PLANS to extend the Docklands Light Railway have been welcomed by residents’ groups in Lewisham.

Transport for London has put forward proposals for potential stations along an extended DLR route past Lewisham, which could stop at Ladywell, Medusa and Catford before terminating at Forest Hill.

Chairman of Ladywell Village Improvement Group, Tony Major, said: “We have argued Ladywell is a neglected forgotten part of the borough.

“What we need is a bit more investment in the area.

"If we could get the DLR it would be great because finally people would see the High Street as a reasonable business proposal.”

Although the Forest Hill Society supports the idea of extending the DLR it says terminating at Forest Hill is the wrong decision.

Group spokesman Michael Abrahams said: “My preferred option is to extend the DLR to Bell Green.

“The advantage there is it opens up the other side of Forest Hill and Bellingham.

“There’s a lot of people in a relatively deprived area in the Bellingham ward and it would completely regenerate the area.”

He added: “We want to see the costing proposals but the general point of bringing it further south is absolutely the right one for Lewisham and south London."

The proposals are being researched through the Mayor of London’s transport strategy detailing how TfL and partners can improve London's transport over the next 20 years.

A TfL spokesman said: “Areas of potential growth and opportunity for DLR expansion have been identified in the south-east London area and they are now in the early stages of being investigated.

“Any decisions on what shape or form that expansion may take are some time away and nothing will be decided without full consultation.”