Residents: ‘We demand Clapham Junction revamp’ (From This Is Local London)

Residents: ‘We demand Clapham Junction revamp’

8:07am Thursday 20th July 2006 in

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"Improve Clapham Junction station and do it now", was the message from the Battersea Society last Friday.

At a meeting held at Battersea Arts Centre, residents discussed their concerns about Europe's busiest station.

The main bones of contention were how congested the station gets and how difficult the stairs are to manage for people using wheelchairs and prams.

There were also calls for Oyster pre-pay at the station and a desire to get Clapham Junction connected with the Tube.

Addressing the congestion issue, Battersea MP Martin Linton said: "It would be very easy to reopen the Brighton Yard entrance of the station. The old ticket office is still there, they would just have to knock through to the entrance, make the steps fit for purpose and get the station management company to employ staff there."

Cabinet member for planning and transport Councillor Guy Senior said the council has already spent £65,000 doing a feasibility study into the of re-opening the Brighton Yard entrance in St John's Hill.

He said thanks to the council's partnership with the Wandsworth Borough News, pre-pay Oyster will be up and running within a year.

Mr Linton said Clapham Junction was "crying out" to be connected to the underground.

"The East London line is being extended and funding has been found for phase one of the extension which will bring the underground line down to Crystal Palace and Croydon," he said.

"The second phase of that extension will connect to Clapham Junction. Funding still needs to be allocated but I hope we will get the go-ahead by next July."

Tim Thomas, from Transport for London (TfL), said they want to install lifts for disabled access from the tunnel to the platforms and overhead bridge by 2010.

Despite all the grand plans, however, the Battersea Society remained unconvinced. Its chairman Tony Tuck said: "Tonight there has been no urgency. With these sorts of discussions a timescale is critical.

"It's our money so let them put it where we want it and as Battersea residents we want it invested in Clapham Junction station."