BERMONDSEY VILLAGE ACTION GROUP

BVAG
INFORMATION OFFICE 14 CRUCIFX LANE LONDON SE1 3JW BVAG.NET Mr David Higgins CEO Network Rail Kings Place 90 York Way London N1 9AG 28 November 2011 Dear Mr Higgins As you may be aware, BVAG has launched an awareness campaign and petition calling on Southwark Council, the GLA and Network Rail to reject the presently proposed heritage-hostile plans for London Bridge Station. This process has invited people to express their preferences as between preservation of the existing Victorian heritage assets of the Station and their demolition. It has become clear that there is an overwhelming majority opinion in favour of retaining the South Eastern Railway Office building and the flank wall of the Charles Driverdesigned, listed train shed. We have presently collected around 2000 signatories to our petition and that number is growing steadily. You may have seen the photoshop images that we have produced to show how both buildings can be readily opened up to provide quite adequate and characterful entrances at street level (further copies attached). The following questions arise: 1. Has Network Rail asked Grimshaws to work up an alternative treatment for the entrances to the proposed new concourse that retain the two heritage structures that the current proposals would see demolished? 2. If the answer to the above is no, will Network Rail cooperate with us and some local conservation-minded architects who would be ready to work with us to produce some renderings of such an alternative treatment?

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3. Are you ready to meet a delegation of conservation specialists assembled by BVAG to discuss a more conservation orientated treatment of various details of the station proposals? 4. Are you willing to support a proposal to utilise the ironwork of the Driver shed in the immediate area that would save it from being scrapped and preserve it in the local architectural fabric? 5. We would now like to deliver copies of our first 2000 signatures to you. Please tell me where we should deliver it. Yours sincerely

Russell Gray

BVAG.NET Email: admin@bvag.net Tel: 020 7378 0088 Opening hours: Wednesday - Friday : 12.30pm - 5.30pm.