Vauxhall Gyratory System and Bus Station update

Following a meeting at the Kennington, Oval & Vauxhall Forum we wanted to update you on plans for the Vauxhall Gyratory & Bus Station.

As far as Lambeth Labour councillors are concerned, all viable options for transforming the Vauxhall gyratory are open, and we are open to hearing people's ideas.

Currently TfL are testing options to see if they will work - the two previously circulated to KOV, and they are now exploring a third which introduces two way working and preserves the central bus station function.

There is still a huge amount of work to be done before the Autumn in working through these options and we welcome and will be seeking people's views in the meantime. And just to underline, TfL and Lambeth are committed to full and genuine consultation before any decision is made.

We aren't wedded to the creation of a high street exactly as sketched out in the Vauxhall Supplementary Development Plan. We are committed to creating a district centre for Vauxhall which ties together the area, and provides quality public space, shops and restaurants. As mentioned above, there will be further discussion with residents, businesses and commuters about their priorities and how best they see this happening prior to consultation that TfL and Lambeth will be undertaking the Autumn.  The exact form of the Vauxhall district centre will be determined by decisions which are made on the gyratory and the bus station.

Vauxhall footbridge to close temporarily - and possibly permanently?

Transport for London are applying for a temporary footbridge closure notice in order to build the Cycle Superhighway Route 5 Inner Section.

As part of Cycle Superhighway Route 5 Inner Section TfL are considering the permanent removal of this footbridge, therefore this closure will be accompanied by a monitoring study to asses the impacts of closure and alternative routing of pedestrians in the area.

At present exact dates are still to be confirmed, however the bridge will be closed for approximately 10 days during the period 1 October 2013 – 31 March 2014.

If you have views about the temporary or permanent closure please let us know.

Update on Lambeth's plans for Vauxhall Bus Station

Recently the Vauxhall Society has been trying to promote the setting up of the ‘Friends of Vauxhall Bus Station’, claiming that Lambeth Council is intent on demolishing the bus station and scattering the bus stops around the gyratory system.

Lambeth Labour councillors believe that setting up the ‘Friends of Vauxhall Bus Station’ is premature because as yet there is no finalised plan for the bus station for people to object to. Lambeth Council and Transport for London are currently working up a comprehensive plan for the remodelling of Vauxhall Cross, which should be consulted on this summer. There will be a full consultation and plenty of opportunity for all residents, businesses and travellers to express their views once there is a proposal to respond to.

Lambeth absolutely does not want to scatter bus stops around the Vauxhall Gyratory system. Any changes to the bus station need to maintain the convenience of being able to interchange between buses easily and quickly.

What Lambeth does want to do is examine whether there’s a better way of laying out the current bus station area – which maintains the convenience of the bus interchange but makes the area more pleasant for pedestrians, more economically and culturally vibrant, more green, and with more direct routes for buses to follow (so they don’t have to circle the gyratory before getting to the bus stop). We think removing the existing bus station canopy and creating a two way ‘high street’ reserved for buses might be the best way of doing this – but we are testing this in our detailed discussions with TfL before coming to any conclusions.

Two licensing applications for Vauxhall

There are two current licensing applications for Vauxhall Cross which people can comment on.



Steax and the City
Unit 3, Block D, St George Wharf, SW8 2LE


Activities/times requested:

Recorded Music
Monday - Sunday     08:00 - 23:30

Late Night Refreshment
Monday - Sunday   23:00  - 00:00

Supply of Alcohol
Monday - Sunday   08:00  - 00:00

Hours premises open to the public

Monday - Sunday   08:00  - 00:30

Deadline for comments: 17 January




Travelodge London Vauxhall 
3 Bondway, SW8 1SJ
(currently under construction next to the bus station)

Activities/times requested:

Late Night Refreshment
Monday - Sunday   23:00  - 05:00

Supply of Alcohol
Monday - Sunday   00:00  - 00:00

Deadline for comments: 4 February


Before commenting please read our guide to licensing.

Email comments to licensing@lambeth.gov.uk

Comment on TfL's plans for Cycle Superhighway 5

Transport for London is proposing to introduce a new cycle route between New Cross Gate and Victoria. Barclays Cycle Superhighway Route 5 (CS5) would run via Peckham, Camberwell, Kennington and Vauxhall.

View the proposals and have your say:
Please visit www.tfl.gov.uk/cs5 to see details of the proposed route and have your say. There are some significant changes planned for Vauxhall Cross and Oval junction.

Public Exhibitions:
TfL invite you to one of their three public exhibitions so you can view the proposals and speak to members of the project team:
Saturday 8 December 11:00-15:00, Peckham Library, 122 Peckham Hill Street, SE15 5JR
Tuesday 11 December 15:00-19:00, Oval House Theatre café, 52-54 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW
Wednesday 12 December 15:00-19:00, Parnell House, 25 Wilton Road, SW1V 1LW

About the proposed new route:
Barclays Cycle Superhighway Route 5 would bring substantial changes to the road layout to improve safety for cyclists, including:
More space for cyclists and buses, through reallocation of road space
New mandatory cycle lanes
Improvements for cyclists at 52 junctions, including new Advanced Stop Lines, cycle feeder lanes, and speed reduction measures
An innovative cycle ‘early-start’ facility at Vauxhall Bridge Road/Millbank to help cyclists get ahead of traffic
Banning some turns for cars and lorries to reduce conflict with cyclists
Extension to the existing 20mph speed limit in New Cross

The new route would also include a comprehensive package of supporting measures, including:
Over 3,000 new cycle parking spaces along the route
Cycle safety checks
Free cycle training
Industry-recognised safety training for drivers of large goods vehicles

Construction work:
TfL plan to start work in late spring 2013. They will write to local residents and businesses before undertaking work. The route is planned to open later in 2013.

