King's Cross

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Video editing: Grand Projet, 2017

With an area of 25.8-hectares, King’s Cross was the largest plot of brownfield land in central London. Its location, effective public transport accessibility and profusion of Victorian buildings stock set it apart as a strategic site of metropolitan importance. This potential, trapped by railway infrastructure for 150 years, was unlocked with the start of construction of the Eurostar rail-link into St Pancras in 2000.

The landowners at that time (London Continental Railways (LCR) and Exel) appointed U.K. property developer Argent as master developer for the site. Supported by a period of decentralised decision-making practices, Camden and Islington Councils joined forces with Argent and various private and public stakeholders to shape a clear vision for the site. The inclusive attitude towards the surrounding local communities (among which some of the most disadvantaged in the country) played a role in enabling an open-ended consultation process. This in turn led to a detailed and comprehensive brief for the site redevelopment.

Following a complex consultation process, Argent and its selected design team of three (Allies and Morrison, Porphyrios Associates and Townshend Landscape Architects) were granted the outline planning application in 2006. Works began a year later with focus on the upgrade of Victorian buildings and the development of the open spaces. To ensure public accessibility from the start of the construction, public spaces were planned and finished in the first phases, allowing integration into the surrounding area.

Reference

Gasco, Anna. 2019. ‘King’s Cross London, New Piece of Old London’. In The Grand Projet: Understanding the Making and Impact of Urban Megaprojects, edited by Kees Christiaanse, Anna Gasco, and Naomi C. Hanakata, 453-510. nai 010 Publishers.