The money will pay for step-free access and a new ticket hall and concourse
By Victoria Munro
Leyton Station will receive step-free access and a new ticket hall and concourse thanks to £14million from the government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The Greater London Authority was awarded more than £43million yesterday for work to make Leyton Station and Colindale Station in Barnet more accessible.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities hopes that the work will improve “two pockets of socio-economic deprivation in the capital”.
Waltham Forest Council has insisted for some time that an upgrade to the station is “desperately needed” to expand capacity before thousands of new homes are built nearby.
Speaking last year, deputy leader Clyde Loakes said: “Anyone who has used Leyton Tube Station at hometime will know… it is not fit for purpose for the 20th century, nevermind the 21st. We desperately need to see this tube station modernised as soon as possible.”
The original plans drawn up by Transport for London (TfL) in 2021, which included extra ticket barriers and a new footbridge, were expected to cost an estimated £30million but could not move ahead due to TfL’s uncertain financial future.
However, the £14m from the Levelling Up fund is still expected to help with the station’s anticipated overcrowding, with usage expected to grow by up to 35% by 2041.
Over the next 15 years, the council hopes to build around 7,000 new homes around Leyton Station, creating “thousands of jobs” in new commercial, cultural and community spaces. This includes 750 homes at Coronation Square and future homes planned at Leyton Mills and New Spitalfields Market.
Responding to the announcement of the funding, the council’s co-deputy leader Ahsan Khan said: “The planned improvements to Leyton Station will make it easier and more convenient for people to get out and into central London.
“The step-free access is especially valuable for those with mobility issues who should be able to enjoy all that our brilliant city offers easily and without needless difficulty.”
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