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Argent has won a six year long battle to secure planning permission from Camden council for its scheme to regenerate King's Cross.

The regeneration developer secured outline consent for the scheme at an extraordinary meeting of the inner London borough's development control sub-committee, which stretched over two nights.

The committee endorsed its officer's recommendation that they should grant permission for Argent's scheme for central London's largest regeneration scheme. The site covers 67 acres of mainly former railway land at the back of King's Cross station, much of which has been derelict for 40 years

Argent is proposing 1946 homes, 40% of which will be affordable, and up to 650 units of student accommodation.

The mixed use scheme also includes 455,510 sq m of business and employment floorspace, 45,925 sq m of shopping and entertainment uses and leisure uses, including a 25 m swimming pool.

New uses will be found for existing landmark heritage buildings, including the famous gas holders. Argent increased the proportion of large, affordable housing following pressure from the local authority.

The scheme will now be referred, as is standard practice with all major development applications, to deputy prime minister John Prescott for a final decision.

Argent was picked along with St George, which subsequently dropped out, to carry out the scheme in 2000 by the site's owners London and Continental Railways. An earlier scheme, masterplanned by Foster and Partners for Stuart Lipton and Godfrey Bradman's company Rosehaugh Stanhope, foundered in the late Eighties following a backlash by the local community.