London Borough of Sutton response to the Crossrail 2 Growth Commission call for evidence (December 2015) The strategic role of Crossrail 2 •

Do you agree with the analysis of national/ regional economic trends which are integral to Crossrail 2’s business case?

The Council agrees with the overarching arguments about population, housing and employment growth fuelling increased demand for travel in London and the need for additional rail capacity to support this. However, the claim that the forecast extra 1.4m people living in London by 2030 will generate 5m extra journeys a day seems rather excessive. This amounts to 3.5 journeys per person per day. It is also not clear how the estimated number of jobs (200,000) that Crossrail2 will support has been derived? •

Do you support a key objective of Crossrail 2, which is to ‘accommodate housing growth and regeneration across London and surrounding regions’?

The Council considers that the primary purpose of Crossrail 2 should be to improve transport infrastructure and capacity in London. Most of south London, and in particular this borough, does not have access to the London Underground network and is reliant on relatively low frequency rail services. Crossrail 2 provides an opportunity to improve rail services and frequencies in this part of south London. Whilst Crossrail 2 will bring many opportunities to regenerate sites and support new housing along its routes, this should not be considered as a primary objective. In suburban locations opportunities for substantial housing growth and regeneration will be more limited and decisions on routeing should not be made on this basis. •

What are your thoughts on the displacement or relocation of certain types of land use, or co-location of employment and housing, to optimise the delivery of new homes around key public transport nodes?

In principle we support the optimisation of new home delivery around public transport nodes and this is already happening around some stations in the borough such as Hackbridge, where a large warehouse site has been cleared to make way for housing. Providing new housing close to public transport nodes reduces car dependency and facilitates greater use of sustainable transport. However, the Council considers that London’s future growth should be accommodated in the most sustainable way in terms of balancing housing growth and employment opportunities in close proximity to one another. Therefore the Council would not wish to encourage the loss of too many industrial areas to housing which would increase the need for people to travel further afield for employment, placing further pressure on the transport network. The local opportunities offered by Crossrail 2 •

What do you perceive to be the benefits of Crossrail 2 in your area of interest?

The direct benefits of Crossrail 2 for Sutton are dependent largely on the connections into the service that other existing or new transport routes could provide so a network-based approach to infrastructure planning is essential. Crossrail 2 could provide a direct benefit to Sutton residents who live in the north west of the borough and currently use Worcester Park station. This station should benefit from additional trains and capacity and direct links into the west end and north east London. It will also provide new journey opportunities for residents who use Southern services to Clapham Junction and London Victoria by enabling connections to Crossrail2. Improving transport links to / from Worcester Park will extend the benefits to a wider area of the borough and allow residents to access jobs and opportunities further afield as well as bring workers in to the borough from elsewhere and attract inward investment. Aligning Crossail 2 with the proposals for a more metro-style service in South London will be important for those who will want to come to Sutton to access global companies e.g. Subsea 7 and our proposed London Cancer Hub which will be a globally significant centre of research excellence. However, the new journey opportunities would need to be balanced with the effect on existing travel patterns based on the current services to Waterloo. •

Are there any key sites in your area of interest that you think Crossrail 2 could trigger a significant change in land use or the density of development?

There is currently limited scope for significant new or higher density development around Worcester Park station because the area is predominantly suburban in character and there are no major under-developed brownfield sites. However, there are wider opportunities within the borough for new development, such as in Sutton town centre and at the proposed London Cancer Hub (LCH), if it is supported by additional infrastructure (see below). •

To what extent is additional supporting infrastructure required to capitalise on the growth that Crossrail 2 could unlock?

Additional infrastructure is important to support new housing growth in terms of both transport improvements around stations and improved connecting services. The proposed Wimbledon–Sutton–Belmont Tramlink extension would connect with Crossrail 2 and help deliver growth both in Sutton town centre and at the LCH in Belmont. Highway capacity and bus priority improvements to address traffic congestion may be required to support any housing growth around Worcester Park, and the Council is working with neighbouring Kingston borough to address this. Social infrastructure is also important in ensuring that any housing growth is supported by sufficient services such as health and education provision, as well as utilities. Successful delivery and potential barriers •

To what extent are you encouraging significant housing and employment growth?

The Council is very pro-growth subject to the provision of sufficient supporting community and transport infrastructure. It is currently preparing a new Local Plan for the borough which is identifying opportunities for housing and employment growth. The plan is at an early stage of preparation but is currently considering different options for housing and employment growth. We are particularly focusing on high growth potential areas such as

Sutton town centre for which we are preparing a town centre masterplan. We are also delighted to be a Housing Zone •

To what extent are developments which are coming forward now in your area of interest in the absence of Crossrail 2 - compatible with local and regional plan designations and guidance?

Developments that are coming forward in Sutton borough are generally compatible with the existing Local Development Framework and London Plan designations and policies. The Council is seeking to direct major housing and office developments to town centres and to boost employment in the borough’s Strategic Industrial Locations. •

What potential do you think Crossrail 2 has to strengthen the employment market in your area of interest? Are any external factors needed to maximise Crossrail 2’s beneficial impacts?

Crossrail 2 could bring improved connections to employment markets for Worcester Park and North Cheam residents and could also boost the employment market marginally in Worcester Park itself, although it is not a major employment centre. It is important that opportunities are taken, where possible, to use Crossrail 2 to boost employment in outer London and support the existing south London sub-regional economy. Sutton as a borough is seeing significant employment growth in Sutton town centre, with a new global HQ grade A office being built by a major underwater exploration company called Subsea 7. We also have a significant plan for the London Cancer Hub, a major new medical research facility along with a new school on the former Sutton Hospital site in Belmont. This provides the capacity for 100,000 sq.m. of business and research space to rival global facilities and up to 13,000 jobs. The prospectus for the LCH is attached. There is potential to connect the LCH firmly into London’s international economy through an extension of the Tramlink which would connect into Crossrail 2 at Wimbledon. The Council recognises the necessity to unlock funding but this should not mean that development opportunities default to housing. Outer London boroughs like Sutton have existing centres of economic expertise which need to be enhanced. •

What are the most significant barriers to achieving any additional development opportunities that might come forward as a result of Crossrail 2?

The barriers to greater development in Worcester Park are the lack of suitable large sites, the low rise suburban residential nature of the area and existence of large areas of open space, some of which is Metropolitan Open Land. The fact that Worcester Park station sits on the boundary between Sutton and Kingston and also very close to the Surrey boundary presents an opportunity to co-ordinate development opportunities between neighbouring authorities. Sutton and Kingston now have a shared Highways and Transport service which will make co-ordination easier. Worcester Park is heavily congested, with resultant poor air quality and high car ownership and dependency. Crossrail 2 forms a key element of the council’s Sustainable Transport Strategy, and will be an enable of change to boost public transport and assist the council in addressing these issues. Contact: Alex Forrest, Principal Transport Planner, London Borough of Sutton, Environment, Housing and Regeneration Directorate, 24 Denmark Road, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 2JG. Email: [email protected] Tel: 0208 770 6878.