Brixton Arches – Network Rail prolong the agony for residents with application to start disruptive works

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The deeply unpleasant stench coming from the rotting carcass of Brixton’s Dead Zone is about to become far worse as it is expected that Lambeth Council will shortly rubber stamp their (predetermined) decision to allow Network Rail to commence the deeply flawed, deceitful and downright dangerous plans to develop the Brixton arches and cram still more boutique outlets and late night venues into the area

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Clik here to view. Brixton Arches - Network Rail prolong the agony for residents with application to start disruptive works

It has been a year since planning permission was granted by Lambeth Planning for this crass and unwanted development, (up to a 1000 objections were sent in to Lambeth for the initial planning application), despite the fact that Network Rail failed to evict all of the remaining tenants from the arches and their deep ignorance of how many parts of the local community would respond to their odious plans to cash in and gentrify what remains an important part of Brixton’s history and culture.

Network Rail have continued to blame the remaining small independent traders for this delay, however the truth of the matter is that the project has stalled for so long simply because of their own inadequacies and the fact that they have two tenants, William Hill and H&T Pawnbrokers,who have non-break leases lasting until 2020 that prevent their eviction.

Network Rail have acted with disdain throughout the planning process as their generic, cut and paste, applications and submissions, devoid of any relevant detail and facts, has inched towards the out-tray of the planning officer and now the final act of discharging the relevant planning conditions prior to the commencement of the development is about to take place.

The final key to the entire project is Planning Condition 4, Construction Environment Management Plan, (CEMP), which, if approved, will permit Network Rail to start this now phased and cobbled together major development, despite their abject failure to remove the remaining tenants who legitimately continue to trade within the arches of Brixton Viaduct.

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Clik here to view. Brixton Arches - Network Rail prolong the agony for residents with application to start disruptive works

The dire consequences of Lambeth’s expected approval of Condition 4, CEMP, will be witnessed by the local community over the next few years as Network Rail have cut their costs to the bone and propose to operate a minimal, unsafe, obstructive, reckless and splintered
building site, which will have a long term and negative impact on the local environment and conditions for everyone wanting to have access and movement in and around the immediate area, including the businesses remaining in the viaduct and surrounding streets and the external street market.

It should also be noted that after Phase 1 of the building works are completed to the arches that Network Rail currently possess, likely to be sometime in 2018, and when Network Rail finally get possession of the rest of the arches, possibly in 2020, (unless William Hill and H&T Pawnbrokers manage to agree a lucrative settlement to move out earlier), the whole process will then start all over again with the development of the remaining arches.

To explain briefly, the CEMP document that Network Rail need approval against before any works can commence is required “to avoid hazard and obstruction being caused to users of the public highway and to safeguard neighbouring amenity during the whole of the construction period”.

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Why then has it taken Network Rail a year to submit their CEMP?

Probably because they know that trying to undertake a major development and run a series of building sites in the middle of a busy town centre whilst having to maintain full access to the remaining traders and the general public and to keep them safe and not impact on the general amenity of the area is pretty much impossible.

But what has become apparent is that this development is all about money, both to Network Rail and Lambeth, (increased rents and business rates), which has shoved the preservation of safety and amenity for the local community right to the bottom of the list.

To summarise for those who have any sort of interest in the future of their town and wish to gain safe access to the roads, pavements and walkways in and around Brixton arches in the coming months and years:

Network Rail propose to run 6 separate building sites in and around the viaduct.
These building sites are adjacent to, and share party walls with, the remaining tenants within the arches and all of them open out directly onto the pavements on either side of the viaduct.
No safe, enclosed, area is proposed by Network Rail to accept hundreds of deliveries of materials, chemicals, equipment and labour or to remove the huge quantity of waste that will be generated by the works.
Within their CEMP submission Network Rail have admitted that the vast majority of vehicle movements, deliveries and removals cannot be scheduled, but despite this, they are proposing to undertake the vast majority of these operations out of normal working hours, although quite how this paradox will be resolved remains to be seen, especially with the external street market and businesses such as Pop Brixton open 7 days a week and with their opening hours stretching between 8am – 11pm each day. NB: Network Rail propose to make waste collections each day at 5am each morning.
Network Rail plan to keep the surrounding roads and pavements open at all times and use Brixton Station Road and Atlantic Road for all of their contractor access, deliveries, waste removals, cleaning operations and material and equipment movements to all parts of the viaduct, defying many access and traffic restrictions that exist on the already overloaded Atlantic Road, Brixton Station Road and Popes Road.
No realistic measures are proposed within the Network Rail CEMP submission to ensure the safety and security of the general public that require access in and around the area of Brixton Arches and there is no possible way that the negative environmental impact of their building operations, that will generate inordinate amounts of dust, noise, vibration and worsening air quality within various cramped and enclosed spaces, can be adequately mitigated whilst retaining full and free access to the rest of the viaduct for workers, pedestrians and train passengers in the immediate vicinity of their works.

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In these post-Grenfell days and with local councils now coming under intense scrutiny over large scale development and refurbishment projects, it will be a calculated risk if Lambeth do give their approval for this project to commence.

If you wish to read Network Rail’s CEMP submission, the wording of Planning Condition 4 or see the online planning notice, please use the following links.

The deadline for any comments to the planning officer is Friday 11th August, but be warned, even if the planning officer were to consider that Network Rail’s CEMP submission is inadequate and unfit for use, the likelihood is that commercial and political pressures will force the Head of Lambeth Planning to reverse any negative conclusion under delegated powers and allow the chaos to commence.

Planning Conditions, including Condition 4, CEMP

Network Rail’s CEMP submission

The Planning Notice, giving details of how to forward comments to the planning officer

[This article by a local resident who has elected to remain anonymous]

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Clik here to view. Brixton photos, March 2017: The Village, market, phone boxes and street scenes