New Lewisham station entrances: Network Rail and Lewisham Council discuss issue
An upcoming meeting of Lewisham Council’s Public Transport Forum has offered a snippet of information on a new entrance at Lewisham station.
In response to a question about a previously announced study into the station from Cllr James-J Walsh (Lewisham – Rushey Green), Network Rail state in a written reply that it “was funded by HM Treasury through the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP). This study was paused following the COVID pandemic.
“The study was still in an early stage when it was stopped and this means that there is no publishable material arising from it.”
Paused
That study now appears on indefinite hiatus despite ample housing growth in the area. Yet it’s not all bad news, as they continue:
“We are currently working with Lewisham Council to identify opportunities to both use existing Section 106/Community Infrastructure Levy to invest in further station improvements as well as examine the case for future improvements, such as new station entrances for platforms 1 and 4, aligned with nearby sites coming forward for development.”
And not before time. Passengers currently must utilise underpasses beneath tracks with some extremely narrow and cramped.
A key issue is not only are more people moving to the immediate area adding to passenger flows with local rail users now forced to use one entrance then trying to reach their desired platform after a previous entrance as closed, but they’re doing it alongside more people changing trains due to recent service changes.
Southeastern and Network Rail’s recent rationalisation of London terminals for each Metro line requires changes if someone wants to reach, say, Charing Cross when on a Cannon Street-bound service exacerbating the problem of passenger overcrowding in Lewisham.
Network Rail state the former Platform 4 entrance and exit is too steep and lacks space for ticket barriers – but another location nearby offers the chance of a new entrance.
Platform 4
Plenty of developments in the station’s surrounding area have brought millions to Lewisham Council via Section 106 and CIL over the past decade – with more to follow.
As noted Platform 4 saw its entrance and exit closed in the 2010s forcing passengers to walk a fair way all around the station despite ample housing growth in the area, both back in the 2010s and subsequently built.
In the recent past Lewisham’s tallest tower was built directly next to Platform 4 with a lift/staircase positioned metres away but access blocked by a non-load bearing wall.
Remove the wall, add a small external extension to accommodate barriers and you have a new entrance. This really should have been done when the tower was being designed and built – but it’s far from impossible now.
In future an existing low-rise Tesco supermarket and car park located that side of the station is also set to be demolished and rebuilt.
Another large development on the northern side closer to Platform 4 is the rebuilding project at Heathside and Lethbridge estates, where a total of 1,325 will be built when fully complete.
Updated views show the estate rebuilt nearing completion (outline in red above) with the Tesco site outlined in yellow.
That recently built tower can be seen directly beside Platform 4.
South of the tracks
Meanwhile many towers have risen over the tracks in recent years with more planned south of the lines.
One such site is Lewisham Retail Park seconds from the station. Amro purchased the site in 2024 and plan up to 1,000 units.
Another is Lewisham shopping centre redevelopment. If approved that includes 1,700 new homes are included alongside a further 660 student rooms and 445 co-living spaces plus new shops.
One previous tower built beside the station even included passive provision for a new entrance to the station – but no one paid to fit it out or provide funding for staffing.
The Vita student block sits directly beside Platform 1. The image below taken this week shows new development including Vita on the right.
In terms of failing to invest in additional staffing for new station entrances and building, a similar story can be seen shortly down the tracks at Kidbrooke.
More than 6,000 new homes are either built or underway and a new station was built – but plans for ticket barriers initially included in a planning application were subsequently removed.
The new station building is now left locked and the station unstaffed much of the time – including my last visit there earlier this week.
Lewisham’s future
Lewisham may one day see the Bakerloo line extended but even if so, that’s many years off and the projects listed above will precede it by some years.
Waiting until the 2030s for a new station entrance/exit won’t help alleviate additional usage beforehand, and a possible new entrance of Platform 4 is the other side of the station from the Bakerloo line link thus would not interfere with construction.
As for a new entrance close to the Bakerloo station beside Platform 1 that too should be possible given planning documents show part is already included within a completed tower.
As the above image shows taken from the Vita towers planning application, passengers could use an entrance for rail separate to that which may one day lead to the Bakerloo line.
Whether Lewisham Council and Network Rail do allocate funding for Lewisham station with thousands of new homes underway around the site, well that remains to be seen.
One sticking point with Southeastern always seems to be staffing stations adequately, and whether government give their approval. If the Department for Transport – or in future Great British Rail – seek to encourage rail use, improving stations like Lewisham seems an obvious win. Short term cost for long term gain.
New Escalators and lifts for the new Bakerloo Line platforms at Lewisham as part of the Bakerloo Line extension to Southeast London. Maybe TfL should install lifts at Highbury & Islington station down to the Victoria Line & Northern City Line as the London Overground Mildmay Line and Windrush Line platforms are already step-free.