Battersea joins Beefeater in spirited fight against Tube line’s land grab

 
16 September 2013

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home has lambasted Transport for London’s compulsory purchase plans to make way for the Northern line extension.

The rescue home has joined the Beefeater Gin distillery in nearby Kennington to write to the Transport Secretary opposing being made to sell large swaths of property. It would have to vacate 70 per cent of its site on a 14-day notice, it says, under legislation proposed by TfL.

The powers will become available under a Transport and Works Act Order. TfL says it needs to construct a raft beneath the building. In the letter to Patrick McLoughlin, seen by property website CoStar News, home chief executive Claire Horton calls TfL’s sweeping powers “excessive”, adding that the transport body “has insufficient understanding of the complexity and sophistication of the facilities at our building”.

She adds: “The Battersea site accommodates an intensive mix of uses. These specialist facilities cannot be substituted even on a temporary basis. Uncertainty is delaying decision making that is impacting on the welfare of the several hundred dogs on site.”

Chivas Brothers, operators of the Beefeater distillery, has also written objecting to TfL’s plans to compulsorily purchase land for a ventilation shaft. The company says dangers posed by the construction would prevent it operating on the site.

Michèle Dix, TfL managing director of planning, said: “We are not expecting a decision on the extension from the Government until summer 2014. It might be necessary to have temporary access to the Battersea site. However, we are in very positive discussions and no animals will have to leave.”

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