Mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan has spoken against the Crossrail 2 proposals for Wimbledon town centre during a small business talk in Morden.
Mr Khan called the current proposals “bad for Wimbledon” and said the size of the station should be reviewed, but Wimbledon MP Stephen Hammond has said this would undermine the point of Crossrail.
February 23: Liberal Democrat Mayor of London candidate Caroline Pidgeon joins calls against impact of Crossrail 2 on Wimbledon
The Labour candidate for mayor and MP for Tooting was joined by shadow chief secretary to the treasury, Seema Malhotra MP, at a meeting for small businesses in the borough hosted by Geeks in London Road on Friday, March 11.
Seema Malhotra, leader of Merton Council Stephen Alambritis and Sadiq Khan address the meeting
Mr Khan promised the gathering, which included chairman of AFC Wimbledon Erik Samuelson, Mitcham and Morden MP Siobhain McDonagh, local councillors and representatives from Love Wimbledon as well as several local businesses, that he would “look again” at the placement of stations after hearing about the “catastrophic” plans.
Speaking exclusively to the Wimbledon Guardian, Mr Khan said: “Crossrail 2 is a good thing. But we need to be careful that in the process we don’t kill off hard working businesses that do so much in some of the station locations, including Wimbledon.
“The current plans are bad for Wimbledon. In my view, a station at Wimbledon would be good. All the evidence is that Crossrail 1 will benefit the areas that the stations are in.
“I do want a station in Wimbledon, but the issue is the footprint and how big it is.”
Almost 5,000 people have signed the Wimbledon Guardian’s petition to ‘Save our town centre’ from Crossrail 2.
Merton Council has estimated the impact and time length of the intense construction in the town centre, Dundonald area and Weir Road could lead to the loss or displacement of between 3,000 and 5,000 jobs.
Mr Khan relaxed with a game of pingpong after the talk
The current proposals have earmarked seven sites in Wimbledon for major redevelopment, including demolishing Wimbledon Bridge House, 60 per cent of Centre Court Shopping Centre, the Everyday Church and the Queens Court Care Home.
However, Mr Hammond has disagreed that altering the size of the proposed station will help solve the problems caused by the proposals in Wimbledon town centre.
He said: “Wimbledon is a main interchange for Crossrail. I’m not sure quite how a small platform or footprint would correct it.
“That would almost inevitably mean we had less trains running on the new Crossrail 2 network, and that would undermine the point of the network.”
Mr Hammond also said he was confident that new proposals will be announced for Wimbledon after the opposition that the original plans were met with.
March 10, 2016: Independent body gives green light to Crossrail 2 and urges ministers to make construction a 'priority' in south west London
He said: “I just don’t think the original plans are going to work. Everyone is upset. Coming back with the same option after the consultation just isn’t going to work.
“We have got to provide a Wimbledon that people will want to live in and visit. Our grandchildren’s grandchildren will be riding on this thing.
“We have got to recognise that what we are building is going to be here for a very long time. Even if it costs more, it’s worth doing it right.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel