Building a better Lewisham 

Lewisham, its neighbourhoods and its people, has a great opportunity today to be part of a dynamic future of one of the great cities of the world.  London is growing and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  And the 2012 Olympics present amazing opportunities for us all.
 
To seize those opportunities we need a stable and vibrant local economy, founded on balanced and sustainable communities. We will see new jobs in Lewisham, and I will work with our transport and education partners to bring other employment opportunities, in the Thames Gateway and London as a whole, within the reach of our citizens.
 
I will continue to support, through partnership investment and our balanced planning agenda the building of new homes to tackle homelessness and provide for key workers.
 
I will continue to pursue investment in our transport network. I have campaigned recently to have security stepped up at our rail stations and we must demand that South East London gets a better deal in future.  I intend to hold to account Transport for London and the public transport providers, including the rail operators. Our successful campaign to extend the East London Line through Lewisham will strengthen our links north and south of the River Thames. Road accidents continue to fall as a result of our systematic, evidence-led programme to reduce excessive vehicle speeds.
 
Dramatic improvements in the standards of Lewisham's roads and footpaths have resulted from the programme of capital investment I instituted and I intend to continue this until all our roads are in good condition. 
 
Major regeneration schemes will continue to focus on key town centre locations. Lewisham town centre is attracting over £200 million investment in new homes, shops, parks and leisure facilities to make it an attractive place to shop, work and live in.
 
Major investment is planned for Deptford Station and the High Street, bringing better transport links, new homes and improved community safety. In turn, this will link up to the new Convoys Wharf development of 3,500 homes, job opportunities and over £100 million in community benefits for Deptford.

In Catford, I am determined that we will transform the shopping centre and the Milford Towers estate, as well as pressing for the redirection of the South Circular through Catford to facilitate a wider regeneration of the area.