makingstoreys
20newstreets,10newsquares,
anexcitingpieceofcentralLondoninthemaking
For further information:
King’s Cross Visitor Centre
Western Transit Shed
11 Stable Street
London
N1C 4AB
+44 (0)20 3479 1795
www.kingscross.co.uk
twitter.com/kingscrossN1C
ARTS AND CULTURE
There’s an exciting and interesting
mix of things happening at King’s
Cross and arts and culture is a big
part of that mix. Music venues,
cinemas, galleries and theatres all
have a place here. The new public
spaces and squares play host to
outdoor concerts, theatre, film and
dance performances. These new
venues complement and enhance
the already thriving local arts and
music scene.
The public art programme
at King’s Cross celebrates the
area’s heritage and its future.
The nine-year programme is
curated by specialist teams, and
has already featured the hugely
popular ‘Across the Buildings’ by
Felice Varini, and ‘Identified Flying
Object’ by Jacques Rival. Next up
is ‘Of Soil and Water: King’s Cross
Pond Club’ – a natural bathing
pond in Lewis Cubitt Park that will
be at King’s Cross for two years.
An extraordinary piece of
London is taking shape. The
67 acres north of King’s Cross
Station is being transformed
into a new part of the city
with homes, shopping, offices,
hotels, cultural venues, bars
and restaurants. There is also
a massive 26 acres of public
space, including 10 new parks
and squares.
HOMES
1,900 new homes are being built
here. Everything from top-end
apartments to affordable and
supported housing, from student
flats to family homes. The homes
are of different types and tenures,
but something they all have in
common is intelligent design and
the highest quality materials and
finishes.
The first residents arrived
in 2012 when 260 affordable
homes were built for
One Housing Group
in Rubicon Court,
Saxon Court and
Roseberry Mansions.
This was followed
by the Urbanest
Tower, providing 650
homes for students
and the 143 stunning
apartments in the
canalside ArtHouse building.
Next up is the Plimsoll Building
on Handyside Street, with 255
apartments, including 77 key
worker homes. The premium
apartments in the Tapestry
Building are also on release.
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
In Victorian times, this area was
an important industrial heartland –
the first intermodal transport hub
combining rail, road and canal. By
the latter part of the
20th Century the area
had become a series of
railway sidings, disused
buildings, warehousing
and contaminated
land. Plans based on
a Foster’s masterplan
fell through in the
early 1990s. However,
the relocation of the
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
from Waterloo to St Pancras was
the catalyst for the landowners to
develop the land.
In 2000, Argent was selected
as the developer by landowners
LCR and Exel (now DHL) and
subsequently formed a joint
partnership: King’s Cross Central
Limited Partnership. Single land
ownership makes delivering the
development easier. Many of the
original team are still working
on the project – bringing an
unusual level of continuity and
commitment.
The Partnership has invested
over £250 million so far. In the early
days, much of this investment was
below-ground, with the delivery
of essential infrastructure such
as water, drainage and utilities.
Only now are we seeing the visual
impact the development is having
on the area.
In 2011, University of the Arts
London moved into the stunning
Granary Building. A few months
later, Granary Square with its
magnificent fountains opened.
Since then, new routes, parks and
squares have opened, the first
restaurants, bars and offices are
here, and people have moved in to
over 400 new apartments in four
new buildings, with many more on
the way.
PUBLIC SPACE
The new neighbourhood at
King’s Cross is being built
around a framework of parks,
squares, streets and pathways.
A whole 40%, or 26 acres of the
development will be made up of
public space.
Much of this is already open
and being enjoyed – Granary
Square with its spectacular
fountains, the beautifully
landscaped Handyside Gardens,
the new Pancras Square and Lewis
Cubitt Park and Square. As the
development progresses, more
new green spaces and routes will
open such as the greenway along
the Canal from Gasholder Park to
York Road.
The public areas are managed
and maintained by a specialist
team – King’s Cross Estate
Services. The team is on the
ground 24/7 and aim to make
King’s Cross the cleanest and
friendliest place in
London – a place that
everyone will want to
visit and enjoy.
HERITAGE
In time, 20 historic buildings
and structures will have been
refurbished and restored. This
means coming up with creative
solutions to convert buildings
designed for different uses. A
good example is the introduction
of a light well in the Granary
building. The Granary was
originally used to store
grain, which needed
to be out of the sun to
keep cool. The building
is now a creative
warehouse, home to
Central Saint Martins,
and the well provides light for the
thousands of students who study
art and fashion here.
History shapes the outdoor areas
as well – field boundaries defined
the route of the canal which in
turn influenced the position of
the warehouse and railway tracks.
Those tracks and warehouses are
now shaping the layout of the new
streets. The development has been
cited by English Heritage as “One
of England’s 20 Best Heritage-Led
Developments” and is commended
for its dedication to integrating
and re-using old buildings.
AN OVERVIEW
Welcome to King’s Cross, an
area of central London with a
history of dynamic development.
This strategic location has gone
through many transformations from
farming fields and Georgian
health spas to Victorian factories
and housing to an important
transport and freight hub. Post
WWII the area went into decline,
but the site of the old railway
goods yard is now undergoing a
major redevelopment.
As with every part of London,
there will be a mix of uses: offices,
homes, educational
facilities, shopping,
open spaces,
restaurants, cafés and
bars all have a place
here. King’s Cross
blends the old with
the new: restored and
refurbished Victorian
structures sit alongside new
modern buildings. Lively streets,
squares and parks will help make
the development a successful
part of the city, linking it with the
surrounding area.
The future is not set – the
masterplan for King’s Cross is
a flexible framework that will
be shaped by market demand,
legislation, and the people who
live, work and spend time here.
