The plans for Liverpool Street station have sparked a backlash
(Picture: Herzog & de Meuron)Actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones has joined a backlash against proposals to build a tower block on top of Liverpool Street station that will stand 21 storeys high.
It came as Historic England, the conservation watchdog, said the tower block was so large it would “trample” over the historic station and was likely to harm protected views of St Paul’s Cathedral.
Historic England said it was “deeply concerned” with the £1.5bn scheme and would be prepared to make a “very strong objection” if the developers went ahead and sought planning permission.
Sellar, the developer of the Shard, Network Rail and the Hyatt hotel group have proposed building a 16-storey office and hotel block on top of the station and adjacent Andaz hotel, formerly the Great Eastern railway hotel.
As it would be built on top of the existing hotel, it would stand 21 storeys high. The developers say the commercial development would fund £450m of capacity improvements to Liverpool Street station.
Mr Rhys Jones, who is president of the Victorian Society, a heritage protection group, told the Evening Standard: “I’m extraordinarily worried about the level of profiteering that appears to be talked about here.
“I use Liverpool Street a lot. All I can say personally is that they need to be very careful. A hundred years after it was built, there was a big plan to knock down Liverpool Street station. I think everybody thinks: what a great thing they didn’t. It was the Victorian Society that fought very hard to ensure the great structure of Liverpool Street station was saved for posterity.
“I know we are all talking about ‘growth, growth, growth’ but there are limits to the sort of growth you can stick on a railway station site and not start despoiling the whole area. At the moment, they are riding ahead of demand.
“Liverpool Street station is a wonderful thing to approach. It’s sort of Dickensian. You are in the world of Dombey and Son when you come through these extraordinary brick cuttings. We have these wonderful historic monuments to an age of enterprise.”
He said the promise to provide step-free access to all Tube platforms and increase the number of escalators was “just a smokescreen” as improvements could be made without having to build a hotel.
Historic England, which has been giving confidential pre-application advice to the developers, said the proposed scheme would have a “severe impact on the Bishopsgate conservation area, and more widely on the extraordinary historic character of the City of London”.
It added: “The scheme would trample on the listed station and hotel rather than showcase their heritage. The 16-storey tower and bulk of development proposed above the station is so large that it is likely to encroach on views of some of London’s great landmarks, including those of St Paul’s Cathedral protected under the London Views Management Framework.
“The scheme includes some improvements to railway infrastructure, but these are minor compared with recent successes at London Bridge, King’s Cross and St Pancras Stations. Unlike at those stations, the small improvements offered by the scheme at Liverpool Street Station would only be achieved at heavy cost to the character of one of London’s most valued public buildings.”
Duncan Wilson, chief executive of Historic England, said: “Liverpool Street Station is one of London’s great Victorian stations, with a distinctive and special character. While we recognise the need for upgrades to the site so that it can better serve the millions of people that pass through its doors, this oversized and insensitive development is surely not the answer.
“We believe that this scheme is fundamentally misconceived and misses the opportunity to unlock real public benefits while also enhancing the station’s heritage.
“At Historic England we are in favour of development where it secures a sustainable future for our best public and private buildings. This scheme surely does not. ,
“We will work collaboratively with Network Rail and developers Sellar in the hope that together we can achieve a better design outcome.”
He told the Standard: “We don’t see as many schemes as insensitive as this. We acknowledge the need to redevelop the station, but it really deserves more sensitive treatment.
“If you look at other stations in London that have been done so well - London Bridge, King’s Cross and St Pancras – they haven’t been completely dominated [by commercial development].”
A spokesman for the developers said: "Consultation with all heritage stakeholders is an important part of the process and we look forward to engaging positively with the Victorian Society, Historic England and all other relevant bodies.
“As stated previously, protecting and enhancing the heritage elements at Liverpool Street Station is one of our key priorities in our proposals to undertake a c£450 million programme of significant upgrades required to address the congestion and access issues at the station.
“The original Victorian railway sheds will not be touched, with our plans being designed to celebrate these important heritage items by opening up views to them and removing modest elements of the 1980s concourse roof.
“The proposed development sits on the edge of the City’s eastern cluster of skyscrapers and our designs have been kept deliberately low rise by comparison to ensure minimal to no harm to the City skyline and St Paul’s Cathedral in particular.”
