Rethink does not 鈥渏ustify concerns鈥� over scrapped Herzog & de Meuron scheme, says Victorian Society-led campaign group
The campaign group which led opposition to Herzog & de Meuron鈥檚 now-scrapped plans for the redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station has said it 鈥渃annot accept鈥� Network Rail鈥檚 new vision for the site.
The Liverpool Street Station Campaign (LSSCA), which is led by Victorian Society president Griff Rhys Jones, said it was 鈥減erverse鈥� that the 拢1bn project was still proposing the demolition of a large section of the station鈥檚 concourse roof to make way for a 21-storey office tower.
Network Rail announced it was scrapping Herzog & de Meuron and Sellar鈥檚 proposals for the station, the UK鈥檚 busiest, earlier this month following strident opposition from heritage campaigners, neighbouring councils and members of the public.
The transport operator unveiled a drastically different vision for the grade II-listed site by new lead architect Acme, replacing the former scheme鈥檚 contemporary design with a more Victorian-inspired scheme aiming to preserve the character of the existing station and its adjacent grade II*-listed former Great Eastern Hotel.
The LSSCA has now said the new scheme 鈥渄oes not justify the concerns鈥� of the more than 2,200 people who posted objections to the original planning application and called for Network Rail to rethink the plans.
Rhys Jones said: 鈥淚t is surely time for Network Rail to stop looking at this handsome station as a development site and to recognise it as the important and historic artefact that it is; one that works and can continue to work.
鈥淣etwork Rail has a duty for improvements to be less intrusive, and to serve the passenger, not profit. Above all, they should not be seeking huge additions and causing damage to listed buildings as a means to achieve new services.鈥�
The LSSCA pointed to other major Victorian station redevelopments including John McAslan & Partners extension to King鈥檚 Cross station for an example of how a listed heritage asset could be adapted for the 21st century while 鈥渞evealing their original Railway Age splendour鈥�.
Acme鈥檚 plans would not involve any demolition of the station鈥檚 Victorian-era concourse, instead removing large sections of an unlisted 1980s extension which was built in the same style, and would involve no works to the former Great Eastern Hotel.
However, the campaign group said the extension had been carried out with 鈥済reat care and sympathy鈥� and has a 鈥渧alue of its own鈥�, while rendering the neighbouring hotel as a highly significant heritage asset.
The group also criticised the impact of the proposed overstation tower on daylight in the concourse, which it said would become an 鈥渙ppressive space鈥� hemmed in under a new solid roof replacing the current transparent glass roof.
鈥淭his will be more like Cannon Street Station than the bright space the visualisations depict,鈥� the group said, adding that the combination of demolition and new development would have a 鈥減rofound and harmful鈥� impact on the station, the hotel and the Bishopsgate Conservation Area.
The LSSCA is chaired by the Victorian Society with its committee including SAVE Britain鈥檚 Heritage, The Twentieth Century Society, Historic 好色先生TVs & Places, The Council for British Archaeology, the Georgian Group, the Spitalfields Trust, Civic Voice, London Historians, the Betjeman Society, London & Middlesex Archaeological Society and original campaigners from the 1970s who prevented all the station buildings being demolished.
Network Rail and Acme have been approached for comment.
Network Rail鈥檚 response
The need for change at London Liverpool Street station
Liverpool Street remains Britain鈥檚 busiest station. Figures released last week show that passenger numbers have risen sharply to 94 million in the last 12 months and that鈥檚 just National Rail services. This is set to rise to 140 million per year over the coming decades. We must plan for this.
The current station needs significant improvement. It鈥檚 not easily accessible, there is no step-free access, and the concourse is not large enough to cope with the rising passenger numbers.
We鈥檙e disappointed that following our meetings with the Victorian Society, they don鈥檛 currently appear to recognise the substantial beneficial changes that we have made to the design. We would encourage them to continue their dialogue with us.
We listened to concerns from the previous application; we鈥檝e reduced the height of the structure, and our plans no longer interfere with the Grade II* listed former Great Eastern Hotel.
The new scheme preserves every part of the listed Victorian station and is reinstating important lost views across the trainshed from the concourse. The new concourse roof will be in harmony with the Victorian architecture.
This redevelopment is about ensuring that our well-loved station remains fit for future generations and reliably accessible for all. And the new office building is the way of funding these station improvements.
Our stations are not artefacts. We want to invest in them, for them to be used and enjoyed by all. They鈥檙e working buildings, responsible for transporting over 700m people each year for work, to visit family and friends, and to travel.
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