SHOPPING, EATING
AND DRINKING
A new retail quarter is taking
shape at King’s Cross – a diverse
and interesting mix of shops,
restaurants and entertainment
venues. At its centre will be the
Coal Drops, with its impressive
Victorian railway architecture,
canalside location and new public
spaces as a backdrop.
The first restaurants and bars
are already here and the area
is fast establishing itself as an
exciting food destination. Caravan
and Grain Store on Granary Square
have been joined by the everpopular
Indian eatery, Dishoom
and specialist tea shop Yumchaa.
The Greek Larder opened in
ArtHouse on York Way, and at
Pancras Square, Vinoteca and
Notes coffee will soon be joined
by Kimchee, Granger & Co and a
new restaurant by D&D London.
Meanwhile, KERB continues to
serve up London’s best street food
weekday lunchtimes from Granary
Square. Events, markets and street
performances help create a fun
and varied experience for visitors,
workers and the local community.
WORKSPACE
There will be 3.4 million sq ft
of workspace here, in 19 new
and refurbished office buildings
– attracting everything from
small start-ups to multinational
corporations. The buildings
are designed by different
architects, each making their own
distinctive contribution to the
area. All are designed, built and
managed in a way that
minimises impact on
the environment and
creates a better and
healthier space for the
people who work in
the buildings.
The workspace in the
award-winning Western
Transit Shed and at One,
Two and Five Pancras
Square is already open
and occupied, with six
further office buildings
under construction. Among the
companies choosing to locate
here are Google, Louis Vuitton,
PRS for Music, New Day and media
giant Havas.
COMMUNITY
King’s Cross is one of the largest
regeneration projects in the
UK and a community for future
generations. We work hard with
a range of stakeholders to ensure
that everyone benefits from the
investment going on here. As well
as housing for all, there are job and
training opportunities, programmes
for schools, community
facilities and initiatives
such as the Global
Generation Skip Garden.
Education is a big
focus at King’s Cross.
There’s already a
university here, and in
autumn 2015, a new
primary and nursery
school – King’s Cross Academy –
and the Frank Barnes School for
Deaf Children open.
KX Recruit and the
Construction Skills Centre are
helping place local people in jobs
generated by the development
and community projects like the
Global Generation Skip Garden are
creating all kinds of opportunities
for local young people.
In 2014, a brand new public
library and leisure centre opened
in Camden Council’s community
building at Five Pancras Square.
Around the site, sports and play
spaces are being developed to
cater for all, including dedicated
zones for urban sports and play
areas for younger children.
SUSTAINABILITY
Opportunities like King’s Cross
do not come around often. That’s
why when they do, it is vital to
create a sustainable place - a
community with a long-term
future that has minimal impact on
the environment. This has been a
guiding principle at King’s Cross.
There are many aspects to
creating sustainable places.
At King’s Cross it has included
everything from promoting energy
efficiency to encouraging green
transport. From reuse of heritage
buildings to a massive program
of tree planting. From sustainable
building design to ensuring social
and cultural diversity.
The buildings at King’s Cross
are heated via a hot water
distribution network which is fed
from the on-site Energy Centre.
This state-of-the-art centre is
home to a Combined Heat and
Power (CHP) plant, which heats
Lively streets, squares
and parks will help
make the development
a successful part of the
city, linking it with the
surrounding area.
WHAT’S COMING
50 new buildings
2,000 new homes
An exciting new shopping quarter
3.4 million sq ft of work space
26 acres of open space
20 new streets
10 new public parks and squares
Education and cultural facilities
In Victorian times, this
area was an industrial
heartland; the first
intermodal transport
hub combining rail, road
and canal for distribution
of goods.
Ten new parks and
squares, 20 new streets,
a car-free feeling, three
new bridges and more
than 400 mature trees.
and cools the buildings in a very
energy efficient way. The buildings
also feature the latest watersaving
and recycling technologies.
Over 400 mature trees are being
planted and where possible,
roofs are used for gardens and
allotments and walls
are greened.
The key to
successful sustainability
is not just putting the
infrastructure in place,
but also knowing how
to use it. Our team
works with occupiers
and residents to ensure
that we make the most of the
potential for sustainable living at
King’s Cross.
All buildings connect to
the hot water distribution
network fed from the
Energy Centre, home to
a Combined Heat and
Power (CHP) plant.
There will be 19 new
and refurbished office
buildings at King’s Cross.
These will be high quality
offices – designed, built
and managed in a way
that minimises impact on
the environment.
2,000 new homes
are being built here.
Everything from luxury
apartments to affordable
and supported housing,
from student studios to
family homes.
Sports & play spaces
are being developed to
cater for all, including
dedicated zones for urban
sports and a multi-use
games area.
In time, 20 historic
buildings and structures
will have been refurbished
and restored.
Granary Square © John Sturrock
Construction on site © John Sturrock
The infrastructure network within King’s bridge
© John Sturrock
King’s Boulevard © John Sturrock The Skip Garden © John Sturrock
The courtyard at Saxon Court © Tim Crocker
View from ArtHouse apartment © Philip Durrant The refurbished and rebuilt Gasholder No.8 framing Gasholder Park © John Sturrock
The Granary Building, home to Central Saint Martins
© John Sturrock
Green Wall on Goods Way © John Sturrock
The ‘Pink Panther’ CHP Engine © John SturrockThe IFO and King’s Cross mural © John Sturrock
Granary Square © John Sturrock
King’s Boulevard © John Sturrock
King’s Cross 2001 Aerial, prior to
St Pancras International Station
development © Unknown
King’s Cross 2011 Aerial, after
St Pancras International Station
development © Bluesky International Ltd
Five Pancras Square, London Borough of Camden offices
© John Sturrock
Outdoor Sports Area © Brendan Bell
Two Pancras Square reception © John Sturrock
[March 2015]