The changing skyline of Lewisham: A town transformed

Every now and again I’m at Lewisham station to change trains. Not too often anymore and normally when doing so I’m darting from one platform to another and/or towards the DLR.

But now and again it’s a more leisurely trip and there’s a little interval between services which gives a chance to look up and see how Lewisham’s skyline has utterly changed in the space of 10-20 years.

Last week was one of those times and I was struck at how almost every building in some views is a recent tower.

Except that is for the original high rise in the town; the former Citibank tower.

Which reminded me that despite the changes, plenty more are on the way with the Citibank tower itself set to become part of the shopping centre demolition and rebuild project.

Well, perhaps, as despite being featured in plans a separate (and umpteenth) plan for conversion for residential has been made separately. All a bit odd.

Then there’s two other sites that’ll provide high rises around the station that are in motion: firstly the Tesco with tower replacements proposed and also Lewisham retail park.

Last month the latest details emerged with towers up to 35 floors and a total of 1,400 dwellings.

Away from the immediate area of the station major projects have also quietly been undertaken such as estate rebuilds.

The last stages has all but completed at Heathside and Lethbridge estate rebuild with 1,225 homes. They’re the blue blocks seen above. A smaller block is also now rising next door.

The older brown blocks are a Greenwich Council estate with the borough boundary running between the two.

Transport

All these new homes are served by the DLR and Southeastern Metro services and whilst improvements to Southeastern look like slim pickings under this government, continuing a lack of investment from the last, yet the DLR does at least have improvements in sight.

When new DLR trains are finally on the move, paid for by the last government it should be added via £280.7 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund in 2018 (remember that when this government try to claim credit) the plan is they’ll first be running on the line from Lewisham. In time as more are introduced the net increase in trains will see frequencies improve.

It’s another example of the last government – as bad as they often were – sometimes being trumped in the shitness stakes by their Labour successors. See the spending review and government now enforcing RPI+1 per cent fare increases for the next four years.

New DLR trains will help with an increased local population but once again it’s also hard not to see potential for SE Metro being missed.

Southeastern potential

The DLR is great for Canary Wharf and Stratford but if heading to the City of London, West End or Victoria Southeastern Metro is quicker – though frequencies are low, especially off-peak and weekends.

Services to Charing Cross from the Bexleyheath were reduced and are very slowly returning but still often half previous levels.

Talk of running trains from Lewisham to Victoria every 15 minutes have long died. That was raised by TfL should they take over Metro services. The Labour government doesn’t seem keen to devolve power – yet nor do they seem keen on funding improvements for Southeastern under the control of the Department for Transport.

So the worst of all worlds continues: Little support for improvements while still retaining power in Whitehall and refusing to permit the capital to improve using devolved powers.

Potential

The last government were not exactly positive benefactors for Southeastern Metro and pushed cuts in 2022, yet little has so far changed under this government.

The uni-party label may seem a bit trite and simplistic, but when it comes to public transport investment- including London – it’s hard to disagree with no matter how quickly the population rises.

The sad thing is this level of housebuilding – and the towns SE Metro serve – make it ripe for potential and growth but all too often a lack of investment hampers it.

And as for the Bakerloo line extension which could really help Lewisham, the wider SE Metro network and potential areas of high housebuilding in Zone 2 London at New Cross and the Old Kent Road? Both Labour and Tory have long been disinterested.