Major changes to Lewisham town centre buses until 2025
Bus routes will be diverted in Lewisham town centre until spring 2025 due to a major town centre public realm upgrade.
Lewis Grove near Lewisham High Street will be closed as part of a £24 million “levelling-up” project.
While work is underway bus routes 21, 129, 380 and 436 will be diverted northbound away from the busy stops near Iceland and instead run via Molesworth Street and Rennell Street towards Lewisham High Street.
Changes also impact northbound buses with routes 47, 136 and N136 which are to be diverted via Molesworth Street to Loampit Vale.
Route 54 towards Woolwich will head from the southern end of Lewisham High Street via Molesworth Street, Rennell Street and Lewisham High Street to Belmont Hill.
Other routes to switch include the 75, 108, 122, 181, 185, 199, 208, 225, 284, 484, P4 and N199 via Molesworth Street.
Southbound buses appear unaffected.
Funding
Funding from the last government’s “levelling-up” project will see a number of changes across the town centre.
New paving and street surfaces are to be installed alongside a market pavilion.
In addition the library is undergoing substantial change though this month it emerged that budget pressures mean a rooftop bar is to be scrapped.
£19 million for these projects comes from central London with Lewisham Council adding a further £5 million match funding.
Trees are set to be installed along the High Street alongside new seating and landscaping. There was initially mention of revamping the clocktower but that’s all gone a bit quiet in more recent Lewisham council documents I’ve read.
Changes to bus routes in Lewisham town centre will also see buses running with longer intervals between services. This will be a minute or two for most routes according to Transport for London.
Town centre changes
Street changes are far from all that’s proposed or underway in the town centre.
Lewisham shopping centre is set to be demolished with thousands of new homes alongside a new shopping centre.
Meanwhile Lewisham Gateway near the station is nearing the final hurdle. Upon completion that will see hundreds of homes plus new shops and amenities.
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THANKS FOR YOUR POSTS, Much appreciated. Can you find out where the parking will be at the new Lewisham, development? Without parking I shall not be able to access Lewisham shopping. Cannot carry 6 bags of shopoing on a bus. Lewisham, like Peckham only works becuase of the parking without it it will die like all High streets. No one can carry loads of shopping on a bus. I have been told to get off because I was ‘ blocking’- had to get a cab. public transport is not adequate for proper shopping;
Food home delivery? i think its caught on….
@Corina J Poore: I think we are a long way off the new development being up and running, BUT there is currently a surface car park on Clarendon Road that has free parking on Sundays and public holidays. Clarendon Road runs parallel with Lewis Grove and isn’t too much of a stretch from the shopping centre.
@J Smith: the junction of Molesworth Street and Rennell Street is bad at the best of times. There is going to be an almightly snarl up when every bus route is diverted towards that intersection.
This point was raised at different consultations, and the reply was that there would be provision for Blue Badge parking only. So while there would be facilities for the disabled, which is good, enabled drivers will simply shop elsewhere where they can load their car such as Bromley.
It’s about time, I’ve lived in Lewisham for over 29yrs and I’m ashamed to tell anyone, as it’s so badly run.
There has been no development, the only thing you see when you are in Lewisham is the “dirty market” and its traders, who most I don’t think comes from or live in the borough.
They are allowed to treat it like a dumping ground. Compared to Bromley market, Lewisham market is a disgrace.
We need our own “Westfields” shopping centre, the one we have is dated and unwelcoming.
We need more bars, bistro’s, wine bars and restaurants, pubs, not just Witherspoons, cheap and cheerful.
Londoners from West has never been to Lewisham, and when they see it, they are in a rush to get out….pre 2014.
Now it’s improving, and about time, let’s clean up our city centre, stop Police speeding through our very congested “pedestrianised” walkway. If they should ever kill a citizen, whilst on their unnecessary high speed response, the driver of the Police vehicle should be charged for murder and the citizens should come out in their thousands to protest at this inhumane behaviour by people so are suppose to be protecting and serve us, not kill us.
I visit Eltham, Bromley, Chiselhurst, Orpington, all white areas, they have Half an hour Free parking. In the pre dom black areas, nothing is free, high rise NCP costing min £2 for half an hr. Has black people got more money than whites.
And our Police Station what is its purpose. Just goes to show our democracy is not working. Police State and Dictatorship for last 30yrs or more.
Let people enjoy their lives, yes there are mindless idiots, put officers on the beat, reassure well mannered people that they can come out and be safe, to enjoy their community.
Imagine a busy and vibrant Lewisham, but with the town and City planners, who make life hard for motorist, narrowing the only Arterial road to Catford and Bromley, I can see why outsiders don’t want to visit Lewisham. The road planners should be imprisoned ie they have closed one lane going towards Catford by the old leisure centre near the fire station, so traffic has to wait for the bus and also for traffic turning right towards Ladywell, before they can proceed through that junction.
Who in their right mind could have planned such a foolish restructure of what was a free flowing traffic at that junction.
Do these people live in Lewisham or have any idea on the negative impact it has on its residents.
The good thing is this will make the buses faster as there won’t be a bottleneck on Lewisham High Street.
@Stephen: it won’t make the buses faster since they are taking a huge diversion and heading towards the Molesworth/Rennell Streets bottleneck that wasn’t fit for purpose before, and will be 10 times worse now.