Sainsbury’s withdraw plans to build tower blocks in New Cross Gate

Sainsbury’s ambitious development has been scrapped

Sainsbury’s has withdrawn their planning application to build high-rise flats on a plot of their land in New Cross Gate sought after by Transport for London for the Bakerloo line extension. 

The planning application proposed the construction of tower blocks between five and 33 storeys on their carpark and adjacent land in front of their New Cross Gate supermarket.

Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham said in a tweet: “I welcome Sainsbury’s withdrawal of its planning application at New Cross Gate at this time. The site is TFL’s preferred option for constructing of the Bakerloo line extension and location of a new tube station. Now we can all focus on bringing the Bakerloo line to Lewisham.”      

Lewisham Councillor Brenda Dacres, who is campaigning for the extension, said to EastLondonLines: “This is the nearest we’ve ever got to getting this project to fruition.

“But with limited funds everyone is vying for money for their projects, that’s why this campaign is absolutely essential.”  

Plans for the construction of the Bakerloo line extension have been in the pipeline for some time.

According to TfL, South East London is currently relatively poorly served by the Underground network. 

Noelle McCarthy, 24, and a regular commuter, said: “I use bus and overground services in and out of New Cross when I’m travelling to work. There are times when the trains are so packed I have to miss two or three in order to travel. I’ve been waiting for talks of an underground extension for years now, but I feel like there are a lot of false promises being thrown around – this construction will take years.” 

New Cross Gate is not the only location that will undergo changes. There are also plans to extend the Bakerloo line to Lewisham DLR station (the first station to experience construction), Peckham Rye and Old Kent Road. 

Tfl said:” Improved transport services in south east London are required to unlock this growth and improve customer journeys – especially along Old Kent Road where existing bus services suffer from traffic delays and will not support the area’s growth potential alone.”

It is unknown how Tfl will fund this construction, and what the time period will amount to. 

Sean McKee, Policy Director at London Chamber of Commerce, said: “Bakerloo Line Extension will be crucial to optimising the full potential of south east London, keeping our city growing, tackling the housing crisis and improving our transport network. But the project is not yet a ‘done deal’, and for trains to start running as planned by 2030, the next Mayor of London will need to urgently the secure the funding and powers to get construction started. 

That is why the London Chamber’s just-published agenda for the upcoming elections urges the next Mayor of London to ‘Back the Bakerloo.’”

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