LondonBridge Station Redevelopment
Face to Face Interviews
Report
August 2011
CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION 1
SUMMARY 1
ANALYSIS 2
General
What is your current view of the London Bridge Station area? 2
What do you see as the worst aspects of the current London Bridge Station area? 3
Currently, what are the best aspects of London Bridge Station area? 3
From your company’s perspective, what would be the 3 key things that would
improve the London Bridge Station area? 3
LondonBridge Station Development Plans
.
How familiar are you with the plans to redevelop London Bridge Station? 4
.
How have you found out about the development plans for London Bridge Station? 5
When the new station is operational, it will increase passenger capacity
by around 66% - what are your views on this? 5
Looking at the plan for the station you can see that the development will
have new entrances on Tooley St. and St. Thomas’s street that will provide
better access to train platforms and will improve links between the two
sides of the station. What are your views on this? 6
Can you give me your thoughts on the design of the station? 6
Here is an artist impression of the proposed roof – what is your view on this design? 7
As a business, do you have any fears regarding the development of the station,
if so, how can these fears be addressed? 7
Retail Destination
What is your/your staff’s view of the current retail offering within the
LondonBridge Area? 8
The new station will include new shops, restaurants etc. What types
of retail facilities do you think will benefit the area? 9
Bermondsey St. is becoming known as an area of boutique retail and independent
shops. Should this retail offer be reflected in the redeveloped station?10
Should this retail offer be reflected in the arches and tunnels of Bermondsey St.
and St. Thomas St.? 10
Public Realm
What is your view of the current pedestrian facility [pavement] in and
around the station, particularly on Tooley St.?11
How do you feel the plans for the development of London Bridge Station
will impact on this situation?11
Here’s an artist’s impression of the new Tooley Street entrance to the
LondonBridge Station. This will provide better access to the trains and
increased pavement area providing space for extra station users. It should
also help reduce pedestrian congestion on Tooley Street. The disadvantage is
that the old Victorian South East Railway building will be demolished. What are
your views on this? 12
Tunnels & Arches
Do you/your staff venture down to or know the Bermondsey Street area,
with its cafes, bars, restaurants, galleries and independent shops? 13
How would you characterise the feeling of your staff and colleagues to
Bermondsey Street tunnel or any of the other local railway tunnels? 13
How important is it that there is greater cohesion between the communities
to the north and south of the tunnels and arches? What rating would
you give this? 1-10 [10 high]14
To the best of your knowledge, do people in your organisation use
the arch-based businesses:Southwark Playhouse,Tower Paintball,
Arch Climbing Wall, Other?15
What benefits if any, will cultural venues and creative businesses housed
within the arches and tunnels bring to the local business district?
Communication 15
Communication
How well is your company being kept updated by Network Rail,
TeamLondonBridge, Southwark Council. Rate 1-10 [10 high]16
What improvements could be made to the way these organisations
communicate with you? 17
What do you see as TeamLondonBridge’s role throughout the development
stages of the LondonBridge reconstruction?17
What potential problems do you feel may arise during the redevelopment
of LB station?18
What would you like to be put in place to enable you to report these problems?19
Do you have any questions that we can take away from this session
and have answered or clarified?19
Given the current situation at London Bridge Station and how this will
change once the station has been redeveloped, how supportive are you
and your organisation of the development? Rate 1-10 [10 high]20
Is there is anything we haven’t discussed which you feel is relevant
to the Development Plans?20
Appendix
London Bridge Station Redevelopment - Face to Face InterviewReport
INTRODUCTION
TeamLondonBridge will be responding to National Rail’s planning application for the redevelopment of London Bridge Station. In preparation for this response TLB initiated a programme of research to better understand the views and concerns of local businesses.
This report is part of that research programme and covers fourteen face to face interviews with representatives from a cross section of local businesses. The report includes an analysis of the fourteen interviews together with transcriptions of each individual interview.
SUMMARY
The current view of the London Bridge Station area is that it is dirty and overcrowded particularly at the station access points. The situation is made worse by poor signage and narrow pavements. The lack of public toilets is detrimental to the area.
The situation could be improved if the area was made safer, more attractive and access to the station was made easier. There is a view that the retail offering in the area should be improved and made more varied, another view is that the area will never be a retail destination and that it will be difficult for non-commuter related retail to survive.
