Deputy London Mayor Nicky Gavron has outlined an ambitious £750 million new tramline project which she wants to see developed along a proposed third lane of the North Circular Road.

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone last week (May 22) agreed to drop his opposition to a third lane in either direction on the North Circular in Haringey, after Barnet and Enfield councils threatened legal action.

It raises the question whether similar widening schemes at Henlys Corner in Finchley, and Brent Street, Hendon, will be allowed.

Ms Gavron, who will stand against Mr Livingstone next year as Labour's candidate for Mayor, said she wanted to see the road widened, but wants to see the extra lane used exclusively by trams or buses.

"Traffic in north London is growing at an alarming rate and the North Circular is the main artery from east to west," she said.

"I'm very interested in tram-like buses called guided buses, which run on tram lines in their own track and cars can't get in it."

She added that the North Circular is badly in need of a serious upgrade, which she hopes will be funded by central Government.

Mr Livingstone has previously blocked widening plans, but agreed that the argument has been transformed by regeneration schemes like the ones at Wembley Stadium and Cricklewood railway sidings near Brent Cross. He stopped short of endorsing widening schemes outside Haringey.

Conservative councillor Brian Coleman, Barnet's cabinet member for the environment, hailed Mr Livingstone's decision as a tremendous victory, saying it opened the door for a similar widening in Barnet.

He said: "We have campaigned tirelessly on this issue and the Mayor has finally seen the sense of our argument and agreed that the original scheme is necessary."

The projected cost of the scheme is likely to run into hundreds of millions of pounds.

He said: "I will be asking the Government to provide the money needed to widen the road and in the meantime, I have asked Transport for London to work with the boroughs on measures to improve conditions on neighbouring streets."

The bid for funding will be made at the beginning of next year as part of the Mayor's submission to the Government spending review in 2004. A decision will be made in the summer of 2004.

May 29, 2003 13:00