Bakerloop bus route: £5 million Section 106 funding to be approved by Southwark
Plans for a “Bakerloop” express bus duplicating a proposed Bakerloo line extension is set to see funding approved by Southwark council.
A meeting tomorrow is set to greenlight £5,078,652.01 in Section 106 revenue from new development for the route.
Transport for London plans see the limited stop bus run from Waterloo to Lewisham via the Elephant and Castle, the Old Kent Road and New Cross.
The route is expected to soon commence according to TfL following earlier consultation.
Plans for a Bakerloo line extension beyond Elephant and Castle saw no support from the government at the recent Spending Review, with extension plans now almost a century old.
Old Kent Road
Back then the plan was to head to Camberwell with proposals evolving to instead head along the Old Kent Road given substantial housing plans along its full length.
Thousands of homes are already underway at various sites though an extension could provide for more than 20,000 new homes alleviating London’s housing problems. Much of the Old Kent Road remains wasteful car parks and single level retail sheds.
Housing growth currently is focused around the eastern end of the Old Kent Road near Ilderton Road.
Currently 3,242 homes have recently completed or are under construction.
Either end of the proposed route also sees much new housing in Lewisham and the Elephant and Castle.
Lewisham sees further development proposed at the Tesco supermarket, Lewisham retail park as well as the shopping centre.
Towers are rising at the Elephant and Castle on the former shopping centre.
In the below image blocks on the right are yet to commence.
With all this happening the bus route should prove popular though clearly lacks the capacity of a tube to move hundreds if not thousands at a time.
How long homes can rise before TfL are able to develop a tube extension remains to be seen. The report notes “9,500 homes can be accommodated through an upgrade to existing transport infrastructure, including bus services and improved conditions for walking and cycling. A second phase of 10,500 homes is reliant on the Bakerloo Line Extension (BLE).”
It’ll take either government supporting with capital funding or devolving funding measures to allow TfL to raise the money.
The Treasury – as so often doesn’t – seem keen on doing either and is in turn stifling growth.
Would be nice to see the Bakerloo Line extend to Lewisham and to Hayes or Bromley with a 2nd extension to Camberwell. Along with new Bakerloo Line tube trains to replace the existing 1972 Stock.
Or perhaps the Victoria Line should extend from Brixton to Camberwell and Herne Hill and/or Tulse Hill. And the Bakerloo Line to extend to Bromley and Hayes via Old Kent Road.
The Bakerloop bus route is a good idea whether if the Bakerloo Line extension does get the go ahead or not. Plus the Bakerloo Line is in desperate need of replacing its ageing 1972 Stock with Siemens or whoever wins the bid to manufacture new 202? Stock tube trains.
The Bakerloop Line bus route will be popular witb passengers travelling betwwnnLewisham and Waterloo. Thought route may have been possibly extended to Catford.
Good news to hear Southwark Council are providing section 106 money to support the new bus route as part of improving public transport infrastructure. Other local councils like Greenwich and Lewisham could learn from Southwark Council when it comes to money providing by developers under section 106 and CIL payments.
Good news but I can’t help but be sceptical that the “Bakerloop” express is a preemptive “bustitution” and that the Bakerloo line won’t ever be extended