A sliver of hope for Crossrail 2
Plus: Somerset House burns, the battle over a Gail's in Walthamstow, and weird AI ads on the Tube
Morning — whisper it, but Crossrail 2 (pictured above) might not be so dead after all. During the general election campaign, some news went under the radar: TfL and the Department for Transport had actually re-opened talks over the shelved project. And now, a London Assembly member thinks it’s time to put it back on the agenda. A slither of hope for Crossrail 2 leads your round-up below.
Plus: Somerset House burns, the battle over a Gail's in Walthamstow, and weird AI ads on the Tube.
In case you missed it: beavers, birds and Buckingham Palace — on Saturday we published Ellie Swain’s long read on London’s rewilding boom. She spoke to those working on the frontline of the capital’s wildlife havens to hear what’s changed and where things might go.
What we've spied
🚄 There's been a bit of chatter that Crossrail 2 — a proposed metro line shelved during the pandemic that would link south west London with the north east — could be resurrected. On Thursday the New Civil Engineer magazine published comments by Elly Baker, a London Assembly member with a history of campaigning for transport projects, calling for action to move the megaproject forward. Baker told NCE:
The Elizabeth Line [aka Crossrail 1] has been a massive success. It’s sped up journeys for Londoners, unlocked housing and stimulated our economy – making our city an even better place to live. Crossrail 2 could support our city even more. We cannot let it fall off the agenda. This sort of infrastructure investment will keep London’s transport system world-class and will support the high-skill jobs of the future.
Baker's hopes might otherwise seem a long shot — if it wasn't for the fact TfL has recently reopened talks with the Department for Transport (DfT) about safeguarding the project. First considered seriously in 2013 when it was put up for public consultation, Crossrail 2 is a proposed line that stretches from Epsom in the south to Broxbourne to the north, going via Dalston, Angel, Clapham Junction and Wimbledon (a 2015 map of the route here). However, work on the project was paused in October 2020 when TfL's finances plummeted during the pandemic. But in June, it emerged that the DfT had asked TfL to agree a level of compensation to pay to those whose properties could be affected by the project — suggesting the scoping work Crossrail 2 isn't completely on hold. We wouldn't hold our breath for a big announcement anytime soon, given chancellor Rachel Reeves's recent move to scrap infrastructure projects across the UK due to the state of public finances. But there's now a sense that if/when the money does come, TfL and the DfT are ready and waiting.
🚗 In fact, the London megaproject news doesn't end there — the UK government is apparently considering a scheme to build a new Thames crossing just to the east of London. The Financial Times reported last Monday that Reeves isn't ruling out seeking private finance to pay for the Lower Thames Crossing, a proposed £9bn highway and tunnel through the river that would link Kent and Essex. It would be a PFI-style arrangement, where investors receive returns from the toll in exchange for bankrolling the project. The whole idea is a bit controversial, but some argue that the crossing would help ease congestion in east London. One last thing on transport projects: there's renewed hope a new Overground station might come to south London — the Surrey Canal station — after developers of a housing project around Millwall station offered £17m towards the scheme in exchange for building fewer affordable homes.
🔥 Dramatic scenes in central London on Saturday, as 125 firefighters and 20 fire engines tackled a blaze at Somerset House. "Slightly disturbed by the amount of smoke currently pouring out of the roof," said one onlooker, as many feared for the safety of staff and the public as well as the artwork kept at the Strand building, including works by Édouard Manet and Vincent van Gogh. But all were safe — there were no reported injuries, and the fire had been contained to the roof and a part of the building without artwork. Somerset House now says it will now be closed until further notice as the fire brigade investigates the causes of the fire.
👮 The Met Police is failing or inadequate in seven of eight key crime-fighting areas, according to a bruising report from an official inspection. Government inspectors said they had "serious concerns" about the Met's management of dangerous offenders when they published their recent assessment of the force on Thursday. One startling finding was that, in several parts of London, officers were breaking practice by giving sex offenders prior warning of a visit, instead of conducting spot checks. Other damning bits include inspectors saying the Met is now half as likely as other forces to solve victim-based crime, and that serious cases involving indecent images of children, extra-familial child abuse and sexual offences are often being investigated by new recruits. The report is a big blow for Met commissioner Mark Rowley, who's been attempting to reform the force since he took charge in September 2022 in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by serving cop Wayne Couzens. Inspectors backed the aims of Rowley's plans, but raised concerns that his middle managers had a “limited knowledge and understanding” of what he’s trying to achieve.
🗺️ FROM THE BOROUGHS 🗺️ Off the back of the far-right counter-protest on Hoe Street, Walthamstow has again made headlines — this time over a group of residents' battle against a new Gail's on the high street. It all started with a petition against the posh bakery chain set up by local James Harvey at the end of July and which has now been signed by 1,400. Harvey wrote: "Walthamstow Village, a vibrant local neighbourhood in London, UK, is treasured for its collection of local, independent, and family-run businesses. Our high street, a spotlight for these coveted establishments, faces a threat to its uniqueness with the prospect of Gails, a large-scale bakery chain, setting up shop on it". The story seems to have triggered a national conversation about gentrification in London, with the Guardian commissioning not one but two feature pieces on the debacle. Meanwhile, the battle was dubbed "Operation Cinnamon Bun" by the Daily Mail, whereas the Telegraph went with "east Londoners reject investor's right-wing views". Local council Waltham Forest has so far kept quiet about the plans — but from what we gather, the ultimate decision lies with the landlord, who's decided to rent out the space to Gail's.
Elsewhere from the boroughs: some families waiting for social housing in Southwark have claimed victory after the council agreed to 'suspend' its policy of directly allocating homes instead of putting them up for bid. The families had threatened to take the council to court over the policy, which they claimed meant 'no houses' were appearing on the borough-wide bidding system, Southwark Homesearch. Southwark council said it had been prioritising those in very high need. Meanwhile, Greenwich council has got a developer to chop two floors off a proposed 35-storey tower block following fears it could lead to Greenwich town centre losing its world heritage site status. A good pic of the before and after in this BBC piece. In Beckenham, a win for residents who've raised £3,000 for a holiday for a street cleaner contracted by Bromley council. The cleaner's employer, waste management company Veolia, had initially turned down the cash over rules around accepting gifts, but the company has now relented. Finally, the leader of Havering council has declared support for controversial plans for a huge data centre in the outer London borough. The proposed East Havering data centre would be the largest in Europe if approved — for more, see this previous issue of the Spy.
🦏 A few more pieces from Banksy in London this past week, bringing the total in his animal series to nine. Last Monday there was the rhino mounting a Nissan Micra in Charlton, south east London. It was partially sprayed over later that day by a man in a balaclava, who added a tag in white paint. Then on Tuesday, a gorilla on the front of London Zoo that was depicted lifting up the shutters to let other animals out. London Zoo later removed the piece from the shutters to preserve it and return its entrance to full operation. And that seems to be the end of the series — no other confirmed Banksy artworks since the gorilla. 'Simple joys in complex times' seems to be the main interpretation of the series.
🥟 One of London's famed dim sum restaurants — the Royal China on Baker Street — has been fined £470,000 after immigration raids uncovered illegal workers. The Home Office has now launched an application to strip the restaurant of its license after finding it had employed illegal workers, in one case someone working 66 hours a week for £6 an hour.
🔍 And finally, we leave you with*:
An interview with ‘the migrant hero who tackled the Leicester Square attacker’ (Guardian)
The 30-year journey to put Marylebone High Street back on the map (Times £)
Spending nine hours running to all the stations in Zone 1 (Reddit)
Ranking ads on the Underground (TikTok)
Boris Johnson’s sister on why he missed the London riots (Mirror)
The Mayfair private members club that's lost its license over a brawl (BBC)
London’s top ten gaybourhoods (TikTok)
*After some reader feedback, we've added a bit more info about the source of each link in brackets. We'll also add a £ if the source has a paywall.
*SliVer of hope.