King's Cross Central
King's Cross Central is a mixed-use development in the north-east of central London. The site is owned and controlled by the King's Cross Central Limited Partnership. It consists of approximately of former railway lands to the north of King's Cross and St Pancras mainline railway stations. The site is largely determined by three boundaries: the existing East Coast Main Line railway leading out of King's Cross; York Way, a road marking the division between Camden and Islington boroughs; and the new railway line, High Speed 1, formerly known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which curves around the site to the north and west.
The master planners for the development were Allies and Morrison, Demetri Porphyrios, and Townshend Landscape Architects. The overall developer is Argent LLP. In 2016, the government announced it had sold their investment in Kings Cross Central for £371 million. The final building of the masterplan was approved in the summer of 2023.
History
The area of what is today Kings Cross was farmland, intersected by York Way heading north leading to a bridge which crossed the River Fleet at Battlebridge. This name led to a tradition that this was the site of a major battle between the Romans and the Iceni tribe led by Boudica, support by writings from the ancient Roman historian Publius Cornelius Tacitus. It was not until the development of New Road in 1765, that the development of Kings Cross began.1820's: Regents Canal
Initially developed as terraced housing, with the opening of the Regents Canal in 1820 the area became industrialised. In 1822 the Imperial Gas Light and Coke Company developed a gas works south of the canal, which drew a number of other highly-polluting industries into the area.1830's: Kings Cross
A a high monument topped by an statue of King George IV was built at the junction of Gray's Inn Road, Pentonville Road and New Road, which later became Euston Road. Designed by architect Stephen Geary, the statue was constructed of bricks and mortar, and finished in a manner that gave it the appearance of stone "at least to the eyes of common spectators". Described by George Walter Thornbury as "a ridiculous octagonal structure crowned by an absurd statue", the unpopular building was demolished in 1845, though the area kept the name of Kings Cross.A structure in the form of a lighthouse was built on top of a building almost on the site about 30 years later. Known locally as the "Lighthouse Building", the popular theory that the structure was an advertisement for Netten's Oyster Bar on the ground floor seems not to be true. It is a grade II listed building.
Railway stations
1849-1852: Great Northern Railway's King's Cross
In 1849, the Great Northern Railway began development of their East Coast Main Line and station in the area. Purchasing land north of the canal for their goods yard and engine depot, they purchased land south of the canal for their King's Cross railway station. However, with the oncoming Great Exhibition, they decided to open a small temporary two-platform station within the goods area named Maiden Lane railway station. In 1852 the line was completed over the canal and Kings Cross station, designed by architect Lewis Cubitt, opened.1850's-1860's: Midland Railway's St Pancras
Before the 1860s, the Midland Railway had a network of routes in the Midlands, south and west Yorkshire and Lancashire and until 1857 the company had no line into London, and used the lines of the London and North Western Railway. After 1857, the company's Leicester and Hitchin Railway gave access to London via the GNR. However, traffic for the second International Exhibition in 1862 suffered great delays over both lines, so the decision was taken to develop its own London terminus from Bedford. Surveying for a long line began in October 1862.Designed by William Henry Barlow, the approaching line to the station crossed the Regent's Canal at height, as a result the line at St Pancras railway station had to be above ground level. Initially planned to be filled with spoil from the tunnels north of the railway lands, instead the void was used for dry freight, including beer from the Brewers of Burton. Beer freight was processed in the centre of the station, between platforms 4 and 5. A central third track ended in a wagon hoist lowering wagons below rail level; beer storage ended in 1967.
The contract for the construction of the station substructure and connecting lines was given to Waring Brothers, with Barlow's assistant Campion as supervisor. To avoid the foundations of the roof interfering with the space beneath, and to simplify the design and minimise cost, they decided to construct a single span roof, with cross ties for the arch at the station level. Constructed by the Butterley Company, the span width, from wall to wall was, with one of 24 ribs every. The resultant single-span roof was long, wide, and high at the apex above the tracks, and was the largest such structure in the world at the time of its completion.
Construction of a hotel fronting the station, the Midland Grand Hotel, began in 1868, and opened in 1873; the design of the hotel and station buildings was by George Gilbert Scott, selected by competition in 1865. The building is primarily brick, but polychromatic, in a style derived from Italian gothic, with numerous other architectural influences.
