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| FEATURES | BY BILL LEHM |
 An illustration of the redevelopment looking east along the canal  Bill Lehm |
The King’s Cross Railway Lands Group has monitored proposals for developing the 58 acres behind King’s Cross and St Pancras stations since 1987 and so we are pleased that an outline planning application has finally been submitted to Camden and Islington councils. But we don’t want development at any cost. We have always said that local people should benefit from what happens on the site and also that we should not suffer from the negative effects of the work: these are the two things we will be looking at closely over the 14 week consultation period. What’s in the application? Developers Argent St George have applied for up to 5 million square feet of offices but they promise 30,000 jobs. If the plans are approved, almost 40 per cent of the space would be publicly accessible but the roads would be privately owned and they would be patrolled by a private security firm. One area is called the long park but it is a very thin park. Many of the important listed buildings on the site will be retained and refurbished but some others will be demolished the buildings in the shopping and office complex between the two stations would be between 10 and 12 storeys high but the developers also plan about half a dozen buildings 19 storeys high to the north which will be primarily for homes. The tall buildings planned to line the south of Regent’s Canal could have a devastating effect on the wildlife corridor and amenities that the canal provides. Tall buildings could also create the canyon effect where you only see small strips of the sky from the planned central boulevard and the other public spaces. Parts of the development will be phased in one at a time over the next 15 years and the planning process will be a balancing act between what Argent, the councils and the communities want to see there. Or not. Do we really need 30,000 jobs on the railway lands when the mayor’s London plan only calls for 11,400? There are no guarantees these will be new jobs, rather than relocated ones, and local people may get very few of them. What effect will those workers have on the transport system when they are added to the arriving Eurostar and Kent commuter line passengers and to the new shoppers? Do we want to see a private security company policing private roads rather than a community policing unit similar to those operating effectively in parts of Camden now? The situations that Argent prepared for in their various impact assessment documents represent worst case scenarios and the outline application sets the maximum heights of buildings, numbers of jobs and widths of roads. These limits may not be reached. For example, in Camden’s draft planning brief for the area, which was consulted on last summer, only 41 per cent of the built up part was going to be allowed for offices, whereas Argent are now asking for 67.5 per cent of it for offices. If granted, this would leave much less room for community facilities and would result in much less of a sustainable, mixed-use development. Do you approve? Do you want buildings 19 storeys high? Your views can make a difference. Bob McMahon and Coopers Lane Tenants and Residents’ Association called for a public enquiry when Union Rail recently applied to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link: the application was refused. Ordinary people can make a difference rather than passively accept what is presented. If you want to get involved in the public consultation on the development, call Kings Cross Railway Lands Group on 020 7837 6824 and leave your contact details. Or call Camden Council on 020 7974 6024 to find out when and where the next meeting of the development forum is taking place. We hope to see you there. n Bill Lehm is the chairman of the King’s Cross Railway Lands Group, a residents’ group that monitors developments in the area. |
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