RTPI London - King’s Cross Regeneration Site
London Borough of Camden
Bethany Arbery
Camden
• Well connected
• Diverse
• Home to 215,000
• 3rd highest GDP
• Creative and Cultural
• Medical & Educational
Camden - The Local Development Framework
Sustainable growth:
• c. 35,000 additional people
• c. 13,000 additional homes
• c. 40,000 additional jobs
• Areas of Growth and areas of restraint
• Expanded infrastructure
• Strong emphasis on sustainability
Growth concentrated in key ‘growth areas’
• King’s Cross
• Tottenham Court Road
• Euston
• Holborn
• West Hampstead
King’s Cross – The Story so far
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Focus of major Transport Investment.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link 1993 – 2013;
St Pancras Station - Nov 2007;
New Thameslink Station;
LUL Improvements including Northern Ticket Hall – Nov
2009;
Western Concourse and KX Station improvements –
2012/13
KX Central – 67 hectares of former railway lands for redevelopment.
King’s Cross Central – The Site
Timeline:
• March 2000 - Camden Unitary Development Plan
including Kings Cross Chapter
• 2001-2004 - Pre-application discussions on KX
Central site
• June 2002 - Kings Cross Camden and Islington
Vision
• Jan 2004 - Kings Cross Planning Brief
• May 2004 - KX Central applications submitted
• Sept 2005 - Revision to KX Central applications
submitted
• March 2006 - KX Central considered at LBC DC
Committee
• November 2006 - DC Committee final approval
with S106
• May 2007 - Judicial review dismissed
• June 2007 - Implementation of KX Central
development
Outline Permission and Reserved Matters
Means of access, siting and landscaping
Approved documents include Parameter Plans and Development Speciation which:
• Define Development Zones (labelled A – V)
• Uses and maximum floorspace in each zone
• Building height, scale, massing and plot layouts
• Servicing, roads and junctions
• Landscaping and public realm areas
Matters of detailed design and external appearance are outstanding and are
approved under each Reserved Matters application
Development Zones
King’s Cross Central – A summary
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High density 713,090 sqm of mixed use
development
1700 homes (750 affordable) plus
student accommodation
50 new buildings, 20 new streets, 10
new major public spaces, new use for
20 historic buildings, 400 trees
40% of site is Public Realm or open
space
25,000 jobs
School, leisure facilities, parks, health
care provision, community meeting
space and a host of other social and
community benefits
S106 with 40 heads of terms secured
a range of benefits and community
obligations.
S106 – Planning Obligations
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Employment and training – construction
Employment and training – post
construction
Community enterprise
Small business space
Local Business Support and local
purchasing strategy
Business volunteering
Social and community fund
Community meeting facilities
Community safety
School and Children’s Centre
Supporting local schools
Leisure
Health
Public realm
Improvement to adjacent streets and
open spaces
Public art
Camley Street Natural Park/Pedestrian
bridge
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Canal and water space enhancement
Implementation panels
Access and inclusivity
Environmental sustainability, Energy,
Construction materials, waste, water
Carbon fund
Gas holder guide frames
Code of construction practice
Parking
Green travel initiatives
Bicycle storage facility
Improvement to bus services
Cross River Tram
Maiden Lane station
Nightclubs and casinos
Retail
Nursing home
Housing and Affordable Housing
Processing Reserved Matters
•Pro-active, early engagement, collaborative approach
• Design Panel
• Access Forum
• Planning Performance Agreement – timely and quality decisions
• Fortnightly meetings to ensure overview of progress on site
• Introducing new officers to the project
50% of site now has Reserved Matters approval:
North of the Canal
Eastern Goods Yard - new campus for University of the Arts and office/retail space
T1 – CHP energy centre, multi-storey car park, multi-use games area, private and affordable residential,
shopping/food and drink uses
J – Open market and affordable housing, shopping/food and drink uses
P1 – Two-form entry school, plus Frank Barnes School for the deaf, market and affordable housing
R2 – Office accommodation with flexible shopping/food & drink uses, small office space and/or exploratory
centre
R4 and R5 – Affordable housing including supported housing/extra care facilities with shopping/food and
drink uses at ground floor
T6 - Student housing
Regeneration House - offices.
South of the canal
Principal access routes – Goods Way, Station Square, Pancras Square and King’s Boulevard
B1, B2, B4, B6 and B3 - Offices including leisure centre, library and access centre within B3 and bike storage
facility and police office in B1.
E1 - offices
Great Northern Hotel – Refurbishment and re-use as a boutique hotel
Shared Zone B basement – Communal servicing facilities for the Zone B building
Preliminary pre-application discussions on a number of other sites include Google (Zone A) and Aka Khan
(various plots including T5) .
Enabling development
University of the Arts
Residential Development
Office Development
King’s Cross Central – The Future
• Granary Square opened June 2012
• First affordable housing letting opened July 2012 (R4, R5)
• Private (J) and Student Housing (T6) to follow in 2013/4
• First major office (Zone B) buildings south of canal in 2014
• Estimated completion of new school (P1) and leisure facilities (B3)
from 2014/5
• Estimated 1000 homes on KX Central from 2016/17
• Estimated final build out of KX Central from 2017/18 onwards
• Estimated completion around 2020
Lessons Learnt
• Outline application approach with reserved matters has worked well. Good
balance between certainty and flexibility.
• Be prepared to allow minor piecemeal changes (deed of variations) to reflect
recession and where insufficient capital (and revenue) programmes to deliver
council and stakeholders (e.g. RSL’s, PCT) S106 commitments rather than allowing
wholesale change and renegotiation of S106.
• It is good to re-visit elements of scheme where there is scope for improvement, for
example T6 was approved as full planning application it being taller than the outline
permission.
• On a more practical side we have found the use of PPAs of benefit to both the
developer and the Council, ensuring the deliver of timely and quality decisions on
reserved matters and approval of details as well as appropriate monitoring of the
delivery of S106 obligations.
• Our focus is now moving to the wider King’s Cross area i.e. King’s Cross Place Plan.
King’s Cross - Place Plan
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One of 9 areas of focus for place-shaping in
Camden
Chosen due to significant change and
investment underway and planned
But neighbouring communities among most
deprived in Camden and London
Set overall vision for the wider KX area and a
set of strategic and tactical interventions
Will address a range of issues including:
– Major developments and relationship
with existing communities.
– Wider opportunities in ‘hinterland’
area (Camley St etc).
– Legibility and Pedestrian connectivity
(between communities and through
the wider area including across Euston
Rd).
– Links with Euston & High Speed 2.
– Community Safety.
– Business support and employment
Granary Square
For more information: www.camden.gov.uk or www.kingscross.co.uk
Contact me: bethany.arbery@camden.gov.uk