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Camden New Journal - by PAUL KEILTHY
Published: 12 July 2007

150 developers bid to book site next to library

HIGH-rise buildings could loom behind the British Library as developers scramble to buy government land worth millions in Somers Town.
A 3.6-acre site is being branded as “Somerstown St Pancras – a New Chapter” by estate agents handling the sale by the land’s owners, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
More than 150 developers have registered an interest since the site – bordered by Ossulton Street, Brill Place and Midland Road – went on the market officially two weeks ago, according to estate agents Cluttons, which produced a glossy brochure promoting the sale.
The sale notes state the overall guidelines are for five-storey buildings but add that there is “considerable scope for high-density development… there is potential for tall buildings on the east side of site subject to suitable quality of design”.
Bidders have until August 2 to register an interest in the land, originally bought for the British Library project but now considered surplus to requirements.
It falls vacant this year as the current tenants, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link construction companies, remove temporary offices before the line opens in November.
The New Journal revealed in April that the DCMS was planning to sell the plot to the highest bidder, sparking protests from Somers Town residents.
Holborn and St Pancras Labour MP Frank Dobson called on the government to develop the land “for the benefit of local people, either through providing open space for recreation or affordable housing”.
Mr Dobson said this week: “It is ridiculous that it has been put on the open market and I hope that it can still be used for public benefit – of benefit to humanity in terms of housing – and not an office block.
“One of the problems we now face is that some people now regard any publicly-owned land or buildings as a way of making money.”
The land is covered by a planning brief produced by Camden Council, stating that the site is suitable for “mixed-use development” likely to feature shops, offices and luxury housing.

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