The railway lands
Both railway companies had land north of the canal, which due to their previous industrial and now commercial use became known as the "railway lands". The company also added the Eastern coal drops, and the later Western coal drops, allowing coal shipments from the Northeast and Midlands to be distributed around London by the canal network, and later by road. In 1888, a canopy was added to provide a sheltered space for potatoes, east of this was a potato market. The gas works also continued to expand, covering by the early 1900s.Post 1945: Decline
After World War II the area declined from being a poor but busy industrial and distribution services district to a partially abandoned post-industrial district. By the 1980s it was notorious for prostitution and drug abuse. This reputation impeded attempts to revive the area utilising the large amount of land available following the decline of the railway goods yard to the north of the station and the many other vacant premises in the area.Regeneration
In 1989, the London Regeneration Consortium submitted proposals to develop the railway lands. In the 1990s the government established the King's Cross Partnership to fund regeneration projects. The London Borough of Camden was "minded to grant" planning proposals for these proposals in 1994. The proposals were subsequently withdrawn.The former Midland Railway goods depot to the west of St Pancras was sold to the British Library. Since 1997 the main collection has been housed in this single building, designed specially for the purpose by the architect Colin St John Wilson. It was the largest public building constructed in the United Kingdom in the 20th century.
A small area of the project, known as the "Triangle Site", fell within the boundaries of Islington. Camden Council granted outline planning permission for the main part of the site in early 2006. This was approved by the government and the Mayor of London, although separate planning permission for the Triangle Site was required from Islington Council. Islington Council initially refused planning permission. There was a public Inquiry in April 2008, and local residents from the King's Cross Railway Lands Group and the Cally Rail Group gave evidence objecting to the proposed development. In July, the inquiry concluded it was in favour of the development.
The commencement of work on High Speed 1 in 2000 provided a major impetus for wider redevelopment. The London terminus of the Eurostar international rail service moved to St Pancras station in November 2007 with the station's redevelopment leading to the demolition of several buildings, including the Gasworks. Following the reopening of the station, redevelopment of the land between the two major stations and the old Kings Cross railway lands to the rear commenced, which included a major renovation and extension of Kings Cross Station itself to bring it up to the same standard as newly restored St Pancras. Meanwhile, outline planning permission was granted for the whole site which included new housing and office developments, as well as a planned amphitheatre made from one of the old gasometers.
The majority of the land at King's Cross Central was used for HS1 construction purposes from July 2001 until autumn 2007. Following the opening of HS1 on 14 November 2007, and with outline planning permission, GLA and GOL approval, the developer Argent Group PLC started the development. Many buildings have been completed and Central Saint Martins of the University of the Arts London was the first occupant of a redeveloped listed buildings.
Detailed planning applications for each part of the site were made on a rolling programme basis. Following completion of the London 2012 Summer Olympics site, King's Cross Central was one of the largest construction projects in Greater London in the first quarter of the 21st century.
The majority of the site falls within two conservation areas. There are several buildings and structures of heritage value, some of which are listed.
Many organisations are affected by the decisions that will be taken by the developers. A partial list includes Camley Street Natural Park, The Cross nightclub, and St Pancras Cruising Club.
Proposed development
King's Cross Central has been identified in national, regional, and local policies as a high density development. It is a brownfield site with excellent public transport links. Buildings proposed ranged from 1 storey to 19 storeys. Protected views of St Paul's from Parliament Hill and Kenwood House will not be affected.At least a third of the site was dedicated to new public routes and open spaces. Argent proposed to create 20 new major routes and 10 new privately owned public spaces. Five of these are major new squares - Granary Square, Station Square, Pancras Square, Cubitt Square, and North Square - which together total.
In addition, the proposals included of new public realm along the Regent's Canal (the Gas Holders Zone and Coal Drops Yard and within a new "Cubitt Park". Argent invested in improvements to the canal corridor, notably lighting and access from Granary Square. About a mile along the towpath to the west is Camden Market, and beyond that Regent's Park and London Zoo; to the east is the Islington Tunnel and then Upper Street, a busy retail and entertainment area. Camley Street Natural Park, Old St. Pancras Church, and Somers Town are now connected to Kings Cross Central by a footbridge, one of three new crossings over the Regent's Canal.