Exciting plans could help revitalise Peckham Rye station
NETWORK Rail has submitted a planning application to Southwark Council which, if approved, will see the Grade II listed Peckham Rye station frontage restored to its former glory.
Opened in 1865, the station was designed by Charles Driver, who also designed the stations at Denmark Hill and Battersea Park.
Served by four operators – Southern, Southeastern Thameslink and London Overground – pre-pandemic, as a key interchange, the station saw around seven million passengers annually.
The façade of the station sits between two sets of lines and is hidden at the front by a parade of shops, so cannot be not seen from Rye Lane. There is a separate project by Southwark Council to demolish shops and create a new public square in front of the restored façade.
Back in 2020, the Department for Transport gave Network
Rail £1m to develop designs for improving passenger facilities. These new plans follow extensive local consultation and will ultimately see a greater use of interior space, with new stairs and walkways to replace the existing narrow corridors.
New lifts will provide step-free access to the four platform faces but some additional land will be needed to be purchased for one of the lifts. There will also be more ticket gates – increasing from four to 13 – to reduce congestion at peak times. This will be achieved by creating a west-facing entrance.
Restoration of the old waiting room is planned as a separate project.
Network Rail was expected to seek planning consents during March, with Southwark Council due to make its decision in late spring. If approved, Network Rail will seek DfT funding.
There is no cost estimate for the project at present, but subject to no delays and availability of funds, work could begin in September 2023, with the project completed, in phases, two years later.