A few weeks ago I phoned the Chief Executive of Tube Lines, Terry Morgan, and the Managing Director of London Underground, Tim O’Toole, to ask what they were doing with the embankment by Highgate Tube station. (There are some advantages to being Chair of Transport in London!)
I already knew that work was being done to stop Archway Road falling down the embankment, but – the vegetation has been cleared out in such brutal fashion that confidence amongst local residents and the Highgate Society about what it would look like after the work was done has been sinking. It has also undermined confidence about what sort of fence (cheap and ugly or attractive and appropriate?) we would end up with along Archway Road and whether other improvements for pedestrians would be made.
I have an obvious interest both as a resident of Highgate and as twice daily user of Highgate station. And the news was getting worse – word had reached me through nefarious means that Tube Lines had not been working as closely as one might have wished with Transport for London (TfL), who are in charge of London Underground.
According to one mole, Tube Lines had steamed ahead with the construction (or rather deconstruction!) works. This had resulted in TfL not having any control over how the street aspects of the works would be designed or co-ordinated – and without TfL having time to produce decent designs for the pedestrian environment and the all-important fence. They were now in the process of rushing through designs on the hoof.
I spoke to Terry because I wanted to speak to someone high up enough to make decisions but low down enough to know what was actually happening. He duly obliged and the project manager rang me the next day.
There I am, all ready to harangue him about Tube Lines dashing ahead without proper consultation, when he points out to me that this isn’t true. Tube Lines, in order to commence any such works has to pass through a series of formal and contractual stages before they can get anywhere near the site.
And who gave the go ahead? Knock me down with a feather – London Underground, who are managed by Transport for London – the very people from where the story "Tube Lines didn’t talk to us in time" has come from.
Then Tim O’Toole from London Underground rings me. Now Tim is a sharp cookie in that way that smart American lawyers can be. And he knows how to schmooze too. So he says he will do some digging and get back to me. I say to him that I want a meeting arranged for me (and key stakeholders) with all the main players so that we can not only get to the bottom of all of this but make sure that we get a really good outcome in terms of the fence, the pavements, vegetation etc.
This is a rare opportunity to design something decent, aesthetically and practical at a site many people use or pass by. It mustn’t be lost.
Tim does his digging and soon afterwards we set a date for the meeting later this month. We will go to the site and then have a meeting with all the key players where I’ll have the chance to ensure residents’ views are heard. (By the way, if you have any comments about the existing works, please do let me have them – you can call me on (020) 8340 5459 or email me on lynne@lynnefeatherstone.org).
Who knows what story will come out about TfL and London Underground (not) talking to each other – but at least TfL have moved swiftly now. And, of course, schmoozing always helps!
