Catford Town Centre Framework

The Catford Town Centre Framework sets out our vision for the future of Catford. Shaped by four years of consultation and over 3,000 comments and ideas from local residents, the Framework Plan will guide the development of new homes, shops and improvements to public space over the coming decades. 

The Framework Plan seeks to transform the town centre and support the local community by:

• Providing new homes across the town centre, including affordable homes for local residents. Up to 2,700 homes will be built in total over the next couple of decades. Half of these homes are set to be affordable, including almost 1,000 new social homes for families on our housing waiting list, helping to tackle the housing crisis. 
• Re-routing the South Circular road, which will create new pedestrianised public space with trees, planting and new community facilities.
• Making the heart of Catford town centre largely car-free, helping to improve air quality and road safety.
• Redeveloping the Catford Shopping Centre for new retail space, while maintaining the town centre’s current range of diverse and independent shops.
• Creating segregated cycle lanes, secure cycle parking and wider pavements to enable more walking and cycling, with a new pedestrianised approach for Catford Bridge Station.
• Creating a new civic hub and a cluster of affordable creative and cultural workspaces which will secure more day to evening footfall and help boost Catford's night-time economy.

A green town centre

Our aim is to make Catford the greenest town centre in London. Generous areas of public space will be created with new trees, planting and riverside access to the River Ravensbourne, reflecting local residents' ambitions for more natural planting and improvements to river access. 

A green toolkit will underpin development in Catford and private developers will be required to meet our vision for a Greener Lewisham, helping to achieve our target of making Lewisham carbon neutral by 2030.

Alongside improvements to walking and cycling infrastructure in and around the town centre, the re-routing of the South Circular will help make Catford more pedestrian-friendly and create a largely car-free town centre.

A vibrant town centre

Catford is currently home to a diverse range of shops and local businesses and community feedback has shown that local people want to retain the character of the town centre and ensure this remains the case.

To help facilitate this, the Framework Plan aims to strengthen the shopping experience on Rushey Green, Catford Road and Catford Broadway to support existing businesses and create an accessible shopping area, as well as introducing flexible space for workspace, creative uses and small, independent shops in a new area - The Yards - directly behind Catford Broadway. 

The newly-refurbished Broadway Theatre and civic buildings will be placed at the heart of a cultural revival for Catford, with new entertainment, performance venues and places to meet and eat, bringing the town centre to life throughout the day and into the evening.

New homes for Catford

Our vision for Catford aims to deliver 2,700 new homes across the town centre over the coming decades, including nearly 1,000 new social homes for families on our housing waiting list, helping to tackle the housing crisis.

The delivery of new homes will bring significant benefits for the local community, including more opportunities for local shops and businesses, new areas of public space and improvements to enable walking and cycling.