Kings Cross station refurbishment

Posted on September 7, 2006 by William Perrin

Kings_cross_station Kings Cross station is a beautiful building – a magnificent public space that it is a joy to walk through every morning on my way to work.  Its huge scale and functional simplicity contrast sharply with the more fussy Brunel and Barlow creations that followed it to the West.  One of the great pleasures of living here is the ability to walk from York Way down the old goods and taxi ramp along the original platform one (there were only two platforms when it opened, one on each side) and out of the South side of the station across Pentonville road. 

Network Rail plan to refurbish the station in about 2009 when the Railway Lands devleopment is underway.  There are some pictures here .  Some of the simplicity will be restored.  But the plans include a new platform ‘Zero’ between Platform One and York Way.  This will increase capacity but will completely cut off the station from the Islington side.  So the open access route down Platform One will be lost.  Also lost will be any hope of opening up the gaunt, dark, intimidating York Way pavement, down which pedestrians will be forced.  The station will be closed off on its Islington side. 

There are some obvious ways of dealing with this (a tunnel) but Network Rail seem intransigent and indeed indignant that anyone has questioned their wisdom. I know that many local residents find this awful – will keep updating on the issue here including what we can do to fight this.  I am trying hard to find the planning application which should be online by now – will post when i have found it with a suggested response.

UPDATE

Local activist Ryan Kemp reports some bad news

>>>>Actually I think it’s worse than that and even the SE corner entrance will

not be open as an ENTRANCE. Instead all the new frontage of KX will be EXIT
ONLY and access will only be from the SW corner near the tube exit or from
the western side opposite st pancras. 

ryan

this is awful so anyone on the islington/york way side will haveto walk right around to the big new entrance bubble on the st pancras side where the cambridge platforms are now


will get in touch with officials and the coucnail and report back


w
Posted in Kings Cross Station Refurbishment | 6 Comments

Kings Cross railway lands redevelopment

Posted on September 7, 2006 by William Perrin

Kx1 The campaign to fight for a more people-centric redevelopment of the huge 60 acre site behind Kings Cross station is surely one of the great local planning battles of the last 20 years.  I am a huge admirer of the tireless effort local people have put into fighting a variety of unsuitable devleopment plans.  I help out whenever i can.  The full story is set out here on the Kings Cross Railway Lands Group website.  The campaign for judicial review of the v wonky Camden Council decision is in a critical phase.  The new Lib Dem majority in Camden is not happy with the way their officers handled it – the decision was taken with poor process while Labour were in control.  The Camden end is unravelling.  There is a cringe-worthy webcast of the Council meeting here where angry councillors tear officials into little bits for not giving them a report of the Islington planning decision that began to upset the apple cart (when the window opens click on ‘Index Points’ and Item 7 Outstanding Reports).  WIll update occasinoally here but the KXRLG site above is the place to go.

Posted in Planning, Licensing and Regulation | Leave a comment

Residence Primrose – poor fire safety improved

Posted on September 7, 2006 by William Perrin

Dsc00973Residence Primrose is a private hostel on Kember Street, just off the Caledonian Road.  The hostel has been of concern for some time to members of the North Kings Cross Environmental Task Group.  The fire escape is a scaffolding construction and is often either strewn with rubbish or plainly blocked.  A Bemerton resident drew to my attention the cazy situation in recent weeks where many bags of rubble blocked the stair case and a couple of fridges were plainly visible on one landing blocking both a fire escape door and the landing itself.
Dsc00969 As Chair of the NKXETG i reported this to Kevin O’Leary’s office at the Council and his staff put building control onto the case.  I am pleased that the detritus on the stair wells has been removed.  Well done building control.  Perhaps they will also look to see whether this scaffolding fire escape is sufficient for a fire certificate.

Posted in Planning, Licensing and Regulation | 1 Comment

CEMEX – some progress…..?

