New transport links for Wandsworth

Battersea and Nine Elms are now a step closer to Central London after the government announced plans to build two new underground stations in the area. Wandsworth is one of the areas of London set to benefit the most from the planned extension of the Northern Underground line. The plans were unveiled by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London (TFL) on November 13th.

The new line will see new stations built at Battersea and Nine Elms, and cut journey times into the West End and City of London to less than 15 minutes. It is also expected to boost the development of Nine Elms, bringing 25,000 new jobs and 18,000 new homes to the area.

In addition to this, the billion pound project will be partly funded by a levy on the Nine Elms development, as well as a rise in business rates. This will ease the burden on local taxpayers, and represents an innovative new method of funding infrastructure developments that could inspire projects across the country.

With the extension approved by the Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin, Battersea Station and Nine Elms Station are expected to open by 2020, along with three miles of new tunnels.

However, the borough’s ambitions don’t stop with this project. The leader of Wandsworth Borough Council, Ravi Govindia, said that the council intended to press for a further Northern Line extension to Clapham Junction, where it could join up with the proposed Crossrail 2 project. This would make the area much more viable for commuters hoping to move.

Mr Govindia also said that the investment would “turbo charge” redevelopment in the area. Construction could even start by spring 2015.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson was similarly enthusiastic as he announced the extension, saying: “The benefits of major infrastructure projects such as this are enormous - cutting journey times for passengers, supporting London's future growth and creating jobs right across the UK.”

Published 13th November, 2014

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