How the Camden Highline was due to look

IT was sold as a “New Park In The Sky For London” and its supporters claimed it was an exciting use for old infrastructure. But this week the team behind the Camden Highline project announced it will not proceed any further than an architect’s drawing board.

The Highline, a kilometre-long park between Camden Town and King’s Cross along a rail track, was the brainchild of the chief executive of the Camden Town business improvement district, Lord Simon Pitkeathley. Due to cost around £55m, rumours the project was in trouble have dogged the scheme, fuelled by the Highline team consistently refusing to answer questions.

On Tuesday, a press release announced they were “pausing” the project. Originally launched in 2017, more than £2m of public money and private donations have flowed into its coffers. Now campaigners say Lord Pitkeathley must answer questions over when his team realised it was not viable and how it got as far as it did with funda­mental problems obvious from the get-go. This week, the Highline team again refused to speak or answer questions. The project received £400,000 from a Section 106 planning agreement with King’s Cross developers Argent earmarked for improve­ments to the 214 bus service.

A crowdfunding push raised over £65,000 while further cash was provided by Camden Market owners Lab Tech. Cam­paigners from pressure group Future Transport London, who were against the project, claim further monies were received from a Community Investment Levy and HS2 – which a spokes­person for the Highline disputes.

Kate Gemmell, chair of the Tenants and Residents Association of Camden Town (TRACT), told the New Journal that Lord Pitkeathley should resign from his role at Camden Town Unlimited, a business improvement district that drove the Highline project. She said the scheme suffered from a lack of background work that included whether it could legally use Camden Gardens as an access point. She said: “At no point did they have a clear and viable financial plan. There was a lot of public money taken away from other, important projects.”

The use of Camden Gardens was limited due to a 1931 act protecting London squares, which Ms Gemmell said the Highline ignored when they sought to use it as an entry point.

The Highline’s PR firm blamed “rising costs and a challenging fundraising environment”. Opponents say the Highline team are “fishing for excuses” to cover what has been described as a costly white elephant. Campaign group Future Transport London argued the track would be needed as passenger and freight demands rise. Chairman Chris Barker said: “We are delighted this outrageous scheme, which hijacked money intended to improve bus routes around Camden and would have scuppered plans to increase capacity on the over­crowded Mildmay line, has at last been abandoned.”

In a statement, Lord Pitkeathley said he was “truly grateful and deeply sorry”, adding: “Despite the outstanding advice and commitment of experts, this extraordin­arily ambitious challenge has, for now, proved a stretch too far. “

Green infrastructure in cities matters. Finding space for it is rare. And battling through the treacle to make projects like this happen is difficult, lengthy, and expensive. Which is why today’s announcement is so painful to make.”