Hammersmith Bridge and ‘rotting’ property deemed ’embarrassing’ by Putney election candidates

Hammersmith Bridge and the state of a ‘rotting’ south London property have been branded ’embarrassing’ by candidates vying to become the next MP for Putney. Candidates vying for a seat were asked how they would tackle key local issues in the June 18 general election – including housing, transport and empty shops.

Labor MP Fleur Anderson, who was elected MP for Putney in 2019, took part in the poll at St Mary’s Church, along with Conservative Lee Roberts, the Lib Dems’ Kieren McCarthy, the Greens’ Fergal McEntee, Labour’s Heiko Khoo and Peter Hunter of Reform UK. . The debates were organized by The Putney Society, with questions from residents read out by a moderator.

The five-year closure of the Hammersmith Bridge to vehicles sparked a heated debate between the candidates as they disagreed on how and whether to reopen it. Ms Anderson said Putney had been plunged into “chaos” by the closure and called on the Government to approve Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s business case to completely fix it. “It’s clearly a government issue and it’s a national embarrassment that it hasn’t been resolved,” she added.

READ MORE: Driver wins against Kingston Council over roadworks fine and warns 3,000 drivers could be refunded

Mr McCarthy also said the government would have to fund repairs to the bridge, estimated to cost £250m, and pledged to reopen it within a year if elected. Mr Roberts, however, called for Transport for London (TfL) to deal with repairing the bridge, while Mr Hunter said TfL and the government should tackle it together.

Mr McEntee told residents he would prioritize motorists ditching their cars for public transport as the bridge is already open to pedestrians and cyclists. “It’s not about one bridge,” he said. “It’s about the fact that we have a city full of cars and we don’t need cars.”

Mr Khoo suggested a new bridge next to the existing crossing would “immediately solve the problem” before tackling repairs.

Candidates were also asked how they would support the long-awaited regeneration of the Alton Estate in Roehampton. Plans under Wandsworth Council’s old Tory administration, drawn up in 2014, would have seen 288 homes on the estate demolished for 1,108 new homes, including 261 affordable homes. But Labor scrapped the plans when it took control of the authority in 2022, arguing they did not include enough council homes to set up a new scheme.

Mr McCarthy said angry residents had been “treated appallingly for 20 years” as he raised concerns their views were not properly considered. “It was the estate of the future,” he said. “It’s been left to rot and it’s an embarrassment.”

Ms Anderson criticized the Conservatives’ old plans as failing to take the whole area into account. She said the Labor council had now drawn up the “right plan” for the Alton Estate, which includes homes, shops, community spaces and transport, by consulting residents and there would be a vote to decide whether to go ahead with the proposals due to the course.

Mr Roberts said the old Tory scheme needed some improvement and he was prepared to criticize his party, but accused Labor of abandoning it “for pure ideology”. He asked that the old plans be reinstated.

However, Mr McEntee claimed the property had become a “political football between Labor and the Tories”. He said it’s most important to listen to residents and allow them to tell the council what they want for the property.

Mr Khoo described the estate as being “left to rot” when he last visited in 2015. He said residents “need to be in control of their lives” and he would support their views on regeneration. Mr Hunter added that he would work more closely with residents to make their wishes come true.

Another key issue raised at the meeting was the regeneration of Putney High Street. Mr McCarthy said he had nearly 20 empty shops and, when questioned about refurbishing it, had launched a charity to open them, taking the rent and helping local businesses set up. Mr Hunter said he would support the charity if elected.

Mr McEntee also described the number of empty shops on the high street as “an absolute disgrace”. He called for tougher fines for overseas shop owners of empty shops and pledged to introduce a scheme to give grants to local businesses to bring them back into use. Ms Anderson said councils should be given more power over landlords to open empty shops, while supporting Labor policies to replace business rates, stamp out late payments from big customers and tackle shoplifting .

Mr Khoo called for the temporary suspension of business rates for empty shops to help small businesses and said he wanted to see more variety on the high street. Mr Anderson has pledged to create a “world-class farmers’ market” using Putney’s riverside location and bring in large-scale businesses to renew parts of it to make Putney “the foodie capital of London”.

Candidates also answered questions about crime, the cost of living crisis, education, climate change and the Israel-Gaza war. Rejoin EU’s Felix Burford-Connole was unable to attend the debates but was represented by Bill Colegrave, who described Brexit as a “horror story”.

Voters will head to the polls to choose who they want to represent them on July 4th. Residents who cannot go to the polling station on the day must apply for a postal vote by 5pm on June 19.

Do you have a story? Email [email protected].

Don’t miss the biggest local stories. Sign up to our MySouthLondon newsletter HERE for all the latest daily news and more.