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Ken says yes to King's Cross development
Mayor’s approval of £2bn
plan disappoints objectors
MAYOR of London Ken Livingstone has given his approval to
the £2 billion plans that will change the face of King’s
Cross forever – dashing objectors’ hopes he might
stand in the way of developers Argent Limited.
Protesters want historical industrial buildings on the sprawling
railway lands to be saved and have argued that Argent’s
proposals – agreed by Camden Council earlier this month
– should be geared towards new affordable homes rather
than offices.
But they are now running out of opportunities to hold up the
scheme with Mr Livingstone happy for work to begin on the land
behind King’s Cross and St Pancras stations – Europe’s
largest brownfield site.
Mr Livingstone, a former Camden councillor, said on Friday:
“After many decades of decay we will start to see the rebirth
of this crucial part of our city. The developer has responded
imaginatively to this opportunity and to the challenges of this
site. This is one of the largest sites still to be developed
in central London and I hope the development can now get going
after so many years of planning.”
His words have been met with disappointment among the dozens
of campaign groups who wanted Argent to find a way to save buildings
like the Culross building which will be flattened under the
agreed blueprint.
Also upset are housing campaigners who say Argent’s offer
of 2,000 new homes is not good enough in an area in desperate
need of inexpensive housing for families.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, who has the power to ‘call
in’ the designs for extra scrutiny and possibly a public
inquiry, is now one of the final ports of call.
Sian Berry, from Camden Green Party, has already written to
Mr Prescott urging him to intervene. She said that Argent’s
planning applications were too big to be handled by the council’s
planning team and Mr Livingstone. In a separate letter, King’s
Cross Conservation Area Advisory Committee member Lisa Pontecorvo
said: “We feel that the application is too big, complex
and controversial to be decided by 15 members of Camden Council.”
Argent chief executive Roger Madelin said he was “delighted”
with Mr Livingstone’s endorsement for his company’s
plans for the 67-acre site.
He said Argent’s plan would create 25,000 jobs, new shops
and leisure facilities. |
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