Subway Cleaning 2023

The Forest Hill Society will be cleaning the walls of the subway, which runs under the railway line in Forest Hill, London SE23.

All cleaning materials will be provided but please bring your own plastic gloves.

We are looking for members of the community to help us out for an hour: Saturday 17 June, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

https://greatbiggreenweek.com/events/wash-and-scrub-up-for-forest-hill-subway/

Environment Update

Pots against pollution
As a trial, in a further effort to mitigate against the pollution produced by traffic on the South Circular, Forest Hill Society volunteers have attached pots of trailing ivy to the railings near the former Barclays Bank in Forest Hill. These plants form the beginnings of a “green screen” in an effort to reduce the negative impact of vehicle emissions on people, and especially small children, using our roads. If the trial is successful similar pots will be attached to other railings around the traffic junction.









Cleaning — not just greening
The Forest Hill Society’s cleaning squad turned out in force on February 22nd to spruce up the subway. Sloshing suds and waving wipers, it didn’t take long to return the walls of the subway to whiter than white.

Death of well-known Forest Hill resident

Last week news spread that Stefania, the woman who often sat in the Forest Hill railway subway, had passed away, apparently from complications following an operation.

Stefania had occupied this spot for a number of years and was a familiar face to the pedestrians who use the subway.

She was a friendly and popular woman, which is reflected by the many tributes to her placed in the subway and posted online. 

A Go Fund Me page has been created in her memory, to raise funds for her funeral and to support people in similar situations. If you have been touched by Stefania's plight, you may wish to contribute to her memorial fund.

Update: Details of the memorial service are now available.
Saturday, 20 July 2019 from 10:00-12:00 at Sydenham School, Dartmouth Road
If you will be attending please let the organisers know by marking yourself as 'going' on the Facebook page

Cleaning the Subway - Saturday 15th September

Saturday 15th September 2018, 10:30am.
Many hands make light work, and we can usually clean the subway in less than 50 minutes with a few people with sponges and your favourite household cleaning products. Please come along and lend a hand and be amazed at how clean the subway can become

!

Transport Update

The refurbishment work in the Forest Hill Subway is now almost complete. Walls are painted, panelling in place, steps improved and the guttering is massively improved. But users of the subway will have noticed gaps in the panelling between the lights as the work is not yet finished.

We are expecting Skanska to complete the installation of new lighting in the subway in July and then the final panelling can be put in place with improved lighting.

In the last edition we reported that as well as extra carriages on the East London Line trains (five carriages rather than four), there  would also be additional trains to Crystal Palace. This was based on a draft Business Plan produced by Transport for London in December. However, since that time it has become clear that although orders have been placed for the additional carriages, the extra trains may not be in the immediate plan for capacity improvements.

The timetable for the East London Line has been built with two gaps where additional services could be squeezed in every hour, giving us 10 trains to Canada Water rather then the current 8 trains, as well as the 6 trains to London Bridge at peak and 4 off-peak.

The Forest Hill Society believes that demand for East London Line trains justifies the increase in services as well as the lengthening of trains.

We are also concerned about recent rumours regarding the availability of trains in 2015-2016, while the Thameslink work takes place. It is possibly that this may include a year with no weekend services to London Bridge or Victoria, as well as some other cuts to services during weekdays. If true, these cancellations would place a huge strain on the East London Line, especially if additional trains are not being provided.
We will be pressing for the minimum reduction of service possible and some imaginative solutions to any reduction to capacity on the line to London Bridge. We know this is not just a problem that worries us but it also worries rail operators.

We will keep you informed of developments as details become available.

In other developments, Boris Johnson has started making more positive noises about a possible extension to the Bakerloo line. This issue was raised by Forest Hill Society vice chairman, Michael Abrahams, at People’s Question Time when Boris was in Catford.

Lewisham have already produce a viability report which prefers a route via the Old Kent Road to Lewisham, Catford, and possibly beyond. It now looks like TfL will be producing a report of their own to look at the economic benefit of the Bakerloo line extension and other transport enhancements in South East London.

At a time when the government is being encouraged to spend money on infrastructure projects, the Bakerloo line is one that makes economic sense to develop as soon as possible. It would be a boost to London’s economy and would benefit South East London for decades to come.

Subway Closure

Next week will see the closure of the Forest Hill pedestrian Subway for major refurbishment. This is something that the Forest Hill Society has been asking for since our formation.

