The second consultation documentprepared by Argent St George, Londonand Continental Railways and Exel.
December 2001
Work in Progress for King's Cross Central
parameters forregeneration
iIntroduction ...................................................................................................................... iii
The Parameters ............................................................................................................... 1
1 Land Ownership and Physical Boundaries ................................ 3
2 The Channel Tunnel Rail Link ............................................................... 7
3 Planning Policy Expectations .............................................................. 11
4 High Density, Mixed Use Development ...................................... 19
5 Strategic Views and Tall Buildings .................................................. 41
6 Building and Integrating Neighbourhoods ............................ 45
7 Integrating Communities ........................................................................ 53
8 Listed Buildings and Other Heritage Resources ................ 63
9 Environmental Parameters and Designations ..................... 69
10 Other Transport Infrastructure .......................................................... 81
11 Site Infrastructure, Services and Utilities ................................. 101
12 Adjacent Development Projects........................................................ 107
13 Viability .................................................................................................................... 111
Source Documents .................................................................................................... 115
Contents
ii
List of Figures
26 Links and Barriers
27 Active and Inactive Frontages
28 Local wards
29 Existing Area Based Partnerships
30 Existing Community Assets
31 Listed Buildings
32 Conservation Areas
33 The Regent's Canal
34 Camley Street Natural Park
35 Potential Ground Contamination
36 Local Views (1994 Planning Brief)
37 Rail Infrastructure
38 Thameslink 2000
39 Underground Network
40 London Underground Works andHackney-SouthWest
41 Cross River Transit
42 Existing Road Network
43 Road Network Post-CTRL
44 Congestion Charging Zone
45 Existing Bus Services
46 Topography
47 Existing Drainage
48 Other Utilities
49 King's Cross Station
50 P&O Blocks
1 Site Boundary
2 Other Land Holdings
3 Key Features of CTRL Permanent Works
4 Relocation of Land Use Activities underCTRL
5 Areas Required Temporarily for CTRLConstruction Purposes
6 Strategic Opportunity Areas in CentralLondon
7 King's Cross Opportunity Area
8 Camden UDP Designations
9 Density Matrix
10 Broadgate, London
11 Canary Wharf, London
12 Brindleyplace, Birmingham
13 Charter Quay, Kingston upon Thames
14 Paddington, London
15 Potsdamer Platz, Berlin
16 Battery Park City, New York
17 Euralille, Lille
18 Covent Garden, London
19 Manchester Millennium
20 Mayfair, London
21 Plot ratio vs mean building heights
22 Strategic Views
23 Existing Urban Form
24 Ground Floor Land Uses
25 Upper Floor Land Uses
Parameters for Regeneration
Introduction iii
BackgroundArgent St George, London and ContinentalRailways (LCR) and Exel plc (Exel) are thedevelopers and landowners taking forward theredevelopment of King's Cross Central (formerlyreferred to as the King's Cross 'railway lands').
In July 2001, we published our first documentabout King's Cross, Principles For A Human City.Our aim was - and is - to build a consensus aboutthe principles, a shared set of aspirations for theregeneration of King's Cross, before preparingdetailed proposals. Principles For A Human Citywas an important part of that process. It set outour objective to devise and then deliver, over thenext 15 or so years, an exciting and successfulmixed use development; one that will shape adense, vibrant and distinctive urban quarter,bring local benefits and make a lastingcontribution to London.
We invited comments on our approach and oursuggested principles for a 'human city'. We willtest our development ideas against theseprinciples, as they begin to emerge and we inviteothers to do the same.
The principles are:
A robust urban framework
A lasting new place
Promote accessibility
A vibrant mix of uses
Harness the value of heritage
Work for King's Cross, work for London
Commit to long-term success
Engage and inspire
Secure delivery
Communicate clearly and openly
The Leader of Camden Council, Councillor JaneRoberts, has welcomed these principles. Sheprovided the foreword to the 'Principles'document, along with Philip Davies, the LondonDirector of English Heritage.
