'Opportunity Missed' on Bricklayers' Arms tube station

Transport for London have rejected calls from campaigners and the public to build a tube station at Bricklayers Arms. Although those living and working south of the river have always had far fewer tube stations, under guidance from Labour Mayor, TfL decided to save money in the short-term by opposing building a new station at the roundabout. For local businesses and commuters, this will be seen an opportunity of a lifetime missed, especially as this is one of the fastest-growing parts of the city.

The local Labour MP has long opposed the new station and criticized local campaigners for pushing plans to better connect their community, and Labour-led Southwark Council have been wary of publicly criticizing the Labour Mayor’s decisions.

The financial costs and benefits of the latest plans haven’t been published yet, with opposition political figures questioning whether a properly conducted detailed assessment has been undertaken at all.

Cllr Damian O’Brien, Southwark Liberal Democrats Transport Spokesperson said:

‘Like most people in the local community, we’re hugely disappointed that TfL have been persuaded by the Labour Mayor and the local Labour MP that there shouldn’t be a station at Bricklayers. This is a rapidly growing part of London and those of us living south of the river have always been connected to the tube network. Refusing to build a station is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity lost. The benefits in terms of prosperity, air-quality and connectivity would be reaped for generations. It’s not at all clear that the business case is anything more detailed than a back-of-a-fag-packet guestimation. This isn’t acceptable when we’re dealing with nine-figure numbers here. We’re still convinced that this is still a long-term investment in our community that should be made and we will continue to lead the campaign for it’.