Richard J. wrote:
John Rowland wrote:

Anyway, my main point is why this piece of tarmac is there at all.
The eastern part of Littleton Street in Earlsfield is a similar
waste of land. There are numerous others.

The eastern part of Littleton Street provides access between the
western and eastern parts of that estate.

The architecture suggests that these are actually two separate estates built
a significant portion of a century apart. The road geometry tells the same
story. But while it is easy to contrive two points for which this part of
Littleton Street is the shortest route, I suspect you could go a full week
(year?) without an actual person driving an actual journey which would be
lengthened by more than five yards if the road was shut. The only journeys
for which the road is a significant short cut are so short that they would
probably be walked anyway.

There is a place in London where a (decent length) road has been blocked at
one end, and a small residence for teachers has been built on the former
road. I can't remember where it is right now.