The aim of this work is to provide a dry, well-lit, safe, connection between the two sides of Forest Hill. The sides and ceilings will be clad and new lighting installed. Improvements to the steps will be made and handrails provided on the wall as well as centre.

During the next few months it is expected that the subway will be closed to pedestrians, with the alternative route via the South Circular. This will be inconvenient for many people, but will result in a much better subway for years to come.

Below are a few photos from the subway as it looks today.

Funds Found for the Subway

Last week we heard from Lewisham Council that the total funds required for the refurbishment of the Forest Hill pedestrian subway have been safeguarded. This now includes improvements to the steps and handrails as well as wall and ceiling cladding, proper drainage, and lighting.
The extra £28,000 was made available by Lewisham Council as part of monies that were set
aside for improvements to the East London Line Extension.
In total over £150,000 will be spent to on the subway starting in September, finally bringing the subway up to the standard that Forest Hill residents and visitors deserve.

Newsletter: Underpass Impasse

Please note: This article was written before the most recent news on the underpass, which can be read here.

The condition of the underpass in Forest Hill has long been a thorn in the sides of local residents. Despite campaigns progress has been slow. We have managed a few patches in the footpath and to get the lights reconnected.

At a recent meeting with the Council, it was finally decided that they should proceed with refurbishing the subway. Lewisham has a budget of £126,000 (including monies from the developer of the flats on Perry Vale). This will not meet our expectations.The approved works include: installation of new drainage channels to pathway and track bed, resurfacing of the footpath, cleaning, repairing and painting over the mural ready for fresh artwork, and cladding the walls and ceiling of the section under the tracks (the part currently painted white).

The works will be carried out at the same time as the lighting is replaced under the Skanska PFI contract. At the moment, this is envisaged to happen some time after September, but the schedule for Year 2 of that contract has not yet been agreed. In the meantime, Lewisham will keep the pressure on Network Rail to come up with funds to refurbish the steps at both ends, to include repairing and renewing the treads and replacing the handrails with DDA compliant grab rails at both ends of the underpass. You can help by writing to Jim Dowd at dowdj@parliament.uk or House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA, letting him know your feelings and urging him to raise the matter with the Chief Executive of Network Rail. Here is what we sent:

Dear Jim (Dowd)

I am writing to you as the Chairman of the Forest Hill Society concerning the refurbishment of the pedestrian underpass which connects Perry Vale with the London Road side of the railway station in Forest Hill (National Rail code FOH). The Forest Hill Society is a local amenity group representing residents of Forest Hill, SE23 and its environs with some 400 members and over 1000 followers through social media.

As you may be aware, the Sydenham Society was campaigning to improve the subway long before the Forest Hill Society was formed in 2006. Since then, we have both been working with Lewisham Council, trying to make progress.

We have found it impossible to deal with Network Rail. None of our letters or phone calls have been responded to. The only time we have had any success is by working through LOROL and yourself, when we managed to get the graffiti removed from the railway bridge over the A205 - graffiti which had been there for at least 10 years.

Our dealings with Lewisham Council on this matter have been much better, but they too have had a frustrating time, repeatedly blaming Network Rail for the delays to progress - something we have been unable to contradict due to Network Rail's determined silence.

I realise that the state of the underpass may seem to be small fry to Network Rail, but this dilapidated tunnel serves to undermine the good work residents are doing to improve the Town Centre and make it more inviting for shoppers. Lewisham Council have recently invested over £10 million in a new leisure centre and the condition of the underpass is a major obstacle in the way of regenerating the area. Network Rail own the right of way, but share responsibilities for maintenance with Lewisham Council.
 
Lewisham allocated funds to refurbish the underpass before the last election in May 2010, before finally issuing provisional drawings in June 2011 after protracted dealings with Network Rail.

At a meeting on 14 May 2012, we finally agreed that Lewisham should proceed with some works, including cladding and relighting parts of the underpass, repaving the footpath and improving the drainage, but their budget will not stretch to include more parts which are Network Rail's responsibility. It has always been the ambition of Sydenham and Forest Hill Societies that any refurbishment of the subway should include renewal of the staircases at both ends and modern handrails. Not only can these works not be done within Lewisham's budget, they are Network Rail's responsibility.

Network Rail have already tacitly acknowledged that the handrails are unsatisfactory. When the lifts were being installed at Forest Hill Station, Network Rail installed temporary handrails on the staircases. These have since been removed.

Lewisham cannot afford to pay for handrails which meet 21st century regulations, nor to resurface the treads. Both of these tasks need redoing and I would urge you to press Network Rail to attend to these with urgency. Doing the works at the same time as installing the other tasks (expected sometime in September or October) would save time, money and inconvenience.

