Refurbishment work is finally under way at the Hanger Lane station subway more than three years after Ealing Council transferred £235,000 in Section 106 developer contributions to Transport for London (TfL), with TfL disputing Liberal Democrat claims about the cause of the delay.
The improvements include replacing broken tiles at the subway entrances, renewing anti-slip surfacing and installing anti-graffiti artwork on the railway bridge. TfL said the work is expected to be completed by the end of the summer.
Ealing Council told EALING.NEWS it received the £235,000 from The Stay Club development in December 2022 and transferred it to TfL in January 2023.
The Ealing Liberal Democrats claimed TfL had “seemed to ‘misplace’ the funds in their systems and so it ‘disappeared’ without the works being done”, saying Hanger Hill ward Councillor Athena Zissimos spent more than two years pursuing the issue with both Ealing Council and TfL.
The Liberal Democrats claimed email correspondence showed TfL was still trying to assign the funding internally in February 2025. They pointed to an email dated 10 February 2025 in which a TfL officer wrote: “Sounds as if we need to assign the funds in the right place internally and he can get started.” The party said this supported its claim that Councillor Athena Zissimos’ two-year campaign helped bring the project forward.
TfL rejected that interpretation.
A TfL spokesperson told EALING.NEWS: “The funding for this work was not misplaced. Like all our improvement projects, this scheme required design development, planning and coordination before any work could begin, and we work hard to deliver these projects at pace as part of a wider programme of maintenance and improvements.”
They added: “We look forward to completing the refurbishment later this summer so that those in the area can benefit from a cleaner and more welcoming subway.”
Ealing Council said it transferred the funding to TfL in January 2023 and referred questions about the timing, management and delivery of the project to TfL.
Councillor Athena Zissimos, Liberal Democrat spokesperson for environment, streets, parks and climate change, said: “Liberal Democrats are pleased that the original tile designs are being adhered to in Hanger Lane subway, returning it to its former glory and contributing to a clean and refurbished community environment. It shows that it is only through my persistence, doggedness and diligence that this project is delivering. The Liberal Democrats deliver for local residents.”
, with TfL disputing Liberal Democrat claims about the cause of the delay.){kind=link}