Getting the Northern Line extension right

Caroline Pidgeon, Leader of the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Group, is calling for a number of key assurances from the Mayor, Transport for London and the developers Treasury Holdings over the proposed extension of the Northern Line to Nine Elms and Battersea.

In a detailed submission to the public consultation, Caroline Pidgeon sets out Route 2 as the preferred option, due to the benefits it would bring for people living around the Nine Elms area, while also reducing pressure at Vauxhall station and on the Victoria line.

Yet while backing Route 2, Caroline sets out a number of concerns which must be addressed:

  • Ensuring that the Nine Elms station opens before, or at the very least at the same time, as the Battersea station, so ensuring that the new station doesn’t get dropped if funding problems occur
  • Improvements to Kennington station to cope with increased capacity
  • A clear guarantee that the tunnels will be built sufficiently deep below homes in the Oval, Kennington and Vauxhall areas to prevent any disturbance to local residents and to avoid blight to property
  • Resolving the long standing problems of the Kennington turning circle which causes disturbances to local residents, especially in basements of many properties
  • Assurances that local residents near to Kennington station will be kept informed at all times during construction work, and to be given guarantees against any subsidence problems occurring. Measures also need to be put in place in relation to working hours, lorry movements and noise levels
  • The need to minimise the impact of the ventilation and intervention shafts on open spaces at Claylands Green, Kennington Green and Kennington Park

You can read Caroline's full written response to the consultation here.

Commenting on the overall consultation Caroline Pidgeon said:

“In many respects this consultation is flawed as it puts forward two options that have already been ruled out behind closed doors. However even from a flawed consultation I hope some real progress can still be made and I look forward to receiving clear assurances on the issues I have raised.

“If the extension is to go ahead then we need to maximise the benefits of extending the Northern Line while minimising the disruption during the construction stage that local residents who live around Kennington station will face, not to mention the many residents who will end up living above new tunnels that will be built.”