Posted on September 4, 2006 by William Perrin

Readymixplantruffordst_5_1 Today CEMEX sent an environmental compliance team and an acoustic consultant to the Rufford Street site following the persistent noise complaints made by residents and the Council.   They  took some measurements from my flat while loads of aggregate were being tipped.  We were not able to reproduce the peak noise – it appears that the noise peak may occur when the hoppers are empty – about five deliveries had taken place this morning prior to the tests so the huge noise did not happen when the acoustic consultant was in my flat.  We went through all the issues in some detail. I handed over a list of short and long term measures that should be taken.  Download cemex_palliative_and_structural_noise_reduction_measures.doc

It was a constructive and apparently helpful exchange.  A new management team has just been installed in the decrepit Rufford Street site – they can’t make it any worse.  You can find some of the history in the CEMEX category in the borders to the left of this post.  We shall have to wait another 3-4 weeks for a formal environmental report and response.  However i got the impression that we should see some changes before then.  So apparently positive overall but the proof of the pudding is in the eating…..

Posted in Noisy CEMEX concrete plant Rufford Street | 2 Comments

UPDATE Rufford rubble rumble

Posted on August 31, 2006 by William Perrin

Dsc00998The guys from Murphy Limited are putting in a new electricity main for EdF along York Way.  The Murphy Limited contractors have been using the end of Rufford Street as a transfer and storage spot for their gear and for rubble for about a month. They are two weeks or so from finishing but i am fed up with the huge piles fo rubble etc causing and eyesore and occupying several parking spaces.  So today i asked Murphy Limited to move it to a non-residential street.  If they don’t within 48 hours then i shall get the Council involved.  If anyone would like to talk to them call +44(0)20 8885 3545 and ask to speak to someone about the York Way works.

UPDATE

Councillor Paul Convery saw this post and has today set the Council onto Murphy Limited.  The tipping is unlicensed and will be hopefully be cleared today.  Thanks Paul.

UPDATE

The rubble was cleared that day.

Posted in Street Tipping, Mess, Trash | 1 Comment

Bingfield Street – lights fixed

Posted on August 30, 2006 by William Perrin

67pj0925A small thing but i have been nagging HfI for months about two broken lights in the entrance to the Outram Place car park where Bingfield Street ends.  They have now put in a lot of work to repair wiring and erect new pillars – and we have two new functioning lights in time for the evenings drawing in.  Well done HfI.  I also reported about half a dozen other broken lights in the Delhi-Outram Estate that John Eustace from HfI is getting on to.  See here Download eustace_email_for_web.doc including Brydon Walk and Cambell Walk on the Delhi-Outram.  I have found in general that the Contact Islington service is not very effective for broken street lights in social housing areas even when they illuminate a public space – communication seems to fall down somewhere.

Posted in Broken Stuff on the Street | Leave a comment

CEMEX noise pollution on Bank Holiday

Posted on August 26, 2006 by William Perrin

These guys at the CEMEX/ReadyMix plant on Rufford Street never give up – at 0910 this morning on the Saturday of the Bank Holiday weekend a wave of deliveries of sand and gravel began.  About 6 lorries delivered in the space of 50 minutes, causing a terrible noise nuiscance and ruining my peaceful brekafast.  CEMEX’s behaviour is highly anti-social, they make little or no effReadymixplantruffordst_5_3 ort to adjust their behaviour to avoid distrubing residents with noise pollution.  I have been in correspondence with CEMEX and they are doing an environment inspection – i was originally promised results by the end of July but have just heard that they won’t have anything for a few more weeks.  Very annoyed – so i made a film of this mornings tipping and stuck it on YouTube – click here to view (and remember to turn your speakers on).

Posted in Noisy CEMEX concrete plant Rufford Street | Leave a comment

Sex worker detritus – Outram Place

Posted on August 22, 2006 by William Perrin

67lb0933There has been a big improvement in the condition of the undercrofts of 29-35 Outram Place since HfI put a gate up to stop cars using the area, after months of nagging by reisdents and Councillors.  The amount of sex worker and drug taking detritus has fallen off dramatically.  But there is still low level activity –  this pile of tissues and a used condom was there today for instance.  I shall get back onto HfI to see where the plans have got to to board up the spaces and use the hoardings as a art exhibition space for the  Copenhagen Youth Project.

Posted in Anti Social Behaviour, Crime etc | 1 Comment