please empty your brain below

It does feel time to me that we abandon this "affordable" nonsense, in London at least, and replace it with "marginally less extortionate".
I completely agree with the comment above from Mighty Mouse, nothing described as affordable in the past 30 years has actually been affordable to the vast majority of people just seeking a decent place to live. On another note I think it is very short sighted of the mayor not to go ahead with a planned interchange with the Central Line at this location, it would prove a major advantage to people travelling into the City from the east side of London to be able to alight at Shorditch High Street and avoid the crush at Liverpool Street Station.
I passed through Shoreditch on a 26 bus on Saturday. Looks to me as if the development plans will improve the rather run down area.
I rather like tall buildings and the park on the viaduct seems a good idea.
I agree with Fishislandskin that a Central Line interchange would be useful.
I hate tall buildings or any residential "East Berlin" type blocks at all. People need space like gardens and parks not be stacked up like sardines.

They seem intent on crowding in more and more people into London to ensure it will be the overcrowded slum that it will become.
Just in case someone else was wondering where the Gothic element is, and did not understand the reference to cross-vaulted piers: those wide, flat arches are not very Gothic, but the piers are pierced by pointed Gothic arches to allow pedestrians to move through them. Example here - http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/sites/b/bishopsgate_goods_station/index.shtml
I've been wondering for a while now if the Central line interchange at Shoreditch High Street isn't a bit of a red herring. It would be nice, sure, but also presumably very expensive, and Crossrail should duplicate a lot of what an interchange there would provide.

Something that I haven't seen discussed anywhere, and which might be more useful, is looking into reopening what used to be Bishopsgate low level station so there's an interchange with the soon-to-be-TfL-run West Anglia franchise. It would require some rejigging of the tracks out of Liverpool St, but the platforms are still there - it can't be too expensive to spruce them up a bit and get some steps heading up to street level for a short walk over to Shoreditch High St. Then you've got an entirely new path from northeast to southeast London.
I hope Spitalfields City Farm will survive. I love it.
@Tdsmn - based on comments on London Reconnections I understand that there is a safeguarded lower level alignment out of Liverpool Street which would allow 2 extra track to be added. I imagine this will have some effect on what the developers can do. Secondly creating platforms within 1 minute of leaving Liv St will reduce capacity on the lines into and out of Liverpool St. I can't see this being sensible as it would reduce capacity on West Anglia services which are overloaded and destined to see more growth. I'd also guess that a 8 car train stopping at your proposed platforms might foul the junction at Liverpool St throat. Again not sensible.

I can understand why people argue for new interchanges and platforms but this development is not exactly a big slog from Liverpool St.

Finally there will be a new NE-SE route by changing at Liverpool St into Crossrail trains to Abbey Wood. There are already services via Stratford - DLR / JL - which can get you across the river. In time there will be enhanced service down the Lea Valley into Stratford which will improve connectivity into the DLR / JL / Crossrail. The introduction of Thameslink trains via Finsbury Park will also improve N-S connections although a change will be required depending on the exact destination in South / South East London. 2018/19 will see a very significant rewriting of travel options for many Londoners.
'Affordable rent' is defined as 80% of the market rent so it's not affordable at all for most people. Not to be confused with 'social rent' which in London is about 25% of market rents. Only by building proper social housing will waiting lists in Tower Hamlets or Hackney or the level of housing benefit being paid ever be reduced.
@PC - cheers for that insight, I'd worried the junction would be too messy if it was reconfigured that way. I imagine it would also spell the end of Bethnal Green mainline station even then, to resolve the issue of too many stops over a short distance.

Still, I do think it would a useful link. One for that magical day when all the crayonistas get their infinite budget passed.
This weekend a friend of mine went to look at some 'affordable' housing in the Arsenal -- the real one, not the poncy north London one.

He needed an annual salary of 67,000 quid to get a mortgage....
I read somewhere that you need an annual income of about £75k to rent an average property in London, and about £150k to buy one.
"You can speak up tomorrow" ...in fact now we can speak up whenever we want to. If we speak loudly they may even hear us...but doubt they will listen.
The Bishopsgate fire makes it onto the Fire Service's (thankfully not too long) list of "Famous Incidents“, see http://www.fireservice.co.uk/history/bishopsgate










TridentScan | Privacy Policy