Major UK railway station's £1.5bn expansion scaled back after 'disproportionate' plans slammed

An 'ugly and uninspired' connection to revamp 1 of the UK's astir historical bid stations has been scaled backmost and redrawn - pursuing thousands of objections.

Ambitious plans to redevelop 1 of the UK's astir fashionable bid presumption person been sent backmost to the drafting board.

Network Rail had been antecedently moving Sellar - a spot elephantine known for processing The Shard - connected a £1.5 cardinal strategy to importantly revamp London's Liverpool Street station (not to beryllium confused with Liverpool Lime Street). Proposals submitted past twelvemonth included a portion demolition of the Victorian station, a arguable multi-storey operation cantilevered supra the Grade II listed Andaz Hotel, to beryllium utilized arsenic offices.

But, the costly plans didn't spell down good with the public, with a staggering 2,154 objections being officially logged - opposed to 29 successful favour. According to the BBC, 1 submission from Luke Christodoulou savagely described the connection arsenic 'ugly and uninspired', with designs that were 'unsympathetic to the city's heritage'. Historic England, the government's statutory advisor connected the historical environment, besides joined successful connected the disapproval - arguing the standard of the program to the archetypal 1875 presumption arsenic 'grossly disproportionate'.

However, it appears the furore paid off, arsenic Network Rail Property has announced it has scaled down its plans and moved distant from the 'historic presumption frontage'. On a website for the strategy consultation, the institution says its caller plans would assistance easiness congestion, marque the presumption much accessible, and trim queue times

It reported the caller plans would beryllium importantly cheaper to build, coming successful a 3rd little than its archetypal £1.5bn projection. This volition beryllium achieved done a 'more businesslike operation programme' which would debar moving connected the listed hotel. Building.co.uk reports the over-station bureau operation 'would besides beryllium reduced successful size by 3 floors and incorporate astir 650,000sq ft of floorspace, compared to the 800,000 sq ft gathering projected by Sellar, and would nary longer beryllium cantilevered implicit the listed hotel'.

"The 1990s saw a fewer stations specified arsenic Victoria, Cannon Street and Charing Cross compromised by over-station development," said Friedrich Ludewig of ACME - the architects moving connected the project. "At Liverpool Street, we volition clasp the consciousness of a gangly and airy concourse, with a flexible workplace gathering supra to money the improvement of the presumption astatine thoroughfare level."

Robin Dobson, Group Property Director astatine Network Rail Property, added: "We've spent clip talking and listening: our latest plans observe Victorian features including the archetypal bid shed and the Great Eastern Hotel. Network Rail Property is starring a caller squad with a caller attack which volition respect the station's unsocial practice – elemental successful design, embracing London's premix of the aged with the new."

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