Crossrail1 meets Crossrail2

Love Wimbledon attends All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) meeting on Crossrail

Love Wimbledon was invited to attend this APPG meeting to discuss the key learnings from Crossrail 1 and to ensure these are taken into account for the planning and preparation of Crossrail2. APPGs are informal cross-party groups run by MPs to inform the conversation and debate and to help build consensus on issues to be addressed.

David Lammy MP, the Managing Director of Crossrail 2, Michele Dix and other key leaders from Crossrail 1 attended the meeting which outlined the key learnings from Crossrail 1.

The meeting provided a sounding board for attendees and Love Wimbledon highlighted the concern that no firm decision has yet been made on the future of Crossrail 2. We also highlighted the need for a thorough process and phasing plan to be part of the consultation to minimise the impact on the town centre during construction.

Funding conversations are still in progress and the change in financial strategy is ‘this is not just a London project’ as it will also benefit a large commuter belt. We expect to have further news on the result of the current Independent Affordability Review in the summer. The APPG confirmed subsequent to this review Crossrail 2 is hoping to release an agreed option later on this year or early 2019.

CR2 confirmed they are investigating a number of solutions to lessen the impact on businesses in the town centre. Love Wimbledon will persist with our request for more clarity on the impact on the town centre and will continue to attend CR2 meetings to ensure Wimbledon stays high on their agenda. We will of course keep you informed of developments.

Read more about other recent developments in our update from CEO, Helen Clark Bell.