to navigate safely around building sites, temporary hoardings or roadworks.

The installation will be on site for up to six months, during which time Better Bankside will be analysing the impact of the project on users of the street.

Peter Piet, Associate Director at Steer Davies Gleave said: “We are delighted to see the boardwalk installed as the bright colours and striking pattern of the boardwalk dramatically enhances the appearance of Lavington Street while the area undergoes substantial building work. It creates space for people to walk comfortably along the street and has places where people can sit and talk. I would like to thank Better Bankside, Southwark Council, Transport for London and the local community for their contributions in developing this innovative streetscape product”.