Crossrail project approved, Bond Street to get new station
October 6, 2007 by Rob Powell
With the scent of a possible General Election in the air, the Government has approved a £16 billion package to make the long talked of Crossrail project a reality. The 73 mile route will connect Maidenhead in Berkshire, with Shenfield in Essex – travelling through Central London and stopping at Mayfair’s Bond Street station about slap bang in the middle.
There’ll be a new Bond Street station to meet the capacity expected, and planning consent has already been sought to demolish 18-19 Hanover Square to build a new ticket office and entrance.
absolutely not needed. On the one hand Westminster Council wants Mayfair to “return to a more residential area” ala George III period, on the other it gives the ok to make it as an unappealing place to live. The result? super rich people buy houses/flats etc, dont live in them -who would ? and leave them empty-squatters move in and the whole mess goes round. If the council is, or indeed ever was serious about a return to the grand old days of George III then why not pull down some eyesores, and build neo georgian houses-hell why not a palladian villa or two? I am sure that out there are a few people with 200-300 mill to spend on a trophy home with a good sized garden slap bang in London.
As it stands though more of the ugly rubbish glass structures go up, the ground beneath is ever tunnelled -and disruption to the quiet enjoyment of peoples lives given the ok to build these bloody stupid schemes to create employment fior a gang of (pardon me) hairy-arsed builders. Beautiful system. As with the H2 Chiltern line -another monumental white elephant, this crossrail is a only there to make artificial jobs to push down the out-of-work quotient. Realistically it only serves to make the quality of life worse for the average Mayfair resident. Another great myth is that Mayfair needs millions of people to writhe via its narrow streets to make the place vibrant-utter rubbish. Most outsiders bring crime and chaos to Mayfair. If steel gates could be erected around it’s borders and traffic was banned through its streets-not just stupidly taxed via a charge -but actually stopped the air quality would improve no end. I wouldnt need to repaint the stucco facade so often as the black soot that settles on the exterior would be vastly less.
But…who is listening? an uncaring Govt or developers (read thieves and vandals in the main part-though not all)
God help Mayfair and its poor residents!!!