Guide Dogs granted permission to apply for judicial review in dispute with Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea over plans for Exhibition Road

The High Court has today given the green light to Guide Dogs to proceed with the legal challenge against Kensington and Chelsea’s development plans for Exhibition Road.

The scheme is reportedly costing £25m, funded by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, City of Westminster and the Mayor of London.

Over the last five years, Guide Dogs, on behalf of blind and partially sighted people and other vulnerable groups, has raised concerns about this multi-million pound “single surface” scheme which will see vehicles share space with an estimated 19 million pedestrians per year. The delineation of the space proposed by Kensington and Chelsea is untested in a street environment and the decision to proceed with the proposed scheme is, in Guide Dogs view, unlawful and may compromise the ability of blind and partially sighted people to safely navigate the road.

Tom Pey, Guide Dogs Director of External Affairs, explained: “We have been seeking a solution which works for all users of the area around Exhibition Road, with a particular focus on the needs of blind and partially sighted people. As already proved by several misguided schemes in other cities, the lack of boundaries makes these streets extremely difficult to navigate, and therefore very frightening.

“Kensington and Chelsea has been unreasonable in its refusal to give serious consideration to our concerns about the redevelopment plans for Exhibition Road. As a result, we have been left with no option but to have the Court address these issues.”

Guide Dogs lawyer, Alex Rook of Irwin Mitchell, said: “Traffic sign regulations exist to ensure uniformity on our streets. Where Kensington and Chelsea decide to use a traffic sign as specified in the regulations it must do so exactly as required by the regulations or seek consent from the Secretary of State.  Here Kensington and Chelsea has done neither, adopting its own type of sign and we believe this is unlawful.

“Mr Justice Wilkie concluded, in the light of the most recent research, that the decision by Kensington and Chelsea to press ahead with the scheme gives rise, arguably, to an unlawful approach.”

For further information about Guide Dogs’ campaign against shared surface streets, visit www.guidedogs.org.uk/sharedstreets.  The campaign is supported by some 40 organisations including RNIB, RNID, Mencap, Scope and Transport for All.