Revised plans for a West Hampstead interchange

Proposals to upgrade the various West Hampstead stations into a major transport hub are again on the agenda.  First Capital Connect, the operator of the Thameslink line, presented plans this week.

It seems the idea of converting the stations into a single interchange has been dropped.  Instead, there would be new stations for the Thameslink and Overground lines, the pavement along West End Lane between the two would be widened and there would be commercial development around West End Lane and Iverson Road to finance the plans.

A contributor to Cityneighbours, Marcia, says the meeting was told that Mayor Ken Livingstone and Transport for London are planning a significant expansion of the capacity of the West Hampstead stations:

When someone asked about the effect this will have on the underground, we were told Jubilee Line is increasing capacity by 40 per cent and, like it or not, West Hampstead is being developed as a major transport hub - but without the single station that it requires to be a proper interchange.  We also heard that Livingstone has designated West Hampstead an area for high density housing by 2025 - with lots of tower blocks - because of its excellent transport links.

So one of the issues that could be decided in the forthcoming London Mayoral election is whether West Hampstead faces a high rise future, with many more shops and offices around West End Lane and dramatic population growth.

2007 revisited

Some unfinished business from earlier in the year.

Back in April, Northwest 6 reported on plans to build a four-storey block of flats on Ravenshaw Street.  It seems, for the time being at least, as if those particular plans won't be proceeding.  According Camden's planning website, they were withdrawn.

Proposed developments to The Alliance pub, on the corner of Ravenshaw Street and Mill Lane, did receive planning approval.  There's been no sign so far of the installation of a terrace at the back of the pub - possibly because the plans were overtaken by events when there was a fire in the upper floors of the building.

In March, we reported that Sainsbury's were sending out daily patrols to collect trolleys abandoned around West Hampstead and other areas near its store on Finchley Road.  They seem to have been as good as their word, with a noticeable improvement in the trolley blight along the railway path.

Also in March, there was concern about the work beside the railway to clear vegetation.  One resident was concerned that this might have presaged extensions to the track or building works.  Network Rail failed to respond to our enquiries but, as it turned out, the work was benign.

That's it.  See you in 2008.

Thameslink price hike

No sooner does First Group take over the Thameslink line, and it is making life more complicated and more expensive for those who use the service after 9.30am. People buying cheap day returns will be barred from using trains heading out of London during the evening rush hour.

I guess they have to find some way of recouping those rebranding costs.

ex-Thameslink

Here's a piece which attempts to shed some light on why the railway line we've happily called Thameslink for many a year has now been rebranded with the evocative title First Capital Connect.

It's all down to a change of operator - to one, we must assume, with a poor marketing budget.

West Hampstead interchange back on track

It seems plans for a big interchange between West Hampstead's three railway stations are not being scrapped - as previously reported by the Ham & High.

Laing Rail, which runs the Chiltern franchise, are developing detailed proposals. These would include facilitating the Chiltern service to stop in West Hampstead as well as the existing Jubilee, Silverlink and Thameslink line. There would be development on the side of West End Lane where the current Silverlink and Thameslink stations are located. The aim would be to complete the project by 2011.

Laing are giving details at a public meeting organised by West Hampstead Amenity and Transport on 25th January at 8.30 in the Community Hall on Broomsleigh Street. Go there, if you want to influence a plan which will have a huge impact on your neighbourhood.

West Hampstead interchange in doubt

Plans for a big development to create an interchange between West Hampstead's three rail stations seem unlikely to happen after all. According to the Ham & High, Transport for London says the proposals are being "downsized".

However, the picture seems a little more confused than the bald headline would suggest:

A spokesman for Chiltern says a major scheme has not been ruled out.

He said: "We have not scaled down the plans. We have all the options on the table in terms of the interchange station at West Hampstead..."

These words come in contrast to the company's trumpet blowing two years ago when business development manager Allan Dare said: "We are talking about a high quality interchange - our view is there is not much point doing this unless we do it properly."

Big changes proposed for West Hampstead

The Ham & High has reported that Chiltern Railways are nearly ready to submit plans to Camden Council to create an interchange in West Hampstead, linking our three railway stations. They're to hold a public meeting with local residents in September.

The company's description of the plan says the interchange would create a single station for all five of the lines which run through the neighbourhood. These are the Thameslink, North London and Jubilee Lines - which already stop in West Hampstead - and the Chiltern line to Birmingham and the Metropolitan line, neither of which currently stop in the neighbourhood.

The plan would be financed by a big redevelopment of West End Lane - with a mix of retail, business and residential property. The area between the Thameslink and Jubilee Line stations would be turned into what Chiltern calls "a new London square" - with a tree-lined boulevard and wide pavements. It promises a pedestrian-friendly space and architecture in sympathy with the existing environment. However, residents expressed scepticism about this latter claim when the initial proposals were unveiled two years ago.

The company says there is no "do-nothing option" and this seems to be the view of local campaigners who are monitoring the issue. The West Hampstead Local Consultation Group says:

"Camden has already granted planning permission for over-development on West End Lane, where the limo company is located, and on Blackburn Road. Another developer owns most of the site behind Silverlink, where the car wash and Olympic Recovery are located, and is undoubtedly waiting to see what happens with the station before submitting an application, rumoured to be horrendously big. The WHLCG feels it would be better to have one cohesive scheme that brings real benefits to the community - such as getting passengers who interchange between Thameslink, LUL and Silverlink below ground, out of the way, or bringing Chiltern Line's services to Birmingham to our doorstep - without causing too much disruption."

You can join their mailing list if you want to keep up to date with the proposal. There also a webpage devoted to the project at a site called alwaystouchout.com.