Network Rail and TeamLondonBridge are the main sources of information on the station redevelopment. The majority of respondents had either reasonable or good knowledge of the development plans.
The planned increase in the passenger capacity is welcomed by all respondents as it is considered essential to meet the increased demand as The Shard and other developments are completed. In general, the respondents approved of the design plans for both London Bridge Station and its roof. The planned entrances in Tooley St. and St. Thomas St. were welcome as it is considered that they will relieve some of the congestion especially in Tooley St.
There were objections to the planned demolition of the Victorian South East Railway building to make way for the new Tooley St. entrance. However the majority view was that whilst demolishing this building will be sad, it is necessary.
The greatest fear over the redevelopment is that businesses, especially the small business will not be kept informed or will not be listened to, which could result in detrimental effects to their business. Disruption to deliveries and the increased noise and dirt were mentioned as concerns. One respondent mentioned that the company that developed More London funded a number of local improvements under Section 106 of the planning rules, and queried what obligations under Section 106 Network Rail would meet.
The current pavement facility around the station is considered too narrow and overcrowded. The situation is made worse by unnecessary street furniture and the poor management of the queues for the London Dungeon.
Approximately 50% of the respondents said that they or their colleagues use the Bermondsey St shops, pubs and restaurants. Lack of time, distance and an unwillingness to go through the tunnels are the main reasons most people do not use the facilities in the Bermondsey St. area. However, the majority view was that it is important to have greater cohesion between the north and south of the tunnels.
TLB is rated highest for keeping businesses informed on the station redevelopment. There is criticism of Southwark Council for their lack of provision of information although in their defence one respondent felt that the council would have little to say until the planning application is submitted.
Suggestions for improving the communication of the station redevelopment ranged from weekly or monthly breakfast meetings to regular emails. The majority of respondents see the role of TLB to be the voice of local businesses in terms of getting their views across and lobbying. A key part of the TLB role should be to ensure that lines of communication are kept open.
A single point of contact to Network Rail or the main contractors is the preferred problem reporting mechanism. Fast response is an essential element of the reporting process.
The average rating in terms of support for the station redevelopment is 8.1, the lowest rating is 7.
ANALYSIS
General
1. What is your current view of the LondonBridge Station area?
The general view of the respondents is that currently London Bridge Station area is dirty, grotty, very crowded, bursting at the seams and is confusing to navigate as signage is very poor.
There was particular concern with respect to access and exiting the station, with the majority of respondents highlighting this issue. There was also concern that as more and more buildings become occupied, the station will be unable to cope; already the station is perceived as “no longer fit” for the area.
Two respondents complained at the lack of public convenience facilities.
One respondent commented that when his company developed More London, they undertook a large amount of work under Section 106 which included improvements to local parks, churches and tunnels and he will be interested to note how well National Rail meet their obligations under Section 106.
2. What do you see as the worst aspects of the current LondonBridge Station area?
The worst aspects of the London Bridge Station area reflected the views expressed in question 1: Whilst there was no strong consensus issues identified included:
- Narrow pavements, especially at Borough High St. entrance and Tooley St.
- Volume of people using the station.
- Poor/confusing signage.
- Overcrowded and an unpleasant experience
- Poor disabled access
- The arches at the top of Tooley St.
- Rubbish stored next to bins.
- Urine smell.
- Bus station is hard to navigate.
- Local flooding.
3. Currently, what are the best aspects of LondonBridge Station area?
There were three areas of consensus in response to this question – that LBS is a major transport hub [6 respondents], that the area contains a mixture of old and new buildings and a mix of business types [4] and that there is a sense that the area is up and coming with great potential [3].
Other best aspects mentioned were:
-Restaurants.
-HMS Belfast.
-London Dungeon.
-The Spirit of London.
-The station is well managed/staffed
-Escalators in station
-Station retail
-Low cost arches for businesses.
-The river.
-There is something for everyone.
4. From your company’s perspective, what would be the 3 key things that would improve the LondonBridge Station area?
The three largest clusters were as follows:
The area needs to be safer, more welcoming and more attractive [5].
Easy access to the station [5].
Better retail [3].
Improved signage [3]
Although better retail was mentioned by 3 respondents, there was also a view that the London Bridge Station area will never be a retail destination. It was commented that the development of a ‘strip mall’ environment within the station is undesirable.
