Plans for a substantial upgrade and enlargement of Peckham Rye station in south London were recently approved by Southwark Council, starting a countdown clock for Network Rail to get funding and start work.
Concept of the new interior (c) Network Rail
Network Rail’s proposals will create a new station concourse at ground level with new lifts and stair access to all platforms, accessible toilets, wider platforms and a new entrance at the rear of the station from Dovedale Court. They expect that the newly created entrance will be used by between a quarter and a third of the passengers who currently walk around to the front of the station.
Now that Southwark Council has approved the plans there’s a three year countdown for Network Rail to complete its detailed design works and for the Department for Transport (DfT) to approve the business case, otherwise they have to apply for an extension.
In the new year, Network Rail will submit an Outline Business Case based on the planning consent partnered with a £40m funding request from the DfT for the next Detailed Design stage, which is hoped to be completed by summer 2025. Following that, Network Rail will continue working with DfT to produce a Final Business Case and to request funding for the construction of the works, which is hoped to start in autumn 2025 and will last for around two years.
Andrew Wood, Network Rail’s senior commercial scheme sponsor, said: “I’m delighted we have received formal Planning Consent which will ultimately allow us to build the proposed scheme to continue improving Peckham Rye station.
“Peckham Rye is the busiest interchange in the UK that isn’t fully accessible. Our proposals will rectify this and provide passengers with a welcoming and fully accessible station that is fit for purpose while retaining the heritage features of this fantastic Grade II listed station.”
Recently restored station frontage (c) ianVisits
The works on the station are being complemented by Southwark Council’s related plan to remove the 1930s shopping centre that sits in front of the station and open up the original Victorian building as the focus of a new plaza that will be created.
Demolition of the old shopping arcade will begin late next summer, with the new plaza completed in late 2025, which is roughly when works to upgrade the railway station are expected to start.
As the main structural changes are inside and to the rear of the station, that won’t affect the new plaza or the recently restored Victorian station building.
Looking over the top of the soon to be demolished shopping arcade towards the station (c) ianVisits
Forgive my ignorance – am I reading this right – the £40m is just going to design the upgraded station? None of that is to actually construct it? That sounds madness.
That’s not the eventual full cost of the design either! Just that stage.
Isn’t Highbury & Islington the UK’s busiest interchange that isn’t fully step free? Or does this claim rely on discounting H&I for also being a tube station?
I’ve often thought it to be a very pretty building. I’m glad the shopping arcade will be removed showing off the station building. As for making it fully accessible. I hope whatever lift are installed are not the current ones used elsewhere. That are always out of use.
Wider platforms hopefully means returning the south central side to two facing platforms.