Question and Answer Session: London Legacy Development Corporation (Supplementary) [2]

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE (Chair, London Legacy Development Corporation):  I might as well start on this.  I wear two hats on this subject because the freehold of the station is of course Network Rail’s.  You are right.  We have identified that, and we have discussed it here before.  That station is under stress and all it will do is continue to be under stress and more stress.  We have started, collectively, a process of discussion between all of the relevant partners to build some options about what needs to be done with Stratford.  There is some work, as you know, in the short term opening an additional entrance on the Jubilee line side.  I can only identify it by how it was used in the Olympics, which shows how old I am, but you know what I mean.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  Yes.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE (Chair, London Legacy Development Corporation):  We are developing options.  We have in that group Network Rail.  We have LLDC.  We have Newham [Council], quite clearly.  We have TfL.  We are actively looking at the other business partners around the place.  There are various options you can do, including some extraordinarily expensive ones.  You will know from other places that roofing over stations sounds easy but costs a bomb.  We are looking at what might be done and in particular what the ‘no regrets’ item in the short to medium term might be in order to do something with the station.

You will also know that the climate for central Government investing in transport anywhere except the Midlands and the north of England is not as good as it might be.  We have collected the funding to do the station from various sources, including LLDC and Network Rail, in order that we can progress the business case.  We aim to get that to a level at which we can demonstrate the economic and wider economic benefits of that, principally because if the station reaches capacity, it will hinder the development of the Stratford town centre area, hinder employment and hinder development there, none of which are good things.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  The timescale for that business case?

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE (Chair, London Legacy Development Corporation):  Can you [Lyn] remember?  I cannot.

Lyn Garner (Chief Executive, London Legacy Development Corporation):  May.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  May this year [2023] and then the negotiations start.  That is really good to hear.  I have had a look at some of the plans onsite the other week with one of my colleagues, Assembly Member Desai.

Pre-COVID, whilst Stratford was incredibly busy, little use was being made of the nearby link at
Stratford International with St Pancras Station.  Although it is possible to use your Oyster card or contactless pay-as-you-go, there is that high-speed supplement charge of around £6.80 per journey.  If you use the Javelin service as part of the Travelcard zone, it could help ease some of that pressure at Stratford and between Stratford and central London.

Are you going to be having discussions, or have you already with the Government, to include that bit of
high-speed route in the regular zoning system?  Do you see this as possibly playing a role,
Stratford International, in terms of resolving some of the overcrowding issues for transport around the Olympic Park?

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE (Chair, London Legacy Development Corporation):  For my part, certainly it could, but I would not get it mixed up with the business case for Stratford Station.  We would be arguing with too many different parts of the Department for Transport.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  Separate part of discussions, yes.

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE (Chair, London Legacy Development Corporation):  That is not very helpful.  The business case for doing something at Stratford Station - I think, I think we think and I think our other partners think - will be quite strong when we see it.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  Have either of you had any discussions, briefly, about Stratford International and about getting rid of that premium fare?

Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill CBE (Chair, London Legacy Development Corporation):  No.  The discussions I have had about Stratford International are actually about introducing, finally, an international service at an international station.  That comes and goes a bit.  It is part of the solution, but it is not an effective solution for Stratford Regional Station because so much of the traffic at Stratford Regional Station wants to access Stratford town centre.  Also, there are some great development opportunities.  Newham can make its own case for the level of housing that it needs to see built.  Stratford International will not help with that.

Caroline Pidgeon MBE AM:  It will not help with that bit.  I will leave it there.  Thank you very much.