update on Peckham Rye station developments

This is an update on what we know about the Peckham Rye station developments.

• There has been news from Brixton where Network Rail are planning a clear out of what are reported as successful long-standing businesses in railway arches for ‘refurbishment’, with promises of returning. It sounds familiar from a year ago at Peckham Rye station. This approach may yet return to Peckham as Dovedale Court and the Holly Grove buildings were not covered by the ‘co-design’ consultation… that was conducted last Autumn. So it seemed worth remarking on that somewhere: see Peckham Vision letter to SLP here: http://goo.gl/S1ZZkK.

• We may know more once the next ‘co-design’ process starts. The new station ‘co-design’ architects, Landolt & Brown, were announced on 9th February http://www.southwark.gov.uk/news/article/1908/architect. But there is still no news from them or the Council on how they are going to conduct the ‘co-design’ of the brief for developing the planning application, or what the new timetable is. maybe we will hear this week.
• Landolt & Brown were the architects hired by the Council and Network Rail in 2012, and they produced the option that became the ‘preferred option’ which was clearance of the whole site. The new architects Weston Williamson then used that option to develop the proposals for the planning application. They presented those proposals in January 2014 at the Rye Lane Chapel meeting, and they were strongly rejected by the many local people there.
• After that the idea of co-design was proposed by the deputation to the Council about the way forward. The idea was to have constructive and informed public discussions about the future of the whole of the Network Rail land around the station and the feasible options for it. Sadly the co-design process that finally took place last September and October was not that at all as it was focussed on details of the appearance of the new square in front of the station.
• This was an unexpected and disappointing outcome of what had been thought a promise to have a more collaborative process for developing ideas for the site as a whole. It leaves undiscussed the future of Dovedale Court, and the buildings in Holly Grove, and how it all fits into the town centre itself.

If anyone has any further information let us know.

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