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 Roger Madelin |
King's Cross developer attacks planning rules
It's 'bizarre' says man who runs Europe's biggest building site
THE chief executive of the company behind the massive redevelopment of the King’s Cross railway lands has described the council planning system as “bizarre”.
Roger Madelin, boss at Argent Limited, said: “I’m tired of the fact that we can’t embrace local politicians and involve them in debate.
“It seems complete nonsense that we’re not allowed to sit down with community representatives and discuss what they want and how they feel.”
Planning rules state that councillors should not talk about designs with developers before they are discussed at a formal Town Hall meeting.
In the case of the King’s Cross redevelopment, 16 councillors held the final say on the proposals, voting at a council session spanned over two nights in March.
The process is currently the subject of a legal row which could end up in the High Court. Protesters have warned through their lawyers that a judicial review will be launched if the planning permission that was granted is not reviewed.
Mr Madelin said: “To be held back for six years and then be sat in front of 16 people who I’ve never had a debate with in order to decide something this big seems to be totally bizarre to me.”
Argent’s plans – covering 65 acres of land behind King’s Cross and St Pancras railway stations – have been criticised for favouring office space over affordable housing for families. Mr Madelin – speaking to new King’s Cross community magazine Cross Section – said: “Getting money to develop property is not easy. I think if most people saw the rates of return we need to be making they would understand why we need not to make this a horrible place. That’s not the way to create value in the long term.”
And he insisted that the new development would not be completely full of familiar shopping centre names.
Mr Madelin added: “I’m sure in the southern area of the King’s Cross development and certainly in the stations there will be lots of shops that people recognise, because that’s what people want.
“But if you go to the heart of the development there will be shops that you won’t see in the high streets.”
Cross Section will be officially launched on October 5. It has received backing from Camden Council.
Editor Catherine Packard said: “I live here and I often feel out of the loop. We wanted to create something special because that’s what the area is.”
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