Small South London town to be transformed by Crossrail 2, but people fear Croydon-style skyscrapers

People living in a small south London town set to be transformed with a Crossrail 2 station if the plans go ahead say they are unsure whether they will use the line at all. The successor to the Elizabeth Line would run from Surrey south of the capital to Hertfordshire north of the city, specifically between Epsom, Shepperton and Chessington South and Broxbourne and New Southgate.

Currently, Transport for London (TfL) says it is monitoring the country in case there are buildings that could block the project. It would target the busiest stations and lines on the London Underground and National Rail networks.

This includes ‘major interchange locations’. Worcester Park is one of the smaller towns in London set to benefit from a station, but people are divided over the benefits and some fear that high-rise development will change the look of the area.

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One of them is Mark Ball, 59, a maintenance worker at a private hospital who moved to the area from the north-east 37 years ago. He said: “I hope there won’t be any bigger buildings (…) I don’t want to see high-rise buildings. I think it would spoil the atmosphere of the area.”

But he also said: “People around here definitely need the opportunity for flats.” Of the new rail link itself, he said: “It’s not really something we would use. We ride motorbikes – it’s just the best way to get around. I think it would be good if there was more money coming into the area anyway.”

Mr Ball’s wife, Donna Frankcom, 57, who works in insurance accounts, said: “People need good public transport (…) It’s about getting the balance right, isn’t it? All the nimbies say they don’t want housing, but they want the transport links and the doctors and things like that. It’s six and two three.”

But Ms Frankcom noted that the construction of taller buildings in some areas of south London was making them look more like Croydon, which has seen a spate of skyscrapers built in the city centre in recent years. She stressed that this was not an insult to Croydon.