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Have your say on new vision for Waterloo and Vauxhall
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard28.10.08
A RADICAL blueprint for the transformation of Waterloo and Vauxhall has been unveiled.
Lambeth council's vision for the area south of the Thames aims to prioritise pedestrians and create new cultural and leisure facilities.
But it also includes contentious plans for a £1 billion development of towers that have been nicknamed the Three Ugly Sisters.
Critics say they will ruin views in the area but the project is supported by Lambeth and Mayor Boris Johnson has withdrawn his objections. A public inquiry into the towers was announced this week.
Other key proposals include:
●A new public space around the BFI IMAX Cinema and Waterloo station, forming a city square.
●Longer platforms at Waterloo station.
●A new swimming pool and indoor sports facilities in Coin Street.
●A "Vauxhall Heart" at Vauxhall Cross interchange. There would be a cluster of skyscrapers, including the 50-storey St George Tower which has planning permission.
●Removal of the gyratory system in the Vauxhall station area.
The consultation for Waterloo is under way and ends on 5 December. The Vauxhall consultation starts on 3 November and ends on 15 December.
To register an opinion, email planningimplementation@lambeth.gov.uk, pick up a consultation document from a local library, or fill in the survey at the website below.
Reader views (2)
I frequently travel to London and on entering Waterloo the horrible eye sores currently visible should be demolished. As for what has been badged the "Three Ugly Sisters" that could replace these buildings, I believe is a great idea. They look powerful and make a statement to what London is all about, a cosmopolitan and vibrant city. Move into the times Phil
- Ed Boxall, Woking
I'm definitely against the building of the Three Ugly Sisters in the present planned location. There's lots of other places for the Uglies to go, without blighting the South Bank. They would destroy views from Westminster and the north side of the river because of their height. Johnson promised that if Mayor, he would control further builing of the high rise buildings that Ken loved so much. Now we see Johnson's hypocrisy.
- Phil Jones, London UK
