Plans to transform UK's busiest station approved

Plans to transform UK's busiest station approved

An application for the station was filed in 2023, but new plans were unveiled in November after thousands of objections

Controversial plans to redevelop London Liverpool Street railway station have been approved.

Network Rail said its proposals to transform the Grade II-listed site were given the go-ahead by the planning committee of the City of London on Tuesday.

The £1.2bn project involves building a mixed-use 97-metre (318ft) tower block over the concourse of what is the UK's busiest railway station.

Network Rail insisted its plans respected the station's "unique heritage".

'Disfiguring'

However, actor Griff Rhys Jones, who is president of the Victorian Society and the Liverpool Street Station Campaign (Lissca), claimed it was a "sad day for the City of London".

He said: "A disfiguring billion-pound office block on top of a major heritage asset is not essential to the City's development plans.

"It is doubtful whether it will easily provide the profit to 'improve' the concourse, and can only realise a small amount of extra space for the passenger.

"Its focus is retail opportunities, which the commuter doesn't need.

"It will destroy an existing conservation area. It demolishes listed buildings. It is harmful to the surrounding historic fabric."

Network Rail revamped its plans in April following objections

Rhys Jones accused the City of London of having "bowed to developer ambitions" and setting a "bad precedent" for London.

Lissca said it had "the backing of thousands of supporters" and would "now await the decisions of the mayor of London and, if necessary, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government".

Network Rail said its plans included improvements such an increasing overall concourse capacity by 76%, providing better passenger flow and step-free access from street level to all platforms, including London Underground lines. It said there would also be more lifts and escalators.

Ellie Burrows, managing director for Network Rail's Eastern region, said: "This decision represents a key step towards the transformation of Britain's busiest station and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Liverpool Street.

"Our plans focus on improving the everyday experience for passengers whilst respecting the station's unique heritage.

"With annual passenger numbers forecast to grow to 158 million, this approval ensures the station will be future-proofed for decades to come."

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