Greenwich Council has been awarded a total of £1.266 million in funding from Transport from London to make changes across the borough to encourage active travel and social distancing in the post-lockdown world.

The council has announced plans to build new cycle roots and social distancing measures on some of the main streets, but the council said it was "disappointing" not to have received more of the funding they had applied for.

The Streetspace Programme will see £1.266 million spent in Greenwich to "encourage active travel, reduce traffic in residential areas, improve air quality, and support a large increase in walking and cycling."

One of the major projects to receive funding is a brand new cycle route from Greenwich Park to Shooters Hill, through to the centre of the borough via Old Dover Road and Shooters Hill Road.

The council has also received funding to develop designs for a cycle route from Eltham to Greenwich Park and cycle improvements in Greenwich Town Centre.

Modal filters and emergency school streets are also part of the funding plans.

Cllr Sizwe James, council cabinet member for environment, sustainability and transport, said the council had already done lots of work to improve streets and town centres.

"With the funding we’ve been given we can now continue this work to maintain and improve the momentum of active travel we've gained in recent months. It will enable our residents who do not own cars to walk or cycle safely while public transport is greatly reduced.

"It’s disappointing not to have received all the funding we bid for to improve walking and cycling routes in Royal Greenwich, but we will continue to lobby and bid for more transport funding when it becomes available.”

Streetspace funding has been awarded in waves to councils and boroughs for a number of projects across London as the country tries to return to a socially distanced version of normality post-Covid-19.

But Greenwich Council missed out on a number of its socially distancing bids, so plans to make space in Woolwich and Greenwich town centres are instead being funded directly by the council.

As part of the funding, emergency school streets are to be created, closed to cars at school drop-off and pick-up times, making roads around schools safer.

These will be set up at Charlton Manor Primary: Indus Road and Nigeria Road, Invicta Primary: Invicta Road and Siebert Road, and Wyborne Primary: Ivor Grove, between the junctions with Footscray Road and Castleford Avenue.

The funding will also go towards proposals to install modal filters in West Greenwich, East Greenwich , Plumstead and Woolwich.

Modal filters create a low traffic environment by restricting access to through-traffic but allowing walking and cycling on individual streets or areas.