Powers awarded for the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade scheme

London Underground Limited (LUL) has been awarded its Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) for the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade scheme, giving them powers to now build a bigger and better station at Bank.

The Bank Station Capacity Upgrade scheme is a major upgrade of the Bank Monument Station Complex in the heart of the City of London and the UK economy. The £536 million scheme includes works to provide improved passenger access and increased circulation and interchange space. It will deliver:

• a new entrance on Cannon Street with lifts and escalator connections;
• a new Northern line passenger concourse using the existing southbound platform tunnel;
• a new Northern line southbound train tunnel and platform tunnel; and
• new passenger routes between the Northern line, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the Central line.

The scheme is set to transform Bank Station, regularly voted the worst station in London by London Underground passengers.

The works required a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO), Listed Building Consent applications (including the Grade I listed Mansion House — home of the Lord Mayor of London), and an application for a Faculty Licence under the Faculty Jurisdiction for the Church of England for works to the Grade I listed St Mary’s Abchurch. The scheme also requires land from, and protective covenants over, some of the most important buildings and significant financial institutions and investors in the UK.

There were 40 objections made to the application which triggered the need for a public inquiry. The Secretary of State for Transport held the public inquiry into LUL’s application in April/May 2015 and for the first time for a scheme of this size and nature, no party appeared to object to the scheme. 

London Underground Limited has subsequently been awarded its TWAO within seven months of the completion of the inquiry with a supportive report from the independent Inspector, Bridget Campbell BA (Hons) MRTPI, who said, “A notable feature of the Inquiry is that there was no challenge to LUL's evidence, with no parties availing themselves of the opportunity to cross examine LUL's eight witnesses and no party appearing at the Inquiry to present opposing evidence. This is remarkable for a complex engineering project in a constrained environment, and with a construction period lasting several years.”

As specialists in TWAO applications and the assessment of transport impacts, Steer Davies Gleave was commissioned to manage the process at the time the applications were submitted including provision of strategic review and advice on the key inquiry documents. 

LUL’s success in being awarded its TWAO for the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade scheme in such a seamless manner adds to Steer Davies Gleave’s considerable list of consents gained for our clients.