Award-winning architect’s vision of a Euston Road opened up to pedestrians

AN ambitious blueprint for the transformation of crowded Euston Road into the London equivalent of Paris’s glamorous Champs-Elysées has been propelled back into the spotlight.
The sweeping plans mapped out by award-winning architect Sir Terry Farrell and his team of designers received a warm reception when they were unveiled in detail to Camden Civic Society’s annual meeting on Thursday night.
They include creating public squares outside King’s Cross and Euston stations, removing an underpass favoured by speeding motorists, New York-style diagonal pedestrian crossings and cut-price book stalls outside the British Museum.
Garry Colligan, the Farrell Partnership’s design director, told the meeting: “We want to get rid of what is essentially an urban motorway.
“We do not have a client, which in some ways makes it easier, but Peter Bishop (Camden’s environment department head) has asked us to look at the Argent St George plans currently going on in King’s Cross.”
The ideas were first discussed in December 2002 when Sir Terry, speaking alongside Mr Bishop, revealed his vision for the Euston Road at an exhibition at the British Library.
Camden Council has a close relationship with Sir Terry’s firm, as they are also working together on the redevelopment of Swiss Cottage.
The plans have also been mulled over by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and the Greater London Authority.
But because the proposal for Euston Road is so wide-ranging, Sir Terry’s practice is still trying to drum up the support it needs among influential politicians to attract funding.
Mr Colligan said: “The Euston Road is used by 60,000 people in cars every day. In the Champs-Elysées in Paris the figure is 110,000. There is no reason why you can’t have cars using it and people enjoying public space. We want to open it up to people.”
Further plans include revamping streets around University College London (UCL) in Bloomsbury to create a student community feel.
“Students come to the UCL but there is no sense of university life,” Mr Colligan added. “We would like to change that by again opening it up.”
Sir Terry’s firm also wants to press ahead with plans for Nash Ramblas – a three-mile, tree-lined route from Primrose Hill into central London – and sprucing up Portland Place to provide a link between Regent’s Park and Oxford Circus.
Mr Colligan added: “It could be a lovely walk. People don’t realise how close Oxford Circus and the park actually are.
“A lot of people’s best idea of where things are in London is the Tube map. And it should not be like that.”
After a detailed presentation of how the schemes might work, Martin Morton, chairman of Camden Civic Society, said: “People said it was a good meeting.
“People may not agree with everything but they are pleased that somebody is trying to think about our futures and do something positive with this space.
“They are right when they say Euston Road is a motorway, and a slow one at that.”
The society has asked designers to return with an update of how the scheme is progressing.
Over the next few months architects are expected to speak at a series of public meetings in Camden and Westminster to promote the plans.