Plans to demolish and rebuild Euston Station as part of the HS2 project have been scaled down and the station will now be redeveloped instead. The latest proposal involves retaining most of the existing platforms, adding eleven new ones and building a new ticket hall for Euston Tube Station.
New homes, offices and shops could also be delivered in a total redevelopment of the surrounding area by 2026 when the first phase of the high speed rail project is expected to be in operation.
The announcement was made by HS2 Ltd, the company responsible for delivering the £16.3 billion London to Birmingham stretch of the line.
Chief executive, Alison Munro, said the company had listened to Camden residents who were concerned about the disruption knocking down the station would cause. Consequently, she continued to say, HS2 Ltd had selected the best option for taxpayers, passengers and the local community.
“We are looking at an option for Euston Station which would see new platforms built as part of an integrated, redeveloped station with a combined concourse, new western entrance and improved facilities across the integrated terminus.
“Economic work done as part of Camden Council’s plan for the area has demonstrated that there is a case for a major redevelopment with the potential for commercial investment, and we want to look at these opportunities with Camden,” she said.
However Tom Edwards, BBC transport correspondent for London, believes that HS2 Ltd simply underestimated the cost of the original plans and is now seeking a practical solution.
“It is also significant that even at this early stage the budget has been restrictive. What will this mean for the rest of the line?” he asks.
Sarah Hayward, the leader of Camden Council, is also sceptical about HS2’s motives and fears that the proposed wider redevelopment will not materialise.
“”The new plans being put forward by HS2 Ltd amount to a shed being bolted on to an existing lean-to.
“Euston stands to have all of the blight with none of the benefits. There will be no regeneration or economic benefits while homes will be demolished, communities destroyed and businesses wiped out,” she said.
She went on to accuse HS2 Ltd of ‘incompetence,’ saying the new proposal is ‘ill-conceived and poorly planned’ and that Camden will suffer as a consequence.
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