High Street 2012

High Street 2012 is an initiative that will use the Games as a catalyst for improvements to the A11/A118 corridor through the centre of Tower Hamlets (taking in Whitechapel High Street, Whitechapel Road, Mile End Road and Bow Road) and on into Stratford in Newham.

The vision for High Street 2012 is to create a world class and thriving ‘High Street’, where there is a balance between pedestrian and road uses, where people and places are connected, where locals, visitors and tourists want to be, and where there is a sense of well being, community and history.

Proposals for the route have been developed in consultation with local communities. They include

• street actions - a series of measures for the length of the street, such as better lighting and wayfinding, more trees, and restored historic buildings
• area studies - suggesting short, medium and long term improvements to places along the route, including Aldgate, Whitechapel, Mile End and Bow.

Works on the first High Street projects – the new park at Braham Street, and a programme of enhancements to historic buildings in Aldgate, Whitechapel and Mile End – will begin in 2009. Additional projects such as those set out below will be developed further, working closely with local communities.

High Street 2012 is a joint initiative by Tower Hamlets and Newham councils, LDA/Design for London, TfL, English Heritage and the London Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

High Street 2012 – street actions

• Decluttering Improving the street’s visual appeal and coherence
• Historic building enhancements Restoring and improving the historic fabric of the street and reusing abandoned or partly vacated buildings
• Lighting strategy Defining a unified system for lighting the High Street’s carriageways and pavements, historical assets and special spaces
• Green thread Introducing new trees and planting, green roofs and walls
• Street surfaces and cycleway Improving the material quality of the street and, in the longer term, forming a new ‘cycleway’
• Wayfinding Aiding the intuitive use of the street and wider-scale movement
• Community projects Keeping the community involved in delivering the High Street 2012 project and celebrating its history and cultures

High Street 2012 – area studies

• Aldgate New gateway to High Street 2012. Provide new park at Braham Street & improve Altab Ali Park. Install catenary lighting for HS2012 ‘gateway’. Improve access to Brick Lane. Stop off White Church Lane. Explore provision of gallery forecourt
• Whitechapel Refurbish & accent light heritage buildings. Improve market. Improve pedestrian realm and establish better links with Royal London Hospital and with Crossrail via pedestrianised Fulbourne Street. Promote night time use and economy. Explore options for new covered market
• Mile End Waste Improve and extend grassed area northward. Install special lighting. Form shared surface on inner service road. Refurbish & accent light heritage buildings. Retain strong links to refurbished Wickhams store. Install new cycleway where possible
• Ocean Green Transform ‘green’ with new pathways and seating areas overlooked by green walled and roofed amenity blocks including community cafe. Provide new courtyard gardens for residents. Explore on-street residential developments. Install new cycleway where possible
• Mile End Intersection Improved access to park and canal via special paving. Integrate QMU developments. Install new cycleway where possible. Intensify retail offer. Long term redevelopment of station quarter ‘destination’ and improved bus stand explored 
• Bow Pursue major public art piece and improve pedestrian environment and links to waterways. Refurbish & accent light heritage buildings. Install new cycleway where possible. Explore future potential to remove fly-over, create grade crossing and extend high street
• Greenway (in Newham) Improve canal access via special paving and waterway development. Improve lighting and pedestrian crossing. Restore sense of Lea Valley crossing. Install temporary hoarding to 2012 coach park. Install new cycleway where possible
• Stratford DLR crossing (in Newham) Improve connections between new DLR station and legacy and retail destinations. Enhance public realm. Refurbish & accent light heritage buildings. Remove bus lanes, extend footpaths and plant trees to soften environment where possible. Install new cycleway where possible