CJAG proposal for the redevelopment of Clapham Junction station

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Over the last 3 years, we have been supported by many local residents, associations and councillors who were keen to join us to express their concerns about Clapham Junction and particularly the station.
In 2009, we have been involved in the campaign against the project to erect two 42 storey towers on top of the train station. With letters and petitions, we were supported by more than a thousand local residents expressing their objections to the proposal, but also their wish to redevelop the facility.
We are concerned that our involvement should not just be reactive, but a positive contribution to any new development. Clapham Junction Station is currently the biggest junction in Europe. It is in a disgraceful state, a national scandal, and as such it should be treated as a priority. Money is, as always, the stumbling block but with the help of concerned people we may be able to inspire more imaginative thinking about the scope of the opportunity without resorting to skyscrapers to pay for it.
For many months we have collected ideas and opinions, asking for residents and local stakeholders to participate and express their views, concerns and opinions on the future of our station. All comments have been published on the website (here) and area also available at the bottom of this post.
We have now published the dossier of the Clapham Junction Action Group along with the Annex documents.
Our main conclusion is:

All recent examples show that instead of having a vision for the future of the rail station, the authorities have always reacted to “patch” urgent and critical issues (congestion and overcrowding lead to the opening of Brighton Yard, capacity regulation forced an urgent workout on Grant Road side). All those problems were however highlighted by users and local residents for years.
With the failure to achieve any redevelopment for Clapham Junction in the past decade, along with the lack of a global planning for any long term commitment, the situation will be exacerbated with passengers and services increasing.
In an ideal world, a regeneration of the Clapham Junction area would consist of a fabulous new station complex on the site of the existing buildings South of the tracks on the model of Birmingham New Street. This would recognise the function of the site as a station, and allow a reasonable development of additional office and retail facilities without creating the eyesore of high rise residential blocks.
The redevelopment of Clapham Junction station is Network Rail’s responsibility. The site should easily justify such a development based on passenger numbers, and we believe that this should remain our aspiration.

You can download all documents below:
DOSSIER: Station Redevelopment Proposal-July11
ANNEX1: Consultation MSF 2009 (42-storey skyscrapers)
ANNEX2: contribution received by CJAG:

  1. Example of redevelopment with Basel Station
  2. 01/02/2010-KateWilliams
  3. 10/02/2010-Tony Papard
  4. 17/02/2010-Judith Howard
  5. 17/02/2010-Michael
  6. 19/02/2010-David Hargreaves
  7. 26/02/2010-Sue Vidovic
  8. 08/03/2010-Derrick Johnson
  9. 08/03/2010-Janet Johnson
  10. 09/03/2010-Richard Gott
  11. 10/03/2010-S Rose
  12. 19/03/2010-Carol Jennings
  13. 24/04/2010-Cyril Richert
  14. 05/05/2010-Julia Matcham
  15. 12/05/2010-David Curran
  16. 13/05/2010-Lynda Mathewson
  17. 13/05/2010-Paul Forrester
  18. 15/05/2010-Tim Glass
  19. 15/05/2010-Marianne I. van Abbe
  20. 16/05/2010-David Hargreaves
  21. 16/05/2010-Will Henderson
  22. 19/05/2010-Pat Johnson
  23. 31/05/2010-Elaine Macfarlane
  24. 06/06/2010-Marney Rd
  25. 06/07/2010-Judith Howard
  26. 01/09/2010-Craig Liversidge
  27. 23/10/2010-Peter Deakins
  28. 30/11/2010-Wandsworth Labour Group
  29. 12/01/2011-Halldor Fossa
  30. 03/06/2011-Battersea Society

Distribution:
A hard copy of the dossier (with annex) has been sent (or given during meetings) within the past 3 weeks to:

  • Network Rail – Paul Plummer
  • Office of Rail Regulation – John Larkinson, Nick O’Hara
  • Steer Davies Gleave (consulting company commissioned by Network Rail to review investments) – Vicky Thompson
  • Secretary of State for Transport, The Rt Hon MP (Putney/Wandsworth) – Justine Greening
  • Wandsworth Council, Environment and Community Services – Tony McDonald, Martin Howell
  • Wandsworth Council, Strategic Planning and Transportation Committee – Cllr Russell King
  • Northcote Ward Councillors – Cllr Jenny Browne, Cllr Peter Dawson, Cllr Martin Johnson
  • Labour Group – Cllr Tony Belton
  • Battersea Society – David Lewis
  • Wandsworth Society – Philip Whyte
  • Wandsworth Guardian – Alexandra Rucki
  • South London Press –  Lindsay Burns, Paul Dietrich

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1 Comment

  1. I agree that permeability of the locality needs to be improved for sustainable modes (pedestrians and cyclists). As Wandsworth Cycling Campaign previously emphasised, the various one-way residential streets including Mossbury Road remain a major barrier to cycling. DfT has now changed its guidance and there is now no reason why local authorities can’t reintroduce two-way cycling – as other London boroughs (Kensington & Chelsea, the City of London) are now proceeding apace with. [Allowing two-way cycling on one-way streets is the norm in cities in mainland Europe, and it’s good that the DfT is now catching up].
    Introduction of a town centre-wide 20mph speed limit would greatly improve the safety and ambience of this congested town centre, as would as you’ve suggested a wider pedestrian crossing outside St John’s Hill entrance to the station.
    Also worth pointing out that Brighton Yard entrance is, in my experience, working pretty well. It now means that I (and many other people, including those encumbered with luggage, bicycles, children!) can access the station platforms much more easily than before. However, it’s so well used by multi-modal travellers who use bicycles for part of their journey that the cycle parking is already filling up fast – more needs to be provided, commensurate with what you would find in a mainland European station with comparable flows of people.
    I also note that the taxi drivers don’t seem to be using Brighton Yard; the last time we came out using that exit, we ended up having to walk down hill to the old taxi rank (in the middle of the road outside Debenhams – horrible!). It’s a real problem for people with luggage, or frail passengers.
    For pedestrians (and especially less nimble pedestrians) there is no provision for crossing St John’s Hill outside Brighton Yard. The same applies to cyclists wishing to turn right towards Wandsworth (exiting B/ton Yard) or right into B/ton Yard from St John’s Hill.
    Re the cycle parking and street clutter outside St John’s Hill entrance. The design that planners permitted here was inevitably going to ‘design-in’ conflict since it created a very restricted circulation space in an area of high people-flows. So the problem is with the permitted design – and the planners that allowed it to happen. The cycle parking isn’t a problem per se – much better to have those people cycling to the station than driving… – but it needs to be properly considered and provided for. How about a cycle hub and cycle parking within the station’s St J entrance area for most of the cycle parking provision, and for public (street) cycle parking, the conversion of nearby car parking spaces to cycle parking? Bear in mind that using sheffield stands about 8-10 bicycles will fit in the space of single car – so it makes much better use of scarce space. A few extra cycle parking spaces could be provided on-street using cycle hoops, which weren’t previously available but are now being taken up by Wandsworth Council and other local authorities across London. See http://www.cyclehoop.com/

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