Brockley Cross High Level Station could be reopened

The old entrance to Brockley Lane station - Photo by JE Connor

Already discussed on the Bakerloo thread, but worthy of its own, is the news that the mothballed High Level Station at Brockley, which used to serve passengers as Brockley Lane, may one day be brought back in to use as part of the 2050 London infrastructure vision document unveiled by the Mayor this week.

In the small print of one of the supporting documents is a list of stations that could be brought back into use as part of a new orbital rail route around the capital. Brockley is named as one of the stations that could be upgraded for £25 million to link it up to a loop, taking passengers east / west across London.

The line is currently used by freight trains and passing commuter services, but passengers have not been able to alight there since 1917. Brockley Cross Action Group have for years campaigned for the station to be brought back into use.

Deptford Twinkle

Deptford Twinkle is a new pop-up bar taking place at Twinkle Park on the Deptford riverside. Ali explains:

We will be serving a short menu of tasty cockails and Brockley beer. Salty popcorn on tap to snack on! There will be outdoor seating on the riverfront and a laid back atmosphere! Some indoor seating/space also available. The whole bar will be very home made and slightly shabby chic but with lots of south east charm and a welcoming feel!

Opening Dates:
- Fri 15th - Sun 17th August
- Fri 22nd - Sun 24th August

Opening at 5pm on Fridays and 2pm on Saturday and Sunday and open to 10.30pm. Happy hour will be 5pm-7pm on all days!

Bakerloo Line extension to New Cross and Lewisham proposed

Being always right about everything is a burden Brockley Central must bear. For years, we have been banging on about the fact that a southern extension of the Bakerloo Line should be a key priority for London and that the case is so strong that, despite being a relatively unfashionable project (compared with Crossrail 2, etc), its time would come.

Just to be extra-right, we predicted that the route would go down the Old Kent Road, rather than through Camberwell. And lo! Londonist reports:

Boris Johnson has been teasing an update about a possible southern extension to the Bakerloo Line for a couple of weeks now, and in the newly released London Infrastructure Plan 2050 we can see what Transport for London has in mind. The preferred route runs from the current terminus at Elephant and Castle down Old Kent Road and through New Cross and Lewisham, down to Catford and then on to Hayes and Beckenham Junction. Catford would get up to 27 trains per hour, Hayes up to 15 tph and Beckenham up to 6 tph.

The Guardian also reports that the 2050 strategy includes a vision for a new "Zone 3" orbital railway that would travel through the borough:

The concept for an additional fast orbital rail service linking boroughs in the inner suburbs – dubbed the R25 in City Hall – follows the rapid growth of London Overground, which has seen a boom in passenger numbers since being enhanced and integrated into the capital's transport system, helping regenerate areas and stations and decongest tube lines.

We understand that there's a lot of politics involved in any such announcement and Boris is good at floating ideas, not so good at delivering them, but it's coming and probably sooner than the sceptics think. Thanks to Stuart for the heads-up.

Unsure upon Avignon [UPDATED]

Ali writes:

"Here's a photo of pavement that was laid last week on Avignon Road!

"When contacted today about the complete disintegration of the pavers and the serious danger to the public, the response was 'not our problem, guv.'

"Conway's view is that they have done the job and signed it off, any complaints now go to The Highways Agency.

"Gotta love when a company takes pride in their work!"

- Earlier this year, Conway was awarded a seven year contract to maintain Lewisham's roads.

UPDATE: Conway has just provided this update - which is great news:

@_BarCar @BrockleyCentral @LewishamCouncil Our team has just completed repairs at Avignon Road. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

— FM Conway (@FMConwayltd) August 4, 2014

The Brockley Baking Club

Raquel writes:

I moved to Brockley 2 years ago and absolutely love living here. I really like the sense of community in the area and wanted to do more for it myself.

I would like to create a Baking Club, the idea being a small group of people, getting together, once a week, sharing tips and ideas and baking together. Would people be interested in that?

Baking club would be on saturday afternoons, starting beginning of September, contact me via my blog or email raquelshomemade@gmail.com. I guess depending on how many people show interest we will either do it at mine or find a kitchen we can rent.

Lewisham house prices still outpacing rest of the capital [UPDATED]

With the central London property market cooling and the overall London market flat in June, City AM reports that inner London boroughs continue to experience the fastest growing house prices in the capital, with Lewisham the 10th fastest-riser, behind Hackney, Haringey and Middlesbrough.

With thanks to Joe for the heads-up. 

Update: Joe's also sent us this link, from the Standard, which claims that Lewisham house prices are not only rising faster than most of London, they are also second only to Hackney in the degree to which they are sold for more than the asking price, suggesting that price rises will continue to outstrip the London average for a while:

Other boroughs where average selling prices exceed average asking prices include Bexley, by £1,137; Greenwich (£1,196); Hounslow (£973); Kensington and Chelsea (£2,570); Lewisham (£7,346); Tower Hamlets (£4,797), and Wandsworth (£3,421).

Bogs signal balloons have gone up at 180 Brockley Road

BCer Monkeyboy has spotted portaloos on site at 180 Brockley Road, the former MOT garage, which has been targeted for redevelopment.

Bits and pieces of the building have been removed in recent weeks and the site has been vacated, so it looks as though work, which was due to start last year, has begun. The most recent application (refused), which made minor changes to the plans approved last year, was for:

The demolition of the existing buildings on the site of 180 Brockley Road SE4 and the construction of a part two/ part three/ part four storey block, comprising 454.5m2 commercial floor space (Use Classes A1 (Shops), A2 (Financial and Professional), A3 (Restaurants and Cafes), B1 (Business), 3 studio flats, 11 one bedroom, 9 two bedroom and 2 three bedroom self-contained flats, together with refuse and cycle storage, associated highway and public realm works.

The development changed hands recently and is now being led by Peveril Securities (which is part of Bowmer & Kirkland) and Boultbee. This is a critical piece of the Brockley landscape and could be great news or a massive setback, if it goes wrong.