Inside the £1,200,000,000 plans to redevelop one of London’s busiest stations
A major revamp of London Liverpool Street station has been approved.
The controversial plans, which involves building a mixed-use 97-metre (318ft) tower block over the concourse of what is the UK’s busiest railway station, were waved through by the planning committee of the City of London on Tuesday.
The plans were overwhelmingly approved by 19 votes to three after a two-hour meeting yesterday.
The application will now go to London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan and Communities Secretary Steve Reed for final approvals.
Everything that’s changing in the London Liverpool redevelopment’
The station has previously faced issues with overcrowding, causing difficulties for people with disabilities, luggage and small children and a ‘confusing’ layout for passengers, Network Rail said.
It added the changes are designed to ‘future-proof’ the station for 200,000,000 passengers in the decades ahead.
The upgrades that will be inside the station include:
- A large new concourse which will increase overall concourse capacity by 76%
- Eight new lifts for step-free Tube access
- Ten new escalators instead of the previous four
- Additional ticket barriers to reduce wait times
- Improve step-free access at the station and Underground
- New toilets and family facilities on all station levels
- Improved signage
- More bicycle storage that is secure
- Variety of cafes, restaurants and shops
- New landmark entrances on Liverpool Street, Bishopsgate and Exchange Square
The redevelopment proposal also includes a new five-star hotel operated by Hyatt as part of the Andaz Hotel – a Grade II listed building next to the station.
The office tower block will be ‘realigned to better reveal the Grade II listed Andaz Hotel.’
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What have people said?
More than 3,700 people objected to the plans, while more than 1,100 expressed their support for them.
Network Rail insisted its plans respect the station’s ‘unique heritage’, but 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’.
‘A disfiguring billion pound office block on top of a major heritage asset is not essential to the City’s development plans,’ he said.
‘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.’
He accused the City of London of having ‘bowed to developer ambitions, set a bad precedent for London and (ignored) the user’.
Lissca said it has ‘the backing of thousands of supporters’ and will ‘now await the decisions of the Mayor of London and, if necessary, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government’.
SAVE Britain’s Heritage said: ‘What a missed opportunity to consider less disruptive and damaging approaches to funding the station upgrades that passengers deserve. We will be carefully examining the committee’s decision and will consider our next steps.’
Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said: ‘This redevelopment of Liverpool Street station is a major step forward for the Square Mile. It will support the City’s dynamic business ecosystem with state-of-the-art infrastructure, create new jobs and strengthen our position as a world‑leading destination, while ensuring that residents, workers and visitors all benefit from a modern, inclusive and future‑focused transport hub.
‘As competition among global cities increases, we must demonstrate our openness to new investment that will enhance our urban environment and Liverpool Street station will now continue to do just that.’
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.’
When will the changes to Liverpool Street station start?
It’s unclear now when construction will start as the plans still need approval from the Mayor and the Government.
Previously, developers said they hoped the new commercial building with shops and offices will be finished by 2030 if everything goes to plan.
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