Standard fare for Bakerloo Line

Property journalists - their boosterism makes BC look coy. Today's Evening Standard has got in as quickly to the Bakerloo bonanza as it advises its readers to.

Today's Homes & Property section predicts that South East London will be transformed by the Bakerloo Line extension, which is coming sooner rather than later and highlights New Cross and Lewisham as being among the biggest beneficiaries of its brown beneficence. The paper says:

South-east London is already seeing a surge of interest as homebuyers and renters wake up to its lower prices and good commuter links to the City and Canary Wharf. Now, [the Bakerloo Line] is set to be the capital’s next major Tube upgrade.

Analysis by estate agent Winkworth shows a marked population shift to south-east London. “The first wave was triggered by the arrival of the Overground three years ago, and the Bakerloo line extension will accelerate the trend.”

New Cross Gate is set to be a big Bakerloo line beneficiary This transport interchange is already plugged into the Overground and also offers five-minute trains to London Bridge, a fast Thameslink service to Gatwick and a one-stop connection to the Jubilee line. For many years the area’s only two attractions were Goldsmiths College, where Damien Hirst studied fine art, and The Venue, a lively nightclub. But things are changing.

Young singles and couples — not just public sector key workers, but Canary Wharf and City types too — are finding homes. Families are settling here as well. One sought-after pocket is Telegraph Hill conservation area, perched at the top of a slope and offering wide tree-lined roads, great views, two parks, a community café and Haberdashers’ Aske’s school, one of the most oversubscribed state secondaries in London.

Lewisham is in the throes of a town centre makeover, bringing hundreds of new homes, a modern transport interchange, a new shopping mall and pedestrian-friendly public spaces.

Catford and Lewisham are almost joined at the hip, with barely half a mile between the two town centres. For decades, Catford’s main draw was its Greyhound Stadium, now being redeveloped into a 588-home quarter called Catford Green, right alongside the proposed Bakerloo line station.