Wandsworth Council installed a bike hangar on Pentlow Street this week despite what residents say was unanimous opposition during its own consultation. Not one household on the street supported the proposal, according to Simon Scott-Taylor, a 30-year resident who led the objection. The council did not publish the consultation results, did not warn residents the hangar was coming, and did not consult the ward’s three councillors.
The councillors found out the same way residents did: after the fact. Cllr Ethan Brooks, one of three Conservatives representing Thamesfield ward, replied to Simon’s complaint yesterday minutes before the hangar was bolted in. “This wasn’t our decision as local councillors… we weren’t consulted.”
Simon had contacted the council on Tuesday evening when he saw the parking suspension notice. By Wednesday morning it was too late. “The installers said they were only doing their job,” he reported, “and to contact the council.”
What residents told the council
Simon says not one household on the street supported the proposal when the council consulted them. Residents collectively suggested Floss Street – a connecting road and the other end of Pentlow Street which is quieter and often has parking space – as an alternative location if a hangar had to go somewhere nearby. The council placed the hangar at the opposite end of the street, next to Lower Richmond Road, without explanation.
The council did not tell residents what the consultation found or that a decision had been made.
What the consultation was for
Putney.news reported in November 2025 that the council’s bike hangar consultation was designed to not give residents much of a say. The council’s own page made this explicit: “This consultation is not a vote.” It went further: the council said it was “not consulting on the principle of bikehangars in these streets but is interested to know if the locations give rise to any concerns we may not be aware of.”
Residents did raise concerns about the location. The council was not aware, or not persuaded. It has not said which.
Anyone wanting to respond to the consultation had to navigate seven pages and answer 11 questions. There was no option to simply say “support” or “oppose.”
Wandsworth now runs 347 bike hangars, the largest programme of its kind in the UK according to the council. Each holds six bikes, takes up half a parking space, and costs £72 a year per user. Waiting lists exist across the borough. The programme serves real need: flat-dwellers with no secure storage have few other options.
The dispute on Pentlow Street is not about whether the programme should exist. It is about what the council’s consultation process actually means.
‘A listening council’
In March 2025, Wandsworth Council described itself on its website as “a listening council, responding to what residents tell us they need.” Cllr Jenny Yates, the Cabinet Member for Transport, was quoted endorsing the rollout.
Pentlow Street fits a pattern. In April 2025, we reported the council proceeded with an e-scooter rollout despite resident concerns raised in consultation. In July 2025, an analysis of the parks policy consultation found the same structure. In June 2025, the council’s own annual report confirmed a Putney traffic petition was the most ignored of the year.
Three weeks before the local elections on 7 May, Pentlow Street residents have a direct opportunity to say whether that record is good enough.
What the council was asked
Putney.news sent Wandsworth Council five questions on Wednesday: whether the hangar was placed in the correct location, whether the council received opposition from Pentlow Street residents during the consultation, whether any supportive responses were received, what the decision-making process was, and whether the council considers ward councillors should be informed before installations go ahead.
The council did not respond.
If you want to raise this
Thamesfield ward councillor Cllr Ethan Brooks is the only sitting councillor who is still standing for the elections we are currently in the middle of.
You can formally complain to the council at: wandsworth.gov.uk/complaints/
Wandsworth Council did not respond to questions submitted for this story. Its response will be added here when received.
No surprise from this council! They did the same in Ruvigny Gardens some years ago and took away a precious parking place when they could have put it on the barely used motorcycle bay which is not needed as motorbikes can park free in any event.