The London Boroughs of Sutton and Merton have joined forces to progress proposals for a London Tramlink extension from Wimbledon to Sutton Town Centre via Morden. They have appointed OPM Group to carry out a consultation on the proposals with a preferred route shown to leave the current Wimbledon branch of Tramlink at Morden Road and running to Sutton Town Centre via Morden Hall Road, St Helier Avenue and Rosehill. Several alternative routings are also given for people to comment on.
The routes discussed in the consultation are:
Preferred route: Leaves the current Tramlink route at Morden Road and running via Morden, Central Road, Cartmel Gardens, St Helier Avenue, Rosehill Roundabout, St Helier Hospital, Rose Hill Park, Angel Hill, Sutton High Street North and then running on a loop at Sutton serving St Nicholas Way, Sutton Railway Station and Throwley Way.
Alternative option 1a: extends the route north via Morden Road to serve South Wimbledon tube station.
Alternative 1b: Would also serve South Wimbledon but would run via Nursery Road Playing Fields and Abbey Recreation Ground instead of Morden Road reducing costs in comparison to 1a.
Alternative option 2: Avoiding St Helier Hospital instead running direct between Rosehill Roundabout and Rose Hill Park reducing costs and journey times.
Alternative option 3: running north along Sutton High Street, from Sutton Court Road to Greenford Road instead of via St Nicholas Way reducing costs.
Discussing the proposals Cllr Andrew Judge, Merton Council cabinet member for environmental sustainability and regeneration, commented: “An extension to Tramlink, connecting a significant area of the borough to the major transport hubs of Wimbledon and Sutton could provide quick, easy and clean public transport for many people. We want to hear from residents and businesses about what they think of the proposals. We will then ensure that residents’ views are shared with TfL and taken into account in deciding on where a Tramlink extension would go. Our preferred route would run mainly on-road between the existing Morden Road tram stop, along Morden Hall Road, St Helier Avenue, up to Rose Hill and on to Sutton town centre.”
The Sutton extension of London Tramlink is just one of several options on the table for Transport for London to consider (with the Crystal Palace extension being the most high profile) and at the moment there is no funding available for the construction but Sutton and Merton Councils are trying to get interest in the scheme now so that they can go to TfL with a better idea of what the public want.
Consultation is open until 17th August and details of how you can give your views can be found at http://www.suttonmertontramlink.co.uk/?page_id=11.