Work to improve the area around Waterloo station and the pedestrian links to the South Bank could get underway after the planning work was awarded to Grimshaw Architects.
At the moment, the front of the railway station is dominated by the taxi rank and road, with pedestrians having to cross several roads to get to the South Bank. While the main York Road can’t be pedestrianised, there is an ambition to improve the cluster of traffic islands in front of Waterloo station to offer a more plaza-like space to use.
(c) Google street view
The contract was awarded by Lambeth council, which is part-funding the work in partnership with Network Rail and other private partners. The planning work is expected to take around nine months to complete, and has been allocated a £343,166 budget, with a 20% contingency fund. The council’s contribution of £100,000 is met through capital funding already allocated, with the rest coming from a mix of local business groups and several local companies.
The intention is to develop a vision for the transformation of Waterloo Station and its immediate environment and consider how this can create stronger links and public realm across the Waterloo and South Bank neighbourhood.
The interim report is expected in March 2023, and the final masterplan proposals delivered in May/June 2023. After that, it’s a case of putting the ideas into practice and getting started on building work.
There are unrelated plans to demolish the row of offices to the north of Waterloo station and rebuild them, and that will also see a lot of local improvements to the streets around the entrance to Waterloo station. That development is also going to include a lift shaft to provide step-free access to the Northern line at Waterloo station, although there’s a gap in the funding which still needs to be found if it is to be opened by TfL.
Does anyone remember the pedestrian bridge over York Way that led directly from the station though the Shell building and towards the river Thames. Then there was another walkway under the railway to Charing Cross that gave access to the South Bank Centre. This has been taken out of use. I wonder if it would be simplest to reinstate this route with some adjustments to make it step free (the section under the Charing Cross viaduct)?
I remember that it’s currently fenced off when I past through about 3 weeks ago. I’m not too sure what they are doing with that
Far more evocative, damper for longer and too possible to be covered in coat-curtailing oils, diesels, brake dust even who knows?
Far too clean nowadays. All the better for it for most people no doubt. And it was on the side, a little lower than the tracks but not under, in fact.
Hungerford footbridge I mean.
Installed in the late 50’s early 60’s below Where the footbridge that crossed York road into the Shell centre was the first Pelican crossing in the UK. I remember as a child cycling to it to try it out. Up until then we only had Zebra crossings. It’s was installed as an experiment that proved it’s worth.
It will be great to be able to properly enjoy looking at the last major work by the stonecarving firm Farmer and Brindley at the main entrance. The figures were carved for the company by the sculptor Charles Whiffen.
Shutting off the little footbridge over the main road to the thames was a huge missed opportunity – What was going through the planner’s brains allowing that to be removed!
Blimey. What with covid for 2 years, the long-running redevelopment of the Shell Centre site and so on it’s only by reading these comments and Googling that I see the Shell Centre footbridge over York Rd has indeed gone. Shame, though as it had lost its purpose years ago with closure of the reiverside bit of the Centre…. Watloor’s environs are about the worst in London and it’s hard to see how they can be improved given the mess of ramps, roads and stairs in front of the station, the fall of land and the whacking great viaduct.