Battersea Northern Line extension - consultation deadline: 30 Dec

[Southeast Twenty Stu]

The northern line crosses under the Thames, therefore it is important not to kill off the southern end of the line just a few stops south if the river. This extension diverts a line from its natural course further into south London, into a dead end. The plans do not leave any room for further future, expansion. As there are only a small number of lines which actually cross the river into south London, its important not to limit future development IMO.

[Huguenot]

That seems pretty weak - to turn down a real opportunity now for private funding to create infrastructure to regenerate an almost delict inner London area, in favour of non-existent plans for the future that in any case would come a long way behind other proposed projects and ambitions for the Bakerloo and Victoria lines?

It's not a dead end incidentally - it may well extend to Clapham Junction (although that would be public not private money).

[davidh]

I cannot imagine why anyone would object to a new tube line. I wish we had had one in ed when we were promised in 1997

[jrpfinch]

It's interesting to look at Google Maps with the tube layer switched on.

There is obviously a dead zone in Camberwell. The clearest way to fix it would be to run the Bakerloo line from E&C along the A2 towards New Cross.

Naturally I would prefer it to terminate at Denmark Hill instead!

[Jeremy]

There is a tube dead zone in most of south London. Including Battersea.

[Southeast Twenty Stu]

Huguenot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> That seems pretty weak - to turn down a real

> opportunity now for private funding to create

> infrastructure to regenerate an almost delict

> inner London area, in favour of non-existent plans

> for the future that in any case would come a long

> way behind other proposed projects and ambitions

> for the Bakerloo and Victoria lines?

Maybe you're right, but it proves my point that this is not strategic.

[Bumpkin]

That area totally needs a tube line or some other form of extra transport - I lived there around 15 years ago before all the new developments and you could barely squeeze onto the trains from Queens Town Road or Battersea Park during rush hour. It must be impossible now. If you lived there you would be 100% behind this. It's not just for rich people, it's a very diverse area with a lot of council flats as well as the new builds by the river.

[Jeremy]

Of course you're totally right, Bumpkin. Existing transport in Battersea is limited, just like it is in our part of SE London. But one important difference (which some people haven't quite grasped) is that there are currently no plans to build 800 flats, plus extensive retail and office space, centred around an iconic national landmark in East Dulwich or Peckham.

It's also important to realise that central London is starting to expand outwards into areas like Borough, Vauxhall, and Battersea. There needs to be infrastructure in place to support this growth.

[Borderlands]

Weren't there attempts to extend from Elephant and Castle in the 1980s but the complex geology of the area made it impossible/prohibitively expensive.

And I vaguely remember Sainsbury's proposing around tha time to build a new store in Camberwell near the bus station, and suggesting the community would benefit from their agreeing to also provide some housing and also providing a new overground station in.....Camberwell Station Road (where it used to be many moons ago). BR probably wouldn't play ball, and the whole thing never got off the ground. Presumably the Dog Kennel Hill store put paid to the whole idea...and I remember that when it was green fields (Crown Estate?). Not that long ago really....

[TopTree]

Camberwell railway station was a railway station on the London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LC&DR). It opened in 1862 as part of the company's ambitious second London railway. In 1863 the name was changed to Camberwell New Road but in 1908 reverted to Camberwell. As with many other London stations wartime restraints forced it to close in 1916.[1]

The station was mentioned in the 1956 film Private's Progress as a good place to get off a train and avoid paying a fare. It was made to sound like a working station, despite the fact that it had closed nearly thirty years before the film was set.

Today Camberwell Station Road still survives where the original station building has been converted to a garage. At track level fragments of the platforms can be seen from passing trains

[pork chop]

Oh dear, what have I started? Quite enjoying the debate though.

"Isn't the extension privately funded?"

There seem to be varying opinions and we will not know for certain for another couple of months. I?ve been following the London transport blog below, and there is a fair amount of speculation that up to 30% - ?200m will be contributed by the developer (based on the contract drawn up with the previous developer), meaning a substantial ?public? investment (and further speculation are that this may be offset against future tax, which in real terms may leave much smaller contribution).

http://www.londonreconnections.com/2012/northern-line-extension-public-consultation-details/

I have nothing against Battersea and can see the benefit of investment in public transport in any part of South London without a tube. It would clearly be good if the Northern Line extension carried on to Clapham Junction, but who knows if this will happen in the next 100 years. Lack of a connection at Vauxhall is just mystifying. Too much of a burden on the Victoria Line is the reason given, which ignores future improvements at this station. It is also strange that a tube station is planned 400 yards short of Battersea Park NR. It just looks like bad planning, even for those living in Battersea.

[Medley]

As with the cable car and 'Boris' bikes, private contributions seem to rather lag public expectations, resulting in a taxpayer bill I presume:

Lord Berkeley asked the Government what is their estimate of the cost of extending the Northern Line to Battersea Power Station; and what contribution the developer of that site will make.

Earl Attlee replied that the costs of the [Northern Line] extension are not > expected to exceed ?1 billion* in outturn prices. Further design works will be required to provide a more accurate forecast of the capital costs, which will also be dependent on the timing of construction. Transport for London is currently working with the London boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth, the Greater London Authority and private developers to finalise the project?s funding and financing solution. The developer of the Battersea Power Station site is committed to providing ?211.6 million (this figure will be subject to indexation) of funding towards infrastructure works, as set out in its Section 106 agreement. At least 72% of this will be used to fund the Northern Line extension.