Another big step towards regenerating Tottenham – with go-ahead for a larger, transformed Tottenham Hale station

Transport for London’s (TfL’s) plans to transform Tottenham Hale into a landmark station, with greater capacity and step-free access for interchanging passengers, were approved by Haringey Council’s Planning Committee this week.

Tottenham Hale is located within the Upper Lea Valley area – which has been identified as a key area for growth – with plans to create 15,000 new jobs and 20,100 new homes. At Tottenham Hale specifically there is the capacity for 5,000 new homes and 4,000 new jobs and the vision is to transform the area in to a new district centre.

The station improvement plans are part of a committed package of transport developments to support this planned growth, which includes a total TfL investment of £54m. Since October 2012, TfL has been working to remove the Tottenham Hale gyratory system and return it to two-way traffic operation. A total of £34m has been invested in these improvement works, which will deliver significant benefits for all road users including pedestrians and cyclists, as well as deliver a new public square and a more accessible bus station at Tottenham Hale. These works will be complete by late 2014. The proposed station improvements will be funded from a variety of sources including £20m from TfL’s Unlocking New Growth Areas fund, a contribution from the Mayor’s Regeneration Fund as well as contributions from Network Rail and the DfT.

The improved station will be a focal point of the new district centre and be an iconic gateway to Tottenham and the Upper Lea Valley. The design is underway and works are due to start late 2015, with approximately 18 months on site. The plans form part of the wider regeneration of Tottenham, which is benefitting from an investment of £41m of which £28m from the Mayor’s Regeneration Fund and £13m from Haringey Council will fund a raft of projects to support jobs and economic growth. The majority of this funding has now been earmarked for projects and delivery is underway across the programme.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Already benefitting from major investment to rejuvenate the area, Tottenham is showing that it has huge potential and is set for a bright future. A revitalised Tottenham Hale station will underpin all of the hard work that is going on to help deliver new homes, jobs and economic growth.”

Michele Dix, Managing Director of Planning at TfL, said: “The decision to approve TfL’s proposals for Tottenham Hale station is fantastic news and an exciting outcome for local residents and station users. The planned improvements include doubling the size of the current ticket hall, installing new ticket gates, more ticket machines and more signage. This will reduce crowding and queuing at the station, saving passengers’ time when interchanging between National Rail operated by Greater Anglia and Tube services, as well as improving the station ambience and increasing the retail units. We plan to keep the station open during the work so that any potential disruption will be kept to a minimum.”

A further key transport investment in the Lea Valley is the committed £72m upgrade of the Lea Valley main line, which includes a £25m contribution from the London Enterprise Panel. This will enable a new four trains per hour service between Angel Road and Stratford. The new local service will serve Tottenham Hale station and is considered vital in supporting planned growth at Tottenham Hale, as well as Northumberland Park and Meridian Water.

TfL has been working closely with London Borough of Haringey, the Greater London Authority, Network Rail and Greater Anglia during the development of these plans to ensure that all the projects at Tottenham Hale station are carefully co-ordinated and are compatible with the long term plans for the West Anglia route and we will continue to do so as the scheme progresses.

TfL informed local residents and station users of the exciting plans for Tottenham Hale during the planning application process and will continue to do so through the next stages of the project.