Clapham Junction Masterplan
In the Local Plan submitted to the Secretary of State in 2022 and finally approved in 2023, Wandsworth Council committed itself to developing a masterplan for an Enhanced Urban Heart to Clapham Junction. The Council’s Transport Committee agreed in February to start work on the masterplan, which focuses on the station and three sites surrounding it:
the Asda, Boots and Lidl site (the former Falcon Lane goods yard)
the ShopStop and PCS site on St John’s Hill and Falcon Road, and
the carriage sheds and sidings to the west of the station.
To the north of these sites, of course, the long-delayed regeneration of the Winstanley and York Road estates is now under way. Together they form an Opportunity Area first designated in the Mayor’s London Plan in 2016 as a key location with potential for new homes, jobs and infrastructure of all types. But one of the key problems is that access between the north and south of the station and the railway lines is very poor .
A number of ambitious plans for rebuilding the station and remodelling the tracks have been produced over the past couple of decades, with proposals to build a raft over the station and tracks so that large-scale commercial and residential buildings can be erected. The scale of work involved was said to be substantially larger than the complete rebuilding of London Bridge station completed a few years ago. Additional complications related to the proposals for Crossrail 2 (development of which was stalled by the Government in 2019) and the possibility of a further extension of the Northern Line to Clapham Junction. But the requirement for large sums of Government funding means that nothing has happened other than the recent work on the Brighton Yard entrance. Nevertheless, Network Rail acknowledges that some substantial work is required to improve access and safety for passengers at what is one of the busiest stations on the network.
In order to develop the masterplan, the Council has now established a partnership with the key players: the GLA, TfL, Network Rail, and DTZ, the property company that owns the ShopStop mall. In December, architects and planners Weston Williamson and Partners (WW+P) to lead the project. The aim is to ensure any future development is cohesive and delivers the best outcomes for the wider Clapham Junction area. The project will therefore look at ways to:
improve connections and walking routes
strengthen the identity of the area
improve wayfinding and the public realm
deliver genuinely affordable, particularly social-rented, housing.
The first stage of the project is now under way, to investigate options for improving capacity at the station. It is due to be completed by April. Further stages will take place over the coming year, with adoption of the masterplan expected at the end of 2025.
The Battersea Society has already spoken to the Council about the masterplan project, and the Council is committed to engaging closely with local businesses, residents and community organisations as the project proceeds. We shall keep close touch and make sure that the community’s voice is heard.