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| School and pool plan for King’s
Cross |
How the new development will look |
REVISED plans for the £2 billion King’s Cross development
include a new primary school, extra homes, a swimming pool and leisure
complex – and a set of wind turbines.
Developers Argent, London and Continental Railways and Exel submitted
their new proposals for the scheme – Europe’s largest
development – to bosses at Camden and Islington councils last
Wednesday.
The revisions follow consultation exercises by the town halls and
the developers after the original application was submitted in May
2004.
Critics attacked the plans for having too much office space at the
expense of affordable housing and leisure facilities.
But the revised scheme includes more landscaping and open spaces,
a health care centre, an indoor sports hall and a children’s
centre with a nursery and drop-in crèche.
The primary school would have a two-class entry each year.
Developers have also proposed a new park, which they want to create
within a Victorian gas holder that was once a feature of the King’s
Cross skyline. It has been dismantled and will be rebuilt on the
site.
An extra 100 flats have been added under the new proposals –
making the final total 1,700 – along with another 650 homes
for students.
Up to 14 wind turbines and solar water heating are included in the
proposals. Landscaping will feature native species.
The revised plans have been greeted with caution by groups in the
area. Lisa Tang, the Friends of Regent’s Canal, said the changes
“smacked of tokenism”.
She added: “It should be a shining example of sustainability
and an incredible showcase for the world. There are still too many
offices and not enough green spaces.”
But Satnam Gill, chairman of King’s Cross Development Forum,
said it was still too early to make a judgement.
Mr Gill, who is principal of the Working Men’s College in Crowndale
Road, Camden Town, said: “On a number of issues they have responded
to concerns, for example, on open space. There has been a bit of
movement in housing.
“Building heights are still a concern and the critical one
is how they deal with transport and affordable housing.
“The real positive is that there are a lot of areas where they
are putting bits of green space. But the full documents are only
just beginning to come in and it is all going to be in the detail
and how everything fits together. We will have to wait and see how
it goes.”
A six-week consultation on the new proposals begins on Monday. A
series of public workshops explaining the changes are also being
staged. For more information, contact Camden King’s Cross team
on 020 7974 2565 or e-mail kxteam@camden.gov.uk. |
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