Chelsea and Fulham MP, Greg Hands, is continuing to represent the views of local residents over potential new sites for a rail station in Chelsea, as part of the planned Crossrail 2 underground railway line.
In recent weeks Greg has met with representatives of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) and Transport for London (TfL) to provide much needed answers for local residents, concerned about the location of a new station in the borough. Greg has also made a formal submission to TfL’s official consultation on the matter.
In the last month Greg met Richard di Cani, the Director of Transport Strategy and Planning at TfL, and Jonathan Bore, the Executive Director for Planning and Borough Development at RBKC. They provided answers to enquiries about the proposals made on behalf of Greg’s constituents.
The meeting focused on TfL consultation on three options for a potential station in Chelsea: a station at Dovehouse Green, a station further west at what is described as “Chelsea West”, and another option that would bypass the borough altogether, i.e. to have no Chelsea station at all.
During the meeting, TfL and RBKC explained that this was a genuinely open consultation, designed to “gauge the appetite for a station at either site” with no preconceived plans for where a station would be. TfL also confirmed that the reason for this consultation was to look at the concept of having a Crossrail 2 station in Chelsea, and as such there are no definitive plans available for either site. TfL have ruled out a number of other possible sites, including the Lots Road car pound and an under-river station at Battersea Bridge due to practical engineering considerations.
Since the start of this consultation, Greg has received a large volume of correspondence from constituents with many differing viewpoints on the three options. He also attended and addressed the Annual General Meeting of the Cremorne Estate Residents’ Association on 7th July to listen to residents’ concerns, and made a pledge to those attending to find out more about the proposed plans from TfL and RBKC. Greg also attended TfL’s consultation drop in session at Chelsea Old Town Hall earlier this month, speaking with TfL officers, local councillors and residents.
Greg subsequently met Councillor Nick Paget-Brown, Leader of RBKC, in order to relay the strength of feeling of Cremorne residents about the ‘Chelsea West’ option, and what they believed to be a lack of consultation, and even information.
Following these meetings, Greg made his own formal submission to the consultation – which is available to read here.
In his response, Greg explained that he supported the construction of Crossrail 2, and looks forward to it bringing essential additional public transport capacity to London, and to Chelsea in particular. Greg has previously supported the principle of a new Chelsea-Hackney underground line, now known as Crossrail 2, and featured this in his 2010 General Election campaign, and continues to support the idea of a station in Chelsea.
However, in light of the meetings held with both TfL and the Council, Greg has decided that there is not enough information to choose a preferred site. He said “As there are no detailed plans in place, I cannot evaluate the potential effects of a station at either site on surrounding residents. Nor can I assess the likely impact of the construction of the station on the area in general, and the immediate surroundings of each of the locations in particular.”
Greg added “I note there is significant opposition to each of the two sites, yet the community in general supports the overall idea of a station in Chelsea. I very much hope that the localised opposition to each of the two sites does not lead to a decision being made to support the third option, of having no station in Chelsea.
“I trust that TfL and RBKC will work together to keep Chelsea residents informed about any further developments in the future. I will be following this debate very closely, and once more detailed plans come forward, will be responding further in the future.”
The consultation closed on 25th July. It is understood the Council has decided to put its support behind the site originally proposed at Dovehouse Green. We now await the publication of its results, which is anticipated to be in September 2014. According to TfL’s website, there will be further stages of consultation in the future, based on more detailed plans for whichever site is chosen.