It was there and then it was gone – now it’s back, it seems. Thanks to developer Berkeley Homes and the local council an alternative construction and finance plan has been worked up to build a station at Woolwich for the proposed Crossrail line in London.
Furious over the government’s decision to drop the station even though the line would still pass under the south east London community, last month the developer and Greenwich Council unveiled their plan for a shallower tunnel, box station and an alignment shift that had been pleasing to planners. The Government then backed its inclusion as an amendment to the Bill going through Parliament.
Details of the design changes were not disclosed but the Government noted that Greenwich council’s ‘major revision’ to its spatial plan to allow higher density developments in Woolwich prompted Berkeley Homes to help evaluate a new approach to having a Crossrail station in the town. The builder is currently in Woolwich redeveloping the Listed buildings in the Royal Arsenal, a former munitions factory.
Under the new plans, Berkeley will construct the box structure for the station on the Royal Arsenal site and build its own real estate overhead. All of the activities are to be undertaken at its own risks with its own funds, working to the specification of the Crossrail project. Berkeley will receive payment for any savings it would afford the Crossrail project by avoiding other works needed.
Funding contributions will be needed from other developers and local businesses standing to benefit from a Crossrail station. Fit-out of the station would only take place once sufficient funds are pooled. What that would mean for the timing of the opening of the station compared to the rest of the operational line has yet to be determined, and will likely feature as part of ongoing negotiations on the detailed designed and the required financing package.
