Concept view from (roughly) outside the Clapham Junction Travelodge, showing a wider route through and getting rid of the ever-horrible Falcon Road bridge (c) Hawkins brown architects

We’ve known for a while that there are long running plans to improve and potentially redevelop Clapham Junction station – to handle overcrowding in the station itself, as well as the  bottleneck that the current platform and track layout creates for the wider rail network in south west London and beyond.  The Clapham Junction Action Group has been on the case pretty much from the outset, discusses the issue regularly, and has had good discussions with Network Rail.  A few months ago we also reported on some of the very earliest concepts being explored.

A little more light has recently been shed on a potential approach to redeveloping the station, published via Hawkins Brown architects (with a summary of the proposals also reported in a nice readable way on the always-worth-a-read IanVisits blog).  These proposals are for a pretty comprehensive redevelopment – straightening the platforms, creating a new entrance opposite the Lidl site, moving the bus station under the station, and adding offices and flats above some of the platforms.  The plans also make provision for a future Crossrail 2 underground station.  It creates various new routes across the station under / over the tracks (as well as also along it, with at least one new route proposed from Plough Road to Falcon Road).  Looking at the general design approach here, there are strong similarities with the recently-completed London Bridge Station (which faced many of the same issues – and where despite a fair few teething problems along the way, the work completed by Network Rail is a huge improvement on what went before).

Concept layout at ground level – with a significant opening up of the routes between The falcon pub and the back of the station, lined with shops  (c) Hawkins brown architects

As ever with concept designs, it’s important to stress this is an initial proposal at a high level – more designed to explore an option of what could be done than anything else – and this is a long way from becoming a final design.  So don’t panic, the builders aren’t going to be rolling in any time soon…

The good news is serious effort is going in to thinking about how to address the crowding and layout issues of the station.  We were pleased when Network Rail took over the station management, as it will offer a more strategic and long-term approach to developement than just cramming as many flats as possible on the the land around the station.  You can count on us (and, especially, CJAG) keeping an eye on this project and reporting back on developments.

A wider site view including other nearby development sites (c) Hawkins brown architects