Richard Hibbert, Chair, Forest Hill Society

Light at the end of the tunnel

Local residents have been complaining about the underpass between London Road and Perry Vale for many years - indeed the Sydenham Society was campaigning on this issue long before the Forest Hill Society was formed.

Progress has been particularly slow because of ownership issues and the bodies involved; it has been unclear who has responsibility for what - Network Rail own the right of way, Lewisham are responsible for some bits and Southern / TfL have had an interest as station operators. However, it appears as though we may be making progress as Lewisham has finally settled an Asset Protection Agreement with Network Rail which defines the scope for the project and assigns responsibilities.

Lewisham have allocated a budget of £126,000 for the project which includes funds from the developers of the flats on Perry Vale (Section 106 monies). However, this is not enough money to pay for all the works which we would like.

At a recent meeting with the council, it was therefore decided that they should proceed with refurbishing the subway. It was agreed that it would be far more expensive to retrofit cladding to the ceiling than to repair the steps and handrails, especially as this would require re-engineering the cladding. The approved works will therefore include

• installation of new drainage channels to pathway and track bed
• resurfaciong of the footpath
• cleaning, repairing and painting over the mural ready for fresh artwork
• cladding the walls and ceiling of the section under the tracks (the part currently painted white).

The works will be carried out at the same time as the lighting is replaced under the Skanska PFI contract. At the moment, this is envisaged to happen some time after September, but the schedule for Year 2 of that contract has not yet been agreed.

In the meantime, Lewisham will keep the pressure on Network Rail to come up with funds to refurbish the steps at both ends, to include repairing and renewing the treads and replacing the handrails with DDA compliant grab rails at both ends of the underpass. You can help by writing to JIm Dowd at dowdj@parliament.uk, letting him know your feelings and urging him to raise the matter with the Chief Executive of Network Rail.

TUNNEL VISION

Plans for refurbishment of the Forest Hill Station subway are finally beginning to come together thanks to the efforts of Lewisham Council’s nominated officer.

Details of the new cladding and lighting for the subway are being finalised and Network Rail will undertake surfacing and drainage improvements to co-ordinate with the installation of the cladding and lighting.

Unfortunately, it is anticipated that the works will require the subway to be closed for around two months to allow the refurbishment to take place.

We’ll share more information as soon as it comes to light.

A light at the end of the Underpass?

Some campaigns require a lot of noise and public protest; others require quiet but persistant lobbying. Improving the underpass at Forest Hill is one of the latter campaigns which Forest Hill and Sydenham Societies have been fighting for some time.

The main problem is one of ownership. Network Rail, TfL, LOROL and Lewisham are all involved in some way and getting all the parties talking to each other and agreeing their responsibilities, liabilities and how to proceed has taken several years; indeed the Mayor of Lewisham commented on the snail's pace of progress at the October meeting of his Cabinet.

However, we have recently heard from Lewisham's Deputy Mayor that the lights (installed by Network Rail as part of the works carried out when the footbridge was being replaced but later disconnected) will be reconnected by the end of this week and that Shirley Broughton has just been appointed as the (long promised) Project Manager.

Progress on the replacement panels and resurfacing may have to wait a little longer, but we will keep the pressure up.

Ed: The lights were finally connected on 2 December and the underpass is now one of Lewisham's bright spots

Minor Improvements to the Underpass

I noticed this morning that the guttering has been repair in the underpass which should make the underpass a little better to use, especially in the rain. This follows last week's demolition of a pointless piece of wall at the bottom of the staircase that allowed rubbish to collect and from the smell it was being used as a urinal.

This makes two or three issues dealt with since the meeting between Southern Rail and FH and Sydenham Society at the station in June. Remaining minor issues like we would like to see addressed before the complete rebuild of the station:

• Removal of graffiti on the footbridge
• Wider exit on the southbound platform to avoid congestion
• Better lighting on the steps from the southbound platform (especially as we approach winter)
• Convex mirror at the top of this exit is facing the wrong way to be of any use
• Removal of the gate from the exit (which is never closed and causes an obstruction when opened onto the platform)
• Resurfacing at the bottom of the stairs
• Possible improvements to lighting and CCTV in the underpass

Let's hope we see more improvements soon.

Latest news (Thursday 5/10/06) - we have seen more improvements - the resurfacing of the bottom of the stair and the surrounding pavement. More good news for Forest Hill.