Other suggestions for key improvements to the area included:
-Reliable transport [2]
-Provision of a Tourist Information Centre
-Re-instatement of the tunnel [Duke Hill/Tooley St.]
-Better communication with Southwark Council.
-TLB to be more involved in night time economy.
-Better traffic management [2]
-Better lighting.
-More footbridges.
LondonBridge Station Development Plans
5. How familiar are you with the plans to redevelop LondonBridge Station?
Table 1 below shows the respondents’ view of their familiarity with the London Bridge Station development plans:
Level of familiarity / No. of respondentsVaguely familiar / 2
Reasonably familiar / 7
Very familiar / 4
Seen presentation / 1
Table 1: Level of familiarity with the LBS development plans
Comments in support of this question include:
“Very familiar because of the groups and meetings that I attend through TLB – and that includes the Construction Support Group”.
“I understand what is going on and what it is going to look like”.
“We’ve not seen a huge amount of detail…..I’ve made a few calls just to chase up but got nothing back”.
“A Growing familiarity, obviously I am hoping to be more involved”.
“I had a look at the exhibition on the station and we were sent a leaflet”.
6. How have you found out about the development plans for LondonBridge Station?
Seven respondents stated thatTLB was their main source of information on the redevelopment plans. The second largest source was Network Rail, named by six respondents. Other sources each named by one respondent were:
-The Metro
-Presentation at the station
-Chamber of commerce
-Every possible way
-Pub Watch
-Property press.
-Southwark Council planning site
7. When the new station is operational, it will increase passenger capacity by around 66% - what are your views on this?
All respondents were in favour of the increased passenger capacity within the LBS. However, there were some caveats expressed over the development and about the surrounding area should this increase in capacity be realised. Comments included:
“Good as long as my businesses are not made homeless”.
“As long as there are sufficient toilets and walkway capacity …..and areas to congregate as well”.
“I just hope they consider the rest of the area in terms of facilities and everything else to go with it”.
“I think actually, even though there might be more volume the impact will probably be less than the current station……I suppose a lot more people are going to be exiting from the south side of the station, so I would imagine that the volume would be quite well divided”.
“I think it’s important, I think it needs to be done”.
“So whether or not this will bring us just to an even keel which will make it a pleasant experience for a short period, or does the 66% take growth into account?”
“Looking at the traffic flow diagrams you’ve got there, I think new problems will emerge and old problems will probably increase”.
“One of our concerns about the loss of the bridge is that in the morning and going home in the evening, close to half of the people that come into our site come in at the second floor entrance”.
8. Looking at the plan for the station you can see that the development will have new entrances on Tooley St. and St. Thomas’s street that will provide better access to train platforms and will improve links between the two sides of the station. What are your views on this?
The majority of respondents agreed that the provision of new entrances in Tooley St and St. Thomas street was a good idea and that it would bring benefits to the area. One respondent felt that this would not have any impact on their organisation. Another respondent was concerned about the impact on the existing historical structure.
We include a selection of comments to give a flavour of the response to this question.
“Looking at the visuals and looking at the plans and looking out the window, I think they should be much more cautious about how they treat the façade, both towards St. Thomas St. and Tooley St. to respect the historic structure that is there”.
“It’s rather impressive, isn’t it?”.
“I think its very sensible provided Tooley St. and so on are suitably adapted because pavements on Tooley St. are quite narrow….the queues for The London Dungeon are a problem, especially in the school holidays”.
“I think it’s great. I can see that it is completely going to transform things”.
“My major concern is the top end of Tooley St. near Dukes Hill”.
“I’m no architect but both those [entrances] seem to dovetail in rather well with the local environment”.
“They could make it look more grand”.
“I don’t think its an issue for the Trust because the bulk of our patients will be coming from the station out onto the St. Thomas St. entrance….there wouldn’t be any particular reason why our patients would be going straight through the station”.
9. Can you give me your thoughts on the design of the station?
Two respondents were reluctant to comment fully, without having more details of the plans. Eleven respondents were very positive about the design of the station. One respondent expressed concern about the need to retain more of the historic structure.
“They need to retain much of the arch structure because it’s an old transport landmark and it gives the area its identity”.
“Well, it’s a vast improvement”.
“My view is that it mixes quite well with the old and the new”.
“It all looks very nice; it seems to fit in with most modern developments these days, lots of glass and light and open space which is very welcome”.