South Circular project aims to transform Catford landscape

By Robert Firth, Local Democracy Reporter

Catford town centre is set to be transformed by Transport for London’s (TfL) plans to redirect the South Circular through a car park behind a council office block.

Proposals to divert the A205 through a car park south of Laurence House would result in a new pedestrianised town centre for Catford, between the council offices and Lewisham Town Hall.

The plans are part of a huge project to re-jig Catford town centre that would see segregated cycle lanes built on the South Circular and a one-way system around Plassy Island scrapped and replaced with two-way roads.

The scheme would result in widened pavements in the area, extra pedestrian crossings and the planting of more trees and shrubs.

The re-routing of the A205 would create a new pedestrianised area connecting key parts of Catford town centre, including Catford Broadway, Lewisham Town Hall, the Broadway Theatre, Catford Shopping Centre and Laurence House.

Benefits of the proposals, according to TfL’s planning statement submitted to the council, include: “The widening of more than 450m of footways, including along the A205 at key locations such as the western approach to the town centre.

“The transformation, into a welcoming public realm, of the currently hostile space that segregates Laurence House from the Civic Centre [is proposed]. [And] improvements to way finding and the creation or improvement of 20 controlled crossings, including the provision of a new wider crossing serving Catford Bridge railway station [are planned].”

A total of 750m of segregated bike lanes would be built under the plans and crossings for cyclists would be improved.

Measures would be introduced to give buses priority and 700m of dedicated bus lanes would be created. Lewisham council will reach a decision on the plans at a later date.

Pictured top: An artist’s impression of how the re-routed South Circular could look (Picture: TfL)