A group of Southwark Labour councillors have called on the Government to fund the upgrade of a train station and improve its accessibility and overcrowding issues after the plans were shelved earlier this summer.
Local Rye Lane councillors have launched a petition and are urging the Government to reconsider funding the redevelopment of Peckham Rye Station, which would have seen lifts installed at platforms.
The upgrade was also set to deliver accessible toilets, wider platforms, new staircases and larger gate lines and entrances.
The station is the busiest interchange in the country without step-free access and saw almost six million passengers pass through it in 2024. Cllr Esmé Dobson said the current station is a “real barrier” for residents with disabilities, parents with buggies as well as older people and shoppers.
Cllr Dobson said: “As a Labour council we have already put our money where our mouth is, granting planning permission for the upgrade and committing £1 million to start the works. It was extremely disappointing to see funding from the Government paused in the spending review.
“We are launching our petition with our residents to make sure local voices are heard, and to encourage the Government to deliver this vital upgrade to our local station.”
As part of June’s spending review, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced it was “pausing” the scheme as it was prioritising funding other projects “that will make the greatest difference for passengers and economic growth as soon as possible”.
Sarah King, Leader of Southwark Council, has also wrote to Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, asking for a “rethink” of current plans to pause the upgrade.
Inclusion London, a charity that advocates for deaf and disabled Londoners previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Disabled people need equal access to public transport in order to work, study, participate in our communities and live fulfilling lives.
“Making the busiest interchange in the country step-free would free disabled Londoners who use this station from the stress and misery of an inaccessible commute. We urge DfT to reconsider its decision.”
Southwark Council is currently liaising with Network Rail to address immediate health and safety works that are needed at the station. The council’s plans to upgrade the wider station square on Rye Lane moved forward this summer, with the demolition of vacant buildings on the new forecourt set to begin.
Once completed, the £27 million upgrade will see the station front revealed with brand new public space on Rye Lane. These plans were designed to coincide with the upgrade of the station itself.
A DfT spokesperson previously told the LDRS: “The scheme will be kept under review as part of our pipeline of schemes for potential progression in future as funding becomes available.”
