Plans revealed for new south London links

Plans for a possible extension to a busy Tube line and a new bridge across the River Thames were outlined today by London Mayor Boris Johnson.

The Underground's Northern line could be extended from Kennington in south London to Nine Elms and Battersea, while a pedestrian-and-cyclist bridge might be built linking Pimlico north of the Thames to Nine Elms to the south.

The schemes are part of an overall development plan for the Nine Elms areas of south London, which would include 16,000 new homes and up to 25,000 new jobs.

The plan is that over the next two decades and beyond, nearly 200 hectares of derelict and under-used land in the Nine Elms area, stretching from Vauxhall to Battersea Power Station, will be regenerated into new communities, with green open spaces.

Mr Johnson said today: "This vision represents the final piece of the jigsaw that completes the central area of London. Although we are currently in a downturn, the area as it stands will, in the coming decades, deliver a substantial number of new homes and new jobs.

"The regeneration of Vauxhall and Nine Elms now is hugely significant in allowing us to support the economic growth of the whole of the capital, and, with the other major regeneration projects like the Olympic Park and Kings Cross taking shape, the prosperity and the role of our great city in the world is assured.

"More than that, this neglected area, which for years has failed to fulfil its potential and is disconnected from surrounding neighbourhoods, will become a thriving new quarter for living, leisure and business and an easily accessible destination for Londoners and visitors."