Changing Bermondsey Station to Zone 1-2

Stratford’s three stations are to be moved from Zone 3 to Zone 2/3 from January 2016 and that is good news for anyone who lives in that area. It is suggested that moving the stations into the new zone will boost visitors to this part of London, which includes the Olympic Park, as many see it as too far away. Those in favour of the change said that rezoning Stratford will accelerate growth, bring additional investment and visitors and create much needed jobs and homes to East London.

Many of those reasons could be applied to Bermondsey (proper, if you are one of those confused with Bermondsey St). This part of London is home to many people whose financial situation will definitely welcome some saving in transport costs. The area is also going through a regeneration process with changes in the Spa, Chamber’s Wharf, the Blue Bermondsey or The Biscuit Factory and reaching neighbouring areas in Rotherhithe.

So could Bermondsey also benefit from all those ‘good things’ that were used as the argument to rezone Stratford?

We think so. Yet back in September 2014, Boris Johnson was asked in a written questions submitted by one assembly member, the Liberal Democrat AM Caroline Pidgeon who wondered if “given you (the mayor) have authorised the rezoning of Stratford station to Zone 2/3, will you consider rezoning Bermondsey and Kennington to become Zone 1/2 stations?”, to which The Mayor of London refused with the justification of 7m cost in revenue losses.

The debate was kept alive and Caroline Pidgeon asked the mayor again in December 2015 if “given the locations of the recent East London stations to be rezoned as zone 2/3 stations, will you look again at rezoning Bermondsey as a zone 1/2 station? It can not be right that Bermondsey is in the same zone as Stratford, a question that is expected to receive the same refusal arguments as previously cited.

Furthermore, residents in Bermondsey, and by proximity Rotherhithe, will have reasons to be disappointed since Kennington and Battersea stations will enjoy the status of the exclusive Zone 1 club. It seems, once again, SE16 is left out of the benefits other boroughs enjoy. In the same way that the Boris’ Bikes never got a chance to be installed in Bermondsey or Canada Water (even though people can cycle to Greenwich and dock in the Isle of Dogs) or a vanity project as the Garden Bridge got more support than the much needed Brunel Pedestrian Bridge connecting Rotherhithe with Canary Wharf.

The Mayor of London said Stratford’s changes will benefit that part of East London bringing more visitor. There are equally benefits for Bermondsey rezone: a historical legacy of pubs fighting to survive, fantastic outdoors spaces such as Southwark Park which is home to the CGP gallery or the ever changing Blue Bermondsey are all within walking distance of Bermondsey Station.

Furthermore, the development of The Biscuit Factory by Grosvenor plus the current business spaces offered by Workspace, create opportunities to attract new enterprises to the area if the station is rezoned as Zone 1 & 2.

There is no doubt that there are economic advantage to the change and the cultural impact it could have with an increased number of visitors to Bermondsey and Rotherhithe.

Join others to lobby to let the Mayor of London know of your support to change Bermondsey Station from zone 1 to zone 1 & 2.

How to contact the Mayor Of London