Low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) in Bethnal Green must stay, a judge has ruled.
The Court of Appeal ruled that the council’s attempt to remove the LTNs was unlawful.
Ted Maxwell, of the Save Our Safer Streets campaign, described the ruling as a “victory for local people who came together when they saw that their community stood to lose the safer streets they really value”.
However, a council spokesperson said the local authority would seek to overturn the ruling with an appeal to the Supreme Court.
They said the ruling had “significant implications across London”.
The borough’s previous Labour administration introduced the three LTNs in Old Bethnal Green Road, Columbia Road and Arnold Circus between 2020 and 2022.
However the current mayor, Aspire’s Lutfur Rahman, was elected in 2022 with a promise to scrap them.
Rahman made his formal decision to remove the three LTNs in September 2023 following two public consultations. Campaigners challenged his decision, arguing in court that Rahman hadn’t followed the correct process.
The High Court rejected their arguments in December 2024, ruling that the decision was lawful.
But the Court of Appeal’s ruling on Thursday, January 22 has overturned this.
Lord Justice Singh said the move was in breach of the council’s own plan to implement London-wide transport policy.
Maxwell said that “thousands” of Bethnal Green residents would be “extremely pleased and relieved” at the ruling.
He said: “More and more people across Tower Hamlets appreciate the benefits brought by the calmer streets.
“There are so many better ways to spend public funds than on destroying community space and making our streets more dangerous and putting people’s health at risk.”
However, the council says it received feedback that showed the LTNs had caused problems for people who rely on vehicles to access services such as medical appointments and childcare.
The council also says the LTNs hindered access for emergency services, and that they had displaced traffic onto surrounding streets.
A spokesperson suggested the town hall would seek to overturn the ruling.
They said: “We are disappointed with the ruling, not least because previously the courts have ruled in our favour.
“We will review the judgment which has significant implications across London, and we will be seeking permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.”
In his ruling, Lord Justice Singh said Rahman’s decision was in breach of the council’s own local implementation plan (LIP).
This sets out how the council will implement Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan’s transport policy for the capital.
The three LTNs are included in the council’s LIP, which was approved in 2019. Lord Justice Singh said that if the council wanted to remove these, it would have to revise its LIP and have it approved by the London mayor.
However, Lord Justice Singh said the ruling was not a judgement on “the merits of LTNs in general” or on political disagreements between the two mayors.
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Instead, he said the ruling was solely about “deciding what are the respective legal powers and duties of the public authorities concerned”.
He said: “I recognise that there are strong and differing views about LTN schemes in the London borough of Tower Hamlets and as between the mayor of Tower Hamlets and the mayor of London.
“I also recognise that both the relevant mayors are democratically elected by their respective electorates. But this court cannot enter into those differences of political opinion.”
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