This meeting was an opportunity for the committee to review the regeneration of Catford Town Centre, to receive a briefing on a new Active Travel Strategy for the Borough, and to consider the work programme of the committee.

Catford Town Centre

The meeting report pack included an update on the Catford Town Centre regeneration programme, which included a timeline of its development.

The committee received an update on work to refurbish the former Catford Constitutional Club, which is being funded with money from a number of sources including the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund and Lewisham’s Strategic Community Infrastructure Levy. The report pack states that the works are expected to be completed in the summer of 2025. It also details the issues that have arisen during the refurbishment process, particularly the discovery that the building was in worse condition than originally anticipated.

The committee also received an update on plans for a mixed-use development on the site of the Thomas Lane car park, to the north of Catford Broadway. The report pack states that the development will include 113 affordable homes, 1,000 square metres of commercial space and 3,000 square metres of new public realm. The report pack also states that a planning application has been submitted for the development and that the council is expecting to appoint a development partner for the project.

The committee were also updated on the progress of the Station Links scheme, which aims to improve the public realm around Catford and Catford Bridge stations. The report states that the scheme has been redesigned following consultation with stakeholders. The report pack states that the council intends to deliver the parts of the scheme that are on council-owned land first. This will include widening and improving the underpass at Catford Station.

The committee were updated on work being done by the council, in partnership with Transport for London, to realign the A205 South Circular Road around Catford Town Centre. This work is intended to improve walking and cycling facilities and to create a new public space between Laurence House and the Civic Suite. The report pack states that a planning application has been submitted and that, subject to funding and planning permission, work could start in 2026. The report pack also states that the council has commissioned concept designs for the new public space and that these designs have been the subject of a public consultation.

The report pack also includes an update on work to promote the potential benefits of the proposed extension of the Bakerloo Line.

Active Travel Strategy

The meeting pack included a new Active Travel Strategy for Lewisham.

The strategy seeks to improve cycling and walking routes and infrastructure across the borough in the next 7-10 years, building on the success of existing council schemes like Healthy Neighbourhoods and Sustainable Streets.

The report pack explains the context for the strategy, which is informed by a number of factors including:

• the need to respond to the climate emergency by promoting active travel
• the ambition to make Lewisham a carbon-neutral borough by 2030
• the need to improve air quality by reducing reliance on motor vehicles
• the desire to improve the health and wellbeing of residents by encouraging exercise

The report pack sets out how the strategy will be delivered, including the identification of new walking and cycling corridors and a number of ‘quick wins’ that could be achieved with limited work, including:

• footway widening and decluttering along Dragoon Road between Evelyn Street and Grove Street
• pedestrianisation of Cold Blow Lane between Mercury Way and Sanford Walk
• footway widening along Gosterwood Street

The report pack states that a public consultation on the strategy was expected to begin on 3 March 2025.

Work Programme

The report pack included a review of the committee’s work programme. The committee were asked to consider whether there were any urgent issues that needed to be added to their work programme. They were also asked to consider the items scheduled for discussion at the next meeting:

• The Climate Emergency action plan
• Flood risk management
• A review of waste services

For each of these topics the report pack states that the committee needed to specify what information and analysis they wanted to see in the officers’ reports. The report pack also asked them to consider inviting expert witnesses to give evidence at the meeting and whether to undertake site visits.