The Deptford Project Café is the first step in a project to completely regenerate the area around Deptford Train Station and the old Victorian carriage ramp.

Soon, Deptford Train Station will be rebuilt. When it's complete, work will start to transform the area that was the original railway yard. A new and important public space with a weekend creative industries market, shops and galleries will form a new heart to Deptford High Street using the original railway arches and restoring the carriage ramp to its former glory. Eventually a new residential building, designed by world-famous architect, Richard Rogers, will be built at the back of the carriage ramp bringing new life to the area and connecting the ramp back to the railway line as it was when it was built as the first suburban railway station in London in 1836.

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I grew up in Lewisham and have always felt like it’s the place we know best.  So whenever opportunities arise to get involved in projects that can really make a change to a part of London we feel very close to, we have always jumped at them.  Deptford High Street is just such a project.

 

When I first heard about the plans for the old railway yard site next to Deptford High Street Station, all the ingredients were there for me – a place I knew and understood, a great opportunity to get involved in something that would really change a place that needed it and of course, a good business opportunity.  The opportunity for us at the old railway yard is to create a place where people want to come and live.  In order to do that we have to build the best place we can and make it better for everyone.  People want to live in vibrant communities and there’s no shortage of community spirit on Deptford High Street.  But it deserves investment.  And the best quality new environment possible.  We have the chance to do that there.  It’s a hidden gem.

 

I called Rebecca Molina who is Deptford born and bred.  We put a team together of local people - I was brought up in Lewisham, James, our Development Manager, lives in nearby Bromley and Danielle, our Marketing Manager, lives in Greenwich. The lead partner from World famous Rogers, Stirk, Harbour + Partners, our project architect, was brought up in Bermondsey.  David Cullingford, our Development Director, comes from Hertfordshire but we can’t hold that against him too much.

 

Working in partnership with Lewisham Council, Network Rail (who are shortly going to start on the long-planned redevelopment of Deptford High Street train station right next to our site), with the Albany and the community of traders and residents along the High Street, I believe we can build something really special that will transform Deptford.

 

That’s why we’ve put so much effort into working with Rebecca and her team at The Deptford Project over the last couple of years.  We knew early on that to leave the site boarded up until we could start work there was the worst thing we could do.  For everyone.  Sites like that cause real problems for traders trying to make their high street vibrant and attractive.  So we wanted to help.  I hope what we’ve been able to do there has added something significant to the area, brought some business,  some colour and a little fun to Deptford High Street.  Our plans for the summer will add significantly to this.  We’re looking forward to it.  It’s important to us.  We’ve also learned a lot. Getting involved with Rebecca has given us such a unique opportunity to meet people, talk about Deptford and work out how to make our project better. Our aim is to build a really beautiful new part of Deptford Town Centre with a lovely new public piazza, amazing architecture and an ambition to make it unique - we care about individuality and character.  Starbucks, Nando’s and McDonalds are not for us and they’re not for Deptford.

 

Our project will only work if we build what people want, so we need to ask more questions.  Very soon we’re going to be starting our consultation programme.  We’ll be doing this right through the spring and talking to as many people as we can.  We’re hoping to be able to get a formal planning application into Lewisham Council later this year with a view to starting work on site sometime in spring 2011.

 

Our ideas that we’re going to be talking about include opening up the yard to create a wonderful new public space, completely restoring the beautiful Victorian carriage ramp and opening the arches underneath for creative workshops.  Part of our commitment to the project is to work with the best possible architects and we’re really proud to be working with Richard Rogers’s team at Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners on the main building.

 

We will be keeping in regular touch with you over the coming months but in the meantime, if you have any questions about our plans for this summer, a good place to start is with Rebecca at The Deptford Project Café.  Our office is only 6 minutes away in London Bridge and David Cullingford, our Development Director (The man from Hertfordshire), or I am happy to hop on the train to come and talk to you at any time.  I look forward to getting to know you all much better over the coming months and working closely with you to make Deptford High Street an even better place.

 

Richard Upton

Chief Executive

Cathedral Group plc