Sutton Council has agreed to commit nearly £4 million to cover an unexpected funding shortfall for the upgrade of Belmont Station after project costs ballooned due to inflation. The Liberal Democrat administration allocated £3.98 million in council funding at an urgent meeting of the Strategy and Resources Committee on June 22.
Upgrade to double train services and support Cancer Hub
The upgrade will enable Belmont station to accommodate four trains per hour, doubling the current service. It is a key part of plans to support the expansion of the nearby London Cancer Hub, a £1 billion project expected to create 13,000 jobs and contribute £1.2 billion to the local economy. Council officials and Cancer Hub leaders said the hub's success will depend on a major shift away from car travel.
Sutton Council received £14.1 million from the Levelling Up Fund under the previous Conservative government in February 2024 to double train services to Belmont. However, following the change of government, the fund has since been scrapped.
Council funding needed to keep project on schedule
Council Leader Barry Lewis and senior officers told councillors the additional funding was needed to ensure Network Rail could keep the scheme on track for completion by December 2027. Network Rail, responsible for platform extensions and signalling upgrades, required the additional funding to be approved by July 22 to maintain the schedule.
The council said delaying the project beyond October 2026 would add approximately £500,000 to costs, while any further delay would introduce "unquantifiable risks." Aborting the project would damage the viability of the London Cancer Hub expansion, which is predicated on improved active and sustainable travel to the medical and research centre.
Council to lobby for additional match funding
While the council agreed to put up the initial money, it also committed to lobbying for additional match funding should it become available. Council officers acknowledged that securing additional funding would take time, but options remain available.
When questioned by Councillor Ed Parsley about the risk of further funding being needed if costs continued to rise, Spencer Palmer said the council was 90 percent confident this would not happen. While acknowledging that the increase was larger than usual, he added: "We cannot guarantee the cost won't go up any further."
Potential use of Community Infrastructure Levy questioned
The council also said it is considering using funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a planning charge collected by local authorities on new developments. This money can be used to fund essential community infrastructure. However, Labour councillor Dave Tchil, the sole opposition member present, questioned the potential use of CIL funding, warning that this CIL would now not be available for other council projects.
In response, Cllr Lewis told Cllr Tchil to "contact the Labour Government and Labour Mayor to point out the various CIL changes that are demonstrably unfair on a number of London boroughs," referring to upcoming plans to change how the levy works.
Network Rail works to begin in August
With the funding committed, Network Rail is due to begin rail improvement works on August 7, with further works scheduled over the August bank holiday. Paul Richmond, Head of Business Development at Network Rail, said: "We are pleased to be working with Sutton Council and Greater Thameslink Railway to deliver improved train services to Belmont Station, which will make a meaningful difference to customer journeys. We are currently designing a 45-metre platform extension to support longer, ten-car trains and, in future, more frequent services. The works to extend the station platform and improvements to the approach to the station will support improved rail services expected to start in early 2028."
