Campaign for new station entrance bolstered
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The council’s long-running campaign for a new pedestrian entrance to Putney Station has been bolstered by the support of the Putney Society which has added its voice to the growing calls for action from rail chiefs.
Councillors have long argued that access to the station would be vastly improved if a new entrance was opened near Oxford Road. This would better serve the many thousands of commuters who live in east Putney.
They would be able to access platforms directly by way of a footbridge leading down to them from Oxford Road. As well as making the existing entrance in the high street much less congested, it would reduce journey times to and from the station for residents living to the east.
The council has already conducted a feasibility study to see where a new entrance could be provided, how much it might cost and where the funding could come from. Wandsworth has already indicated that it might be willing to contribute some funding from the Community Infrastructure levy (CIL) which requires developers to pay a financial contribution towards local infrastructure improvements.
Now the Putney Society has reiterated its support for a second entrance to the station, saying that the Oxford Road option is worth pursuing and that an alternative possibility could be for an entrance in the Upper Richmond Road.
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Wandsworth’s transport spokesman Cllr Russell King said: “There is an extremely strong case for a second entrance to Putney station. It will provide a convenient route for those who live in East Putney, reduce overcrowding at the main entrance and help to ensure that all spare capacity throughout the train is used as people are spread more evenly throughout the platform. "The council has been leading the work on the feasibility into the second entrance and is leading the discussions with Network Rail and Southwest Trains. I am confident that we can turn the second entrance into a reality." |
March 18, 2014