New King's Cross public square wins planning

Plans by architect Stanton Williams for a new public space in front of King’s Cross station have won planning from Camden council.

The 7,000m² scheme, which will form the final part of the redevelopment of the station, will reveal the Victorian grade-I listed station facade for the first time in 150 years.

In place of the current seventies’ concourse extension the space, which will be 50% bigger than Leicester Square, will feature a Yorkstone and granite paving pattern with a new outdoor seating and more trees than originally envisaged.

Ian Fry, Network Rail’s programme director at King’s Cross said: “The station is at the heart of the regeneration of the King’s Cross area and it is great news for passengers, businesses and the community that the plans have been approved to create a new, public open space as part of it.

“The new public square and unveiled grade-I listed Lewis Cubbitt station facade will be the ideal complement to the new concourse, which opens in the spring, and together will help transform King’s Cross station into a world-class public transport hub.”

The latest development marks the end of a four-year design programme, which involved more than 4,500 people being consulted. When completed, it is estimated that the square will be used by 140,000 people every day.

Alan Stanton of Stanton Williams said: “Our design for the new Kings Cross Square will provide a new public space as a focal point at the heart of the wider Kings Cross development. The scheme takes into account all the complexities of the site, from its function as an arrivals area for the station, to the structures of the London Underground system. We welcome the planning consent so that the project can move forward.”