Transport for London (TfL) has revealed work to transform Old Street Roundabout is to begin late next year.

With Islington Council launching an open call for design ideas to create an 'iconic gateway' for Old Street, works on the 1960s roundabout are scheduled to start in late 2018, with the majority of construction work to be carried out throughout 2019.

The junction is being transformed as part of work by the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL), in partnership with Islington and Hackney Councils. Islington Council has called for submissions of innovative design concepts for the public space, with ideas sought from different disciplines including architecture, urban planning, transport, art, Smart Cities and technology.

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The creation of the work, which will be funded by Islington, will add to the transformative changes already planned for the roundabout.

Features of the roundabout redesign will include creating segregated cycle lanes and traffic signals, and the reintroduction of two-way traffic in line with the Mayor's Healthy Streets Approach. The north-western 'arm' of the junction will be permanently closed, creating a new pedestrianised public space while new surface-level pedestrian crossings will be introduced.

London's Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said: "This work is going to make a real difference to Old Street, making it a more pleasant and safer place for pedestrians and cyclists. It's exactly the type of improvements that we want to see happening right across the Capital as we encourage Londoners to travel actively for the good of their health and our air quality."

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: "The radical redesign of Old Street roundabout will help achieve our shared objectives of improved air quality, reduced car dependency and more active travel.

"The open call for design ideas will ensure that vast array of creative talent that exists in London, especially in the Old Street area, can play a part in re-designing the area so that the local community, and people who work in or visit the area, benefit from a truly inspiring new public space."

Image credit: TfL.

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