Is Catford Station Links project moving at last?

There could, possibly, be good news in Catford with the much-delayed improvements around Catford and Catford Bridge stations set to finally start later this year, and hopefully to be completed by the end of 2026/27.

After many delays to the Catford Stations Links Project, councillor Louise Krupski, cabinet member for Environment, Transport and Climate Action, addressed Lewisham full council meeting on 28 January, and boldly stated that she could “absolutely guarantee this is happening”.

Her statement followed an answer to a written question, which I had submitted, which stated that Lewisham Council were “working with Transport for London (TfL) on the underpass element, with detailed surveys and new structural design now underway.

"Once these designs and approvals are finalised, construction on the underpass will begin later in 2026, followed by wider public realm works.”

These proposed improvements have a long history and almost a decade ago (2017) the council commissioned Gensler, an integrated architecture, design, and planning firm to produced an Urban Integration Study to set out a number of options for the future development of the area around Catford stations, along with other potential developments in Catford.

The Catford Stations Link Project received a significant boost in 2020, when the council made a decision to switch the developer contributions (often referred to as Section 106 money) that had been generated by the Barratt development on Catford dog track, to help fund this project.

The Section 106 agreement from the Barratt development was originally intended to fund a pedestrian bridge across the Hayes railway line, but this plan was later dropped with the project considered not financially viable, so £1.5m in funding became available.

Lewisham Council’s website has been stating for a few years that it “will use funding from developer contributions to deliver significant improvements to the area between Catford and Catford Bridge stations, to create a welcoming, new place for local people and commuters.”

Initial proposals included:

• A double-width pavement on the north side of Catford Road between the steps to the London-bound platform at Catford Bridge and Catford station, achieved by extending the pavement out over Adenmore Road below.

• Opening up the underpass below the South Circular Road to make it easier to walk and cycle.

• Two broad river decks creating a pleasant place to pause and meet outside the stations with new planting and seating.

• Covered cycle parking along the outside wall of Catford Bridge station
A quick history of false starts

To understand just how long there have delays to the Catford Stations Links Project, it is worth noting past claims.

In September 2020, at the time of the decision to alter the Section 106 agreement for the Barratt Homes development, it was claimed that the indicative timeline for delivery was to start as early as February 2022 and end by November 2022.

Over the last four years I have been making enquires about the progress of the Catford Stations Links Project by asking a series of public questions.

I have now asked five public questions, with the first four all receiving answers expressing hope that the work will start. Looking back, these answers all turned out to be false dawns.

I sincerely hope that the answer I received to my fifth question about the Catford Stations Links Project turns out to be true.

Catford desperately needs some good news.

Sign-up for our free weekly newsletter - Salamander News in your inbox