Streatham tube campaign launched
Chuka Umunna, Labour’s parliamentary candidate for Streatham, has launched a campaign to bring London Underground to Streatham. Mr Umunna and local campaigners are calling on Mayor Boris Johnson to ensure that Streatham is considered in any future plans to extend the tube southwards and an online petition has been set up for supporters of the campaign.
Mayor Johnson said in passing at a Mayor’s Question Time event in February that he has ambitions to extend the Bakerloo line to Lewisham, however no official announcement has been made nor further details given.
Mr Umunna has now obtained confirmation from Transport for London (TfL) that Mayor Johnson and TfL are considering plans to extend the Bakerloo line southwards to Lewisham and an examination of the feasibility of such a scheme is at an advanced stage.
Mr Umunna and local residents are demanding to know why an extension of the Bakerloo line to Streatham as an alternative has not also been considered as part of this study. They argue that Streatham is in greater need of improved transport links and that Lewisham is already well served by various transport connections, including the extension of the Docklands Light Railway to Lewisham which opened in 1999, adding to existing bus and train connections in that area.
Instead of Lewisham, Umunna and campaigners say that a southward Bakerloo line extension from Elephant & Castle, where the line currently terminates, could run through Camberwell and Brixton to Streatham and should be considered. Such an extension would have the added benefit of relieving congestion on the very busy Streatham High Road part of the A23 (Europe’s longest High Street) and on the Northern and Victoria lines in neighbouring Clapham and Brixton.
The Bakerloo line is only one of the options available for bringing the tube to Streatham. Currently, the Victoria line’s capacity constraints make it difficult to extend it beyond Brixton. But the planned Crossrail 2 scheme, running from Chelsea to Hackney, would considerably relieve congestion on the Victoria line, creating the potential for an extension southwards to Streatham from Brixton. Commenting on the launch of the campaign, Mr Umunna said:
“I have lived here for most of my life and people have been talking about the desirability of having the tube in Streatham for as long as I can remember.
“This campaign is a long term project. Public finances are going to be tight for the next few years but we need to build up a head of steam behind this now so that when there is more money about, we are in a good position to demand it is used to finally bring the tube here.
“Streatham has been ignored for far too long while other areas have benefited from better transport provision. It is bad enough that our direct Thameslink connections are under threat, but the fact that TfL is looking into extending the Bakerloo line to Lewisham without even considering our area as an alternative, is not on. This community deserves better.”
Streatham residents’ hopes of getting a tube extension have a long history of false starts and disappointment. In the original plans for the Victoria line included in the 1946 London Plan, it was intended that the line would run to Streatham and on to Croydon. This scheme even received approval in Parliament in 1954, but was never built because of a lack of finance.
Recently, it was announced that Battersea would benefit from an extension of the Northern line and a new station, costing a total of £850m.
Mr Umunna and campaigners argue that local businesses in Streatham would benefit from the area being linked to central London by the tube.
Streatham’s poor transport links have too often held our area back in the past. Bringing the tube to Streatham would dovetail with regeneration of the area, such as the Streatham Hub project. More people would be attracted to visit the area and its attractions, which include one of London’s only ice rinks.
Commenting further on the campaign, Mr Umunna said:
“This area would benefit hugely from a tube station. As well as obvious
benefits for local residents, it would give a massive boost to the regeneration of Streatham and the local economy.
“We are demanding that TfL considers Streatham the top priority for tube improvements in South London.”
Members of the public can sign up to a petition to bring the tube to Streatham : http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/bring-the-tube-to-streatham.html.