ParametersOf course, objectives and principles can only takeyou so far. That is why we have spent much ofthe last 18 months researching various'parameters', to inform our future developmentproposals. These parameters include:
Land ownership and physical boundaries
The Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Planning policy expectations
Strategic views of St Paul's Cathedral
The character of adjoiningneighbourhoods
The needs and priorities of localcommunities
Listed buildings and other heritageresources
Environmental resources and designations
Existing and proposed transportinfrastructure
Site infrastructure, services and utilities
Adjacent development projects
Viability
Introduction
iv Parameters for Regeneration
This document - our second about King's Cross -provides an overview of these parameters. Wemust address each one, for our proposals to besuccessful and capable of delivery. For thisdocument, we have concentrated on providingfactual and other objective information, withsome analysis and interpretation, to explain therelevance or application to King's Cross. We areat a different stage of analysis and understandingwith each parameter and this documentrepresents a snapshot of 'work in progress',therefore, as at December 2001.
In some cases, we have been able to include onlya summary of the information available about aparticular topic. For example, whole books havebeen written about the historic buildings at King'sCross and it would be inappropriate to include allof that information here. Similarly, we could nothope to include full details of the ecologicalsurveys that have been carried out.
Nor have we tried to cover everything. There willbe other issues and topics that influence ourproposals (for example waste and air qualitymanagement), as we move forward. Ourintention, with this document, is to informpeople, in a realistic and accessible way, aboutthe principal challenges and opportunities thatKing's Cross Central presents. In this way, peoplewill be better placed to appraise and debate ourproposals as they begin to emerge.
Publication of these 'parameters' is also intendedas a positive contribution towards the LondonBorough of Camden's ongoing review of theexisting planning policies and planning brief forthe site.
We would welcome comments on this document,particularly if we have got something wrong, ormight be ignoring something of crucial importance.
After the ParametersOur timetable has slipped a little from the 'targetplanning programme' set out in Appendix C toPrinciples For A Human City, in part because ofour decision to formalise, and make accessible,this work on development parameters.
We hope to publish some development options inthe early part of 2002. Thereafter, we intend tohold a series of workshops or seminars, to discussand debate the options and test them against theprinciples outlined in July (2001). We willannounce the dates, format and locations of theseevents as soon as possible.
On this basis, and taking into account the need toallow a meaningful period for consultation and toreflect on people's views; and our obligations toprepare Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)and other documents, we are working towardsthe submission of planning applications in theautumn of 2002.
The Parameters 1
The Parameters
The parameters addressed in this document areas follows:
1 Land Ownership and PhysicalBoundariesa Site Boundaryb Land Ownershipc Other Legal Parameters
2 The Channel Tunnel Rail Linka Key Features of Permanent Worksb Relocation of Land Use Activitiesc Land Release
3 Planning Policy Expectationsa National and Regional Guidanceb Towards the London Planc Camden Unitary Development Plan
(UDP)d Islington UDP
4 High Density, Mixed UseDevelopmenta What is High Density?b What is Mixed Use?c Providing Offices and Other Workplacesd Providing Homes and Other Living
Accommodatione Providing Retail, Leisure, Cultural and
Community Uses
5 Strategic Views and Tall Buildingsa Strategic Viewsb Wider Setting Consultation Areas
6 Building and IntegratingNeighbourhoodsa Urban Form and Grainb Land Usesc Pedestrian Movement: Links and Barriersd Active and Inactive Frontages
7 Integrating Communitiesa Disadvantaged Communitiesb Borough Strategiesc Area-based Partnershipsd Educatione Employment and Trainingf Housing
g Health Careh Crimei Community Facilities j Sport and Leisure
8 Listed Buildings and Other HeritageResourcesa Listed Buildingsb Conservation Areas
9 Environmental Parameters andDesignati