Update from this week's KOV neighbourhood forum

Community groups and residents from across Kennington, Oval and Vauxhall were represented at Tuesday's KOV Forum meeting.

There was good news for residents of the Wincott Street area from the West London Mission charity, who own the St Luke's hostel at the corner with Gilbert Road.

Over the past six months the building has been the temporary home to a hostel from Waterloo, and West London Mission acknowledged and apologised for the fact that some of the very challenging residents have caused problems and behaved in an antisocial way. That hostel will be returning to Waterloo in two weeks' time. Over the next few months the West London Mission will be consulting on a future use for the building, which promises to be far less disruptive to residents. Their favoured option is a convalescence centre for homeless people recovering from operations - which should allow them to recover from hospital treatment properly and prevent readmissions to hospitals.

The majority of the meeting was devoted to a presentation on the Vauxhall Supplementary Planning Document - the key planning policy for the future of Vauxhall. The Council is currently consulting on the policy document - the deadline for representations is 26 November. The plan is that the policy should be in place by January, so it can guide planning applications for new developments which are racing forward as part of the VNEB regeneration. The latest version of the SPD received a pretty positive response from people at the meeting - in particular most residents are pleased that the Council has an ambitious plan to transform Vauxhall Cross from a inhospitable gyratory system into a thriving town centre which is pleasant for pedestrians and cyclists.

Planning matters

8 Albert Embankment

Developers are holding an initial consultation event about their plans for the former headquarters of the London Fire Brigade at 8 Albert Embankment. The site is in three parts - the landmark building on the riverside, a large site between Whitgift Street and Southbank House (pictured), and a small carpark site at the corner of Black Prince Road and Newport Street. Developers are proposing a mixed use development providing a new fire station, homes, retail and commercial space.

They are holding an exhibition at the Fire Station at the following times:
Thursday 25 June, 4pm - 8pm
Friday 26 June, 3pm - 6pm
Saturday 27 June, 10am - 1pm

You can also share your thoughts or request more information by contacting Azizun Choudhury on:
0870 066 8734
azizun.choudhury@fourcommunications.com
8 Albert Embankment SE1 Consultation, FREEPOST RLSX-KHXT-BGSR, Four Comunications, 48 Leicester Square, WC2H 7FG



Bondway, Vauxhall Cross

Planning permission is being sought for a 42 storey building just outside Prince's ward at Vauxhall Cross. Lurking About SE11 Blog has a good summary of the issues with links to the application and the Viva Vauxhall group's objections.

Future for Vauxhall

Lambeth Council are consulting about what planning policies should guide the future development of Vauxhall.

The area around Vauxhall Cross, up to the Albert Embankment, and down to the Wyvil Estate, has been identified as needing a 'supplementary planning document', which will provide specific guidance for planners about how the area should be developed.

One key issue is how much development should be permitted, another is whether tall buildings should be permitted, and where.

You can fill in an online survey to give the Council your views.


There will also be public exhibitions during the consultation period with Planning Officers available to answer questions at the following times:

Vauxhall Bus Station, Wednesday 12 November from 12noon to 4pm and Thursday 13 November from 10am to 2pm

Redfearn Centre, 329 Kennington Lane, Monday 17 and Tuesday 18 November from 5pm to 8pm

Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre, 100 Vauxhall Walk, Thursday 4 December from 2pm to 6pm and Saturday 13 December from 12 noon to 4 pm

In addition there will be an unstaffed exhibition available to view:

Reception - Phoenix House, 10 Wandsworth Road, Monday 27 October to Friday 14 November (weekdays) 9.30 am to 4.30 pm

Durning Library, 167 Kennington Lane, Wednesday 19 November, to Saturday 29 November, Library Opening Hours.

Vauxhall Gardens Community Centre, the Spring, 100 Vauxhall Walk, Monday 1 December to Friday 12 December, 11 am to 3 pm

The deadline for submitting completed questionnaires or comments on the SPD is 5.00pm on Monday 15 December 2008.

(picture: Fin Fahey, Wikimedia)

No 2 bus route up for review

Transport for London is reviewing the contract for the No 2 bus, which passes through Vauxhall Cross.

They are asking about:

• enhancing social inclusion
• corridors or areas that might benefit from new or enhanced Sunday or night services.
• areas or corridors on which you feel increased frequency or larger vehicles are needed to cater for demand
• identifying routes which you feel are unreliable
• ideas which improve integration with other transport modes or interchange with other bus routes or improve access to major developments

If you have any opinions on these issues please send them to Councillor Steve Morgan before the end of August: srmorgan@lambeth.gov.uk