Transport for London (TfL) and developer Treasury Holdings yesterday started a public consultation on the proposed US$800M private-sector funded 3km long extension of the London Underground Northern line from Kennington to Battersea Power Station. The project includes some 2.6km of twin TBM bored tunnels, and two new underground stations at Nine Elms and Battersea. The public consultation finishes on Friday 17 June.
The Mayor’s Transport Strategy supports an externally funded extension of the Northern line to support development in the surrounding area. The extension is part of a package of transport measures that would enable the regeneration of the GLA’s wider Opportunity Area, which covers Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea.
Around 40,000 leaflets are being sent to homes and offices in the surrounding area asking people for their views on the project, the location of stations and other infrastructure associated with the extension.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, gave the go-ahead for the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station last year, with the approved plans including a Tube station at the power station, but the full development is dependent on the extension of the Northern line.
In the first stage of the public consultation process in 2010, local residents were asked by Treasury Holdings to comment on four possible route options, all of which ran from Kennington to Battersea Power Station. The preferred option was the tunnel route via south Nine Elms.
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said, “The iconic Battersea Power Station and its surrounding area have lain dormant too long but the incredible potential of the area could be realised by a privately funded extension of the Tube.
“I hope local people will visit the exhibitions and respond to the consultation as the plans have the potential to transform this part of London into a thriving new quarter, and deliver the first expansion of the Northern line for around 70 years.”
Michèle Dix, Managing Director for Planning for TfL, said, “We’re very much behind this private-sector funded project, which will not only support the proposed development of the Northern line extension but become an important transport link for people in the Battersea and Nine Elms area.
“We are really keen to hear what local residents think about these proposals for the Northern line extension.”
Rob Tincknell, Managing Director for Treasury Holdings, said, “The extension of the Northern line is recognised as necessary for the full regeneration of the Nine Elms Opportunity Area.
“The project to make this happen is an excellent example of how the public and private sectors have come together to achieve a set of shared objectives, all aimed at integrating this area into the rest of Central London and bringing real benefits to everyone who lives in this part of London and beyond.”
The planning framework for the area includes a proposed level of developer contributions which can be used to fund infrastructure, including the critically important Northern line extension.
The construction of the extension is subject to external funding and the award of a Transport and Works Act Order by the Secretary of State. Subject to funding and further planning permission the Northern line extension could be completed in 2017.
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