Thirteen years after it was included as a planning condition at Haydons Road Station, step-free access to the southern platform could be in place by the end of 2023.
In a Strategic Theme report to be considered by Merton Council at its September 13 meeting, our local Thameslink station gets a mention as follows:
Yes, you read that correctly. Planning permission for the development at 1 Caxton Road – approved by Merton Council back in 2011 – apparently provided ‘a significant opportunity to quickly, easily and cost effectively improve accessibility at Haydon’s (sic) Road Station‘.
Which makes you wonder why the southbound platform of this station has remained inaccessible to people with mobility issues for more than a decade.
The new step-free access declaration comes under a section of the Strategic Theme Report headed “INCLUSION – INCLUDING MEETING THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES” stating ‘Public realm accessibility is a key inclusion priority, including for people with disabilities‘.
People with small children, a pram, pushchair or a bicycle – as well as those using mobility aids, with mobility challenges and other impairments – will be watching developments with interest and hope.
And perhaps wondering why it has taken almost 13 years to rectify a key public realm accessibility issue that can apparently be delivered ‘quickly, easily and cost effectively’.
Haydons Road North Community Site 
hi Nicola
you’ve said it all here, and we’ve raised it countless times with Merton in the past.
it will be interesting to see if the Council Meeting indicates any embarrasment over this.
They have clearly not delivered “………….. quickly, easily and cost effectively…..” and I expect they will take some time yet whilst the various parties involved (Merton, Network Rail and Thameslink) blame each other for inertia. its a disgrace.
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Thanks for sharing the good news about likely funding to be approved for this long awaited improvement.
If the down side/westbound level access goes ahead, then it’s very unlikely that an interconnecting bridge and lifts will ever happen. I hope therefore that the provision of a new ticket machine on the down platform will be included. It will otherwise be a very long (step-free) journey from the down/westbound platform to the only current ticket machine on the up/eastbound platform.
I remember the level access planning condition being passed and looking forward to my wheelchair user mum being able to visit from St Albans. Sadly, she died this year and that never happened.
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That’s good news. Thanks for the information.
Pippa Maslin ________________________________
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