King’s Cross campaigners are due to attend the High Court today, Tuesday, 24th April at 2pm, to agree final amendments with developer, Argent, to a revised injunction not to demolish Grade II listed Stanley Buildings North beside St Pancras station.
Press Release from King’s Cross Think Again campaign below. The injunction case is currently scheduled to be heard at 2pm on Tuesday, 24th April in the Administrative Court of Queen’s Bench, High Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2. To confirm this and find out which court, please check after 4.30pm today on: 
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/list_admin.htm. Campaigners will be available outside the courts from 1.30pm for comments and photographs.
Background:
The valuable Victorian industrial archeology and architecture of Stanley (and Culross buildings on Battlebridge Rd) have been earmarked for demolition to make way for the extension to St Pancras Station for the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link since the original plans were released in 1989 by London Regeneration Consortium, all until last year when campaigners won the right to have a judicial review of the whole development, to be held at the end of May. (Stanley Buildings South is to remain - they are listed, after all - but 'embedded' in a giant office block).
Campaigners won an injunction to stop developer the developer Argent pressing ahead with its plans until the case is heard. Campaigners claim Argent's scheme has too many offices, not enough houses and will create pollution in the area. However, in court Kings X Railway Lands Group will focus