Changes at Clapham Junction Station
In the Spring of 2019, Network Rail announced ambitious plans for the complete redevelopment of Clapham Junction station. New housing, restaurants, co-working spaces,and retail developments would improve access between communities north and south of the station; and, it was claimed, provide the opportunity to transform Clapham Junction into a 'major town centre'. The scheme would have been bigger even than the recently-completed redevelopment of London Bridge. All those plans bit the dust following the general election in December 2019, which also brought the cancellation of CrossRail 2.
Now Network Rail is proceeding with much more modest improvements, focusing on the Brighton Yard entrance. Up to now, the improvements, which are said to be costing £35m, have included the repainting of the north end of the overbridge between Platforms 1 and 6, the introduction of wifi, and the refurbishment of the lifts only recently installed. Changes to the Brighton Yard entrance will include a wider gateline and more circulation space to reduce congestion, along with more ticket vending machines, and some more shops. But perhaps the most welcome change will be a significant increase in the number of toilets, including one for disabled access. Less welcome will be the closure of the ticket office. For the future, anyone wishing to use a ticket office will have to use the main entrance via the small ShopStop shopping centre.
Associated with these plans is a proposal (see Planning Application 2022/1904) to turn the ground floor of the Brighton Yard building, facing onto St Johns Hill, as a bar of some kind. That is welcome in itself, since it will enliven what has been for many years a grim-looking facade, with permanently locked doors, on St Johns Hill.
The only other significant change is a widening of the staircase from platforms 13 (the one for Gatwick Airport and Brighton) and 14 onto the overbridge. Nothing at all is yet proposed to ease access and congestion through the much busier ShopStop entrance and the awful tunnel beyond it. And the prospects for the much-needed complete redevelopment seem further away than ever. Small improvements is all we can hope for in the near future.