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Shut out of station
• MORE than 17,000 residents, hundreds of businesses and 4,000 commuters a day are to be shut out of their local entrance to the King’s Cross/St Pancras transport hub. This will undermine the benefits of one of the largest regeneration initiatives in Europe.
Lib Dem MP Norman Baker has asked a question in Parliament about Network Rail’s plans to close permanently pedestrian access routes to King’s Cross and St Pancras rail stations from the north-east of the station complex. Transport Minister Rosie Winterton replied that a study commissioned by Network Rail concluded “that from an operational safety perspective the access to York Way in this location could not be maintained”.
Network Rail is to close all entrances to King’s Cross station and replace them with one new entrance on the far western side. A massive wall the length of the station will divide King’s Cross and Somers Town, closing the community on the Islington side out of the stations and King’s Cross Central development. Planning consent was given to Network Rail on the basis that it carries out a feasibility study into providing access by bridge at the rear of the station.
The study failed to look at the only known workable option, wasting time and public money on conclusions that are irrelevant.
Now the government is backing that flawed piece of work, instead of listening to the community, leaving us angry and dismayed.
Our community faces multiple deprivation and high levels of youth crime. But Network Rail’s closure of the Wharfdale Road entrance, with no replacement bridge, will cut us off and further alienate our community. A bridge would cost less than two per cent of Network Rail’s redevelopment budget for King’s Cross.
A petition calling for access to the stations by bridge is currently running at petitions.number10.gov.uk/kxaccess. Supporters of the campaign for access to King’s Cross and St Pancras can subscribe to a regularly updated blog at www.kingscrossaccess.com.
SOPHIE TALBOT
King’s Cross Community Projects
Wharfdale Road, N1
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