Pedestrian improvements to Sydenham Road

By the time this newsletter is distributed the long overdue plans for improving Sydenham Road will have been reviewed by the Mayor and Cabinet. If they are approved and the funding is secured, work should begin in January 2010. The plans are designed to enhance the general environment and to make the road more pedestrian friendly.

Proposals for improvements to Station Approach when Lewisham Council adopts this road, will include improved design, paving and parking improvements as part of creating a heart for Sydenham. Lewisham has allocated funds to Station Approach and the consultation process is likely to start at the end of 2009. There will be some parking, but this will not, as now, be dominated by all day parking. The aim is to have half hour short-term parking as in the rest of the high street, together with a station drop off area.

However before any of these road improvements can be started work on renewing the gas mains, taking approximately 14 months, is due to begin throughout the length of Sydenham Road. The first phases involve laying smaller diameter pipes under the pavements (this work has started) and Southern Gas Networks (SGN) promise that access to homes and businesses will be maintained at all times.
From April SGN say they will be working in the carriageway to replace sections of the old metal mains where possible using a process called ‘insertion’ which involves pushing the new pipe into the old one. This method greatly reduces the amount of digging and this, in turn, reduces disruption.

Also to add to the pleasure of travelling through Sydenham in the next twelve months comes the news that at the same time as the gas mains work is in progress Thames Water will be replacing their mains west of the railway bridge at Cobbs Corner. Oh joy!