Lambeth roadworks: A23 Streatham Hill dug up to 2027

Two things are digging up Lambeth at the moment, and they are on very different timescales. TfL is rebuilding the A23 through Streatham Hill in five stages running to spring 2027. Underneath that, Thames Water is part way through a mains replacement programme that has a dozen residential streets closed or part closed at any one time, several of them into November.

This page sets out what is happening now, where the current register lives so you can check it yourself, and the permanent stuff that does not change: the routes through the borough, what a permit costs and which charging zones you are in.

The A23 through Streatham Hill, to spring 2027

The largest scheme in the borough is TfL’s rebuild of the A23 between Sternhold Avenue and Holmewood Road. It adds protected cycle lanes, new pedestrian crossings and continuous bus lanes, the last of which means removing parking and loading bays along the corridor. Work started in summer 2025, runs in five main stages, and is due to be completed by spring 2027 (Lambeth Council, 31 March 2025).

Stage four began at the end of June 2026 with two overnight closures, the southern section from Sternhold Avenue to Telford Avenue and the northern section from Telford Avenue to Christchurch Road. TfL said daytime works for this stage were expected to complete by 9 August 2026, to be followed by a period of overnight resurfacing later in August (Highways News).

The scheme also shows up in the council’s own register as a road closure at the Telford Avenue junction with Streatham Hill, logged from 17 November 2025 to 31 August 2026.

What it means for you: if you drive the A23 between Brixton and Streatham, assume disruption on and off until spring 2027, and assume the parking and loading you used to rely on along that stretch is going or gone. Buses are the point of the scheme, so the 159, 133 and the rest of the corridor should end up better off than the cars.

What is closed right now

Lambeth publishes a weekly streetworks register. The most recent edition available is the week commencing 13 July 2026, and these are the entries with the longest run still to go. Check the live register before you plan a route, because the short-notice emergency works change every few days.

Two patterns are worth naming.

Thames Water is working through Brixton Hill and Brixton systematically. Brailsford Road, Arlingford Road, Crownstone Road, Moorland Road, Somerleyton Road, Loughborough Park, Dalberg Road, Mervan Road and Barnwell Road were all on the register at once, all mains replacement, all in the same corner of the borough. If your street is not on the list yet, it may well be next.

Norwood Road is the long one. A pit lane installation there is logged through to 24 November 2027, longer than any other entry in the register and longer than the A23 scheme.

Key routes through Lambeth

The borough is crossed by a small number of arterial roads, and almost every problem is on one of them.

• A23 (Brixton Road, Brixton Hill, Streatham Hill, Streatham High Road). The spine, running north to south from Kennington through Brixton and Streatham towards Croydon. It carries the A23 rebuild described above, and the bus corridor that goes with it.
• A3 (Kennington Park Road, Clapham Road, Clapham High Street). The other north-south route, from Elephant and Castle through Oval, Stockwell and Clapham towards Wandsworth.
• A24 (Clapham Common South Side, Balham Hill). Splits off the A3 at Clapham Common and runs south to Balham and Tooting.
• A3036 (Wandsworth Road, Albert Embankment). The riverside route from Vauxhall Cross west towards Wandsworth.
• A202 (Camberwell New Road, Vauxhall Bridge Road approaches). East to west across the top of the borough, joining Vauxhall to Camberwell.
• A205 South Circular (Christchurch Road, Streatham Place, Tulse Hill). Cuts across the south of the borough between Streatham and West Dulwich.

What it means for you: an A23 closure has no good parallel. The A3 is a mile west and the A205 runs the wrong way, so the diversion for a Brixton to Streatham journey is either the back streets or the Victoria line. The same is true in reverse: A3 problems at Clapham push traffic onto the A24 and the common’s edges.

Parking permits: £135.96 to £682.63

Lambeth prices resident permits by emissions across 13 bands, A to M, using CO2 in grams per kilometre for vehicles registered after 1 March 2001 and engine size for older ones. The prices below took effect on 14 April 2025 (Lambeth).

Two surcharges sit on top of the band price: £275.00 a year if the vehicle is diesel, and £125.00 a year for an additional permit in the same household. Six-month and three-month permits are available at half and a quarter of the annual price.

What it means for you: the spread from band A to band M is £546.67, and the diesel surcharge alone is worth more than a band A permit twice over. If you are choosing between two second-hand cars, the CO2 figure on the V5C is worth checking before the price.

The charging zones

ULEZ covers the whole borough. The Ultra Low Emission Zone “operates across all London boroughs”, 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas Day, at £12.50 a day for a vehicle that does not meet the standard (TfL). There is no part of Lambeth outside it.

The Congestion Charge is £18 a day, operating 07:00 to 18:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00 to 18:00 at weekends and on bank holidays, and not at all between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day (TfL). The zone’s southern boundary runs across the north of the borough rather than around it, so whether you are inside depends on the street, not the postcode district. Check your address on TfL’s own postcode tool before assuming either way.

The alternative, and why it usually wins

Lambeth is a poor borough to drive in and an unusually good one to leave a car at home in. Every station in it is in zone 2 or zone 3, three Underground stations sit on Clapham High Street and Clapham Common alone, and Brixton reaches Victoria in eight minutes. Journey times, zones and fares are on our tube and train times page.

If you do need to drive, the practical rules are the same every time: avoid the A23 between Brixton and Streatham while the rebuild is on, check the weekly register for your own street before assuming access, and remember that the Thames Water programme books full closures on residential roads for months at a time rather than days.

Frequently asked questions

How long will the A23 Streatham Hill works last?

TfL’s scheme between Sternhold Avenue and Holmewood Road runs in five main stages and is due to be completed by spring 2027. Stage four’s daytime works were expected to finish on 9 August 2026, with overnight resurfacing later in August.

Where do I check current roadworks in Lambeth?

The council publishes a weekly streetworks register listing every logged work with its start and end date, and points to one.network for the live map.

How much is a Lambeth resident parking permit?

Between £135.96 and £682.63 a year depending on your vehicle’s CO2 band, plus £275 if it is diesel and £125 for a second permit in the same household.

Is Lambeth in the ULEZ?

Yes, entirely. The ULEZ covers every London borough, so there is no address in Lambeth outside it. The charge is £12.50 a day for non-compliant vehicles, all day, every day except Christmas Day.

Which roads in Lambeth are closed for Thames Water?

At the last published register, Brailsford Road, Arlingford Road, Moorland Road, Somerleyton Road, Loughborough Park, Crownstone Road, Dalberg Road, Mervan Road, Barnwell Road, Renfrew Road, Vauxhall Street and Glasshouse Walk were all logged for mains replacement, most of them running to September or November 2026.

Related

• Clapham tube and train times: the zones, journey times and fares that make leaving the car worthwhile.
• Clapham planning news: the schemes that will generate the next round of works.
• Things to do in Clapham, Brixton and Streatham: most of it is reachable without driving.

Sources

• Lambeth weekly streetworks updates for every road, work type and date in the current-works table, from the register for the week commencing 13 July 2026.
• Lambeth Council on the TfL A23 Streatham Hill scheme for the scheme’s extent, five stages and spring 2027 completion.
• Highways News on stage four for the June 2026 closures and the 9 August daytime completion.
• Lambeth resident parking charges for the 13 bands, the annual prices and the diesel and second-permit surcharges.
• TfL ULEZ and TfL Congestion Charge zone for the charges, hours and coverage.

Roadworks move. The dates above are the ones logged when the register was published, and emergency works are added without notice. Check the live register for your own street before you rely on any of it.