The Finchley Road underpass

LONDON mayor Sir Sadiq Khan says he would not stand in the way of any plans to close the Finchley Road underpass – described on social media as the city’s “dodgiest” subway tunnel.

The Tories at City Hall have suggested the route under the busy road is “problematic” – there have been years of safety concerns – and the tunnel could be closed and handed to local businesses.

The idea was raised by Andrew Boff, the Conservative deputy chair of the assembly, at a recent question-and-answer session with the Mayor.

Ideas of how it could be used as a rain defence were also briefly discussed by Camden councillors at a recent scrutiny committee.

The area was badly hit by flooding in 2022.

Sir Sadiq said he accepted that there were alternative ways to cross the Finchley Road at ground level, adding: “TfL has no operational objections to repurposing the space.

“There are no existing plans or funds allocated to remove the underpass, however, if local stakeholders have safety concerns, TfL will want to hear from them.”