Soho Square Cross rail 2 station, at least

Sohoagm

Last week’s AGM of the Soho Society was meant to be a consultation for Crossrail 2 works under Soho. It turned out to be a much more contention affair as Crossrail 2 didn’t offer Soho residents any choices at all for the consultation, this after making out it was doing a favour undertaking it during purdah for the Mayoral & London Assembly elections! 

In comparison residents of Chelsea, have been given choices all the way through their consultation various stages and Crossrail 2 and the Mayor are having to respond to their petition concerning the Kings Rd location of the Crossrail station sent to the final London Assembly meeting of the term. 

The choice for residents has included also Cremorne Gardens and or not stopping at all through the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea at earlier stages of the consultations. More recently serious consideration is being given to moving the Crossrail station to Imperial Wharf as an alternative, in the adjacent borough with new housing consideration a key factor.

In contrast the residents of Soho at the Soho Society AGM were being presented with a “fait accompli” by Crossrail 2 as it insisted that Crossrail 2 needs to connect with Crossrail 1 at this point in Soho. An excellent point was made by one resident who asked whether before ploughing ahead with it, should not consideration be given to the actual street movement of people after Crossrail 1 is operational in 2018? An excellent point and we should also add the pedestrianization of Oxford St which both major Mayoral candidates are committed too as well during the next term ( 2016-2020 ).  

The very least Crossrail should offer is calling the new station after Soho Square, given all the hardship residents of Soho will have to put up with for another 10-15 years of building works immediately after the Crossrail 1 work ends! 

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