Sainsbury’s has formally filed a planning application for a development that could cause problems with the Bakerloo line extension. Sainsbury’s owns a large plot of land next to New Cross Gate station, which includes three other retail sheds, a large car park and petrol station.

TfL has eyed up some of the land to be used as a construction site for the Bakerloo line extension, which will include an underground station as this location, but Sainsbury’s wants to develop the entire plot of land for its own housing and a new supermarket.

At the moment, the supermarket is set back from the main road, behind the car park, but they want to move the supermarket closer to the main road, and put blocks of flats on the rest of the land.

Rather ironically, considering the impact the development could have on the Bakerloo line, the planning application cites the Bakerloo line extension as a supporting factor for the density of the planned blocks of flats.

The developer proposes that a smaller vacant plot on the other side of the railway station would make for a suitable alternative to the Sainsbury’s site, even though the Goodwood Road alternative is about a quarter the size –which has the effect of making construction works slower and more expensive to carry out.

TfL has also considered the smaller site and says that not really viable, and clearly prefers the much larger Sainsbury’s site. Ordinarily, TfL could force a compulsory purchase order on the site, but not until the Bakerloo line consultation works are completed and the Transport Works order issued.

Sainsbury’s will be hoping to have its own planning application approved before that can happen.