Berkeley’s plan for more Kidbrooke homes – where’s the infrastructure?
Berkeley Homes have recently been consulting on plans to increase the number of homes in the next phase of Kidbrooke Village.
As is common, masterplan outline numbers never stay at original levels and almost always get revised up. This time the number of homes for this stage of development increases from 1,004 to 1,297, which raises overall homes across the site to 5,261.
Consultation documents claim impact on transport will be negligible and Network Rail are planning improvements for 12-car trains:
Yet this site has previously covered the Kent Route study from Network Rail which plans for additional capacity in future years. The entire Kidbrooke line will see just four additional carriages by 2024. The same line also serves Lewisham and other areas of high growth:
Kidbrooke is on the Bexleyheath line meaning just five per cent increases in capacity by 2024. Four carriages at best will mean mean just two 10-carriage trains across the entire peak period becoming 12-carriages – and that requires new trains or alterations to existing stock.
It may even mean no additional stock is planned – as since 2014 a number of trains have cascaded from Southern to Southeastern.
It also states that almost 1,300 homes will see just seven more passengers per train in the busiest peak period. Is that reliable? It wouldn’t be the first time transport planning is wrong.
New station
Kidbrooke is currently seeing a new station building constructed which is welcome, though without large capacity increases will count for little. Passenger volume is rising quicker than 1% per annum that a 5 % total capacity increase by 2024 provides. It’s currently running around 3-4 % a year with some areas seeing higher growth.
And then there’s the other side of the coin. A new franchise or devolution is needed to provide those extra carriages and investment to allow 12 car running across the board. With continual delays from the Department for Transport on the franchise’s future, investment and planning continues to be pushed back.
Oh, and TfL’s plan for over 619 homes the other side of the station looks set to be approved next week.
One improvement for the area is a new bus route from Kidbrooke to North Greenwich which connects with the tube. But upgrade plans for the Jubilee Line have also been scaled back with new train orders cancelled, and many will want to use the station on their doorstep rather than a bus through congested streets and a slower journey.
Can we trust Network Rail to ensure that the platforms on the new Kidbrooke station can take 12 car trains? Whoops, the platforms are too short. This would mean that passengers will have to walk through carriages to disembark and make sure they are standing at the correct point to board.
I live in Kidbrooke, and can confirm that the situation is already out of hand. Rush hour is a nightmare, with serious congestion issues especially when there’s a delay or cancellation. At these times, there isn’t even space for people to get on the train. I’ve since given up any hope of getting a seat at rush hour.
They talk about only 7 more passengers… is that per household? Who is making these estimates and what planet are they on? These flats are filled with young professionals who predominantly work 9-5. What’s alarming is that only about 20% of the towers around the station is completed and occupied.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the situation is unsustainable and more efficient options for transport need to be considered (e.g overground or the extension of the DLR from Lewisham). A new station simply adds aesthetics and attracts more young professionals… it is definitely not the final solution!
I think they have totally under estimated the numbers of people that will use the trains and buses when you look at just how many homes will be on the Kidbrooke Village development once all the buildings are finally completed.
The public infrastructure will require a major improvement in and around the Kidbrooke area to both bus and rail services.
The earlier brick faced buildings on Kidbrooke Village look okay to be honest and the landscaping is excellent but the new tower next to Sainsbury’s and the proposed new blocks on the TFL land area are of different designs and the TFL blocks look like all of 5 minutes was spent designing them and would not look out of place in the 1960s, something many around here were hoping was consigned to the history books when the Ferrier Estate was bulldozed.