Bakerloo Line Lewisham extension route protected

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has issued safeguarding directions for the land required for the proposed extension.

This formal process requires local planning authorities to refer planning applications that include land within the safeguarded area to Transport for London for comment.

Heidi Alexander, Deputy Mayor for Transport, Kieron Williams, Leader of Southwark Council, and Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham, said in a joint statement: “Today is a major milestone for the Bakerloo line extension.

"The safeguarding directions will prevent premature development on sites required for the project and enable us to deliver this vital project when the time is right.

“Extending the Bakerloo line and upgrading the existing line will connect an historically underserved part of London to the Tube network, while unlocking thousands of new homes that London desperately needs and supporting new jobs.

“We will continue to work with the Government and others on options for funding so this scheme can be delivered and its many benefits realised.”

The current plan would see the Bakerloo line extended from Elephant and Castle to Lewisham along the Old Kent Road.

Stations likely to be named Old Kent Road, Burgess Park and New Cross, would be built in between.

The extension has strong support from the public, according to the results of TfL’s consultation, and is backed by both Southwark and Lewisham councils.

Extending the line into Hayes and Beckenham Junction is also a possibility. The prospect was supported by 82 per cent of people consulted.

Fears for the future of the project grew last year, after it was left off a list of TfL projects which the transport body has prioritised in its £5.7b pitch for Government funding.

A petition was launched by Greenwich councillor Charlie Davis, calling on London Mayor Sadiq Khan to prioritise the extension, saying the decision to defer it was a “slap in the face” for south east Londoners.