About/Contact us
Who are we?
The Clapham Junction Action Group (CJAG) is a non-political group of people dedicated to representing the interests of the local community. CJAG was founded by Cyril Richert and formed spontaneously in response to the threat of proposed skyscrapers (two 42-storey towers) at Clapham Junction station. Thanks to the responses of the local community when they were made aware of the need to protest, we succeeded in stopping that development as well as a proposed 16 storey hotel nearby.
As a result, the Council has become more focused about what the residents of our borough truly want, and hopefully the Council’s Site-Specific and Development Management policies (effectively the rules for developers) will be amended to reflect this new thinking.
We are concerned that our involvement should not just be reactive, but a positive contribution to any new development. Clapham Junction Station is the biggest junction in Europe. It is in a disgraceful state, a national scandal, and as such it should be treated as a priority. Although we are in favour of transport improvements, we want to see these de-linked from the construction of towers, and are pushing for Network Rail to honour its commitments (as set out in its Strategic Plan 2006-14) to develop the station itself.
Cyril Richert is an IT specialist in banking and Internet solutions. He has lived in Mossbury Road for 8 years and chose to settle in Clapham Junction due to the mix of great transport facilities and “village” atmosphere, with the proximity of the Common and the presence of some great local shops and activities in the vicinity. He is convinced that addressing the need of the community with skyscrapers, and transforming Wandsworth into Canary Wharf, shouldn’t be the chosen way to fund necessary developments.
Kate Williams is a lawyer specialising in the rail sector and has lived in the area for 10 years. As a single mum with a daughter at school in Battersea, she can be seen struggling through the Junction each morning, four year old in tow. Kate is horrified by the prospect of the twin towers looming over her flat and thinks that the area needs more affordable housing for families, not more starter flats for execs. “The proposed transport improvements are a con”, she says. “What most people don’t realise is that the majority of the improvements, including lifts and platform straightening, will be carried out by Network Rail. All the developers will be doing is booting the entrance back up St John’s Hill and creating a shopping centre around it.”
How can you get involved?
Please use the Contact Form on this page and ask to join our list of supporters. We will send you regular updates of meetings and leaflet drops, and keep you informed of developments in major planning applications, including details of the planning hearing itself (so far 1 or 2 emails every quarter… you won’t be submerged).
We need volunteers to write articles for the website and to help with leafleting. We also need people to lobby Councillors, the Mayor of London and MPs, as well as publicising the development in the London Press.
We want to counter the misinformation put out by developers or other stakeholders and to ensure that everyone is aware of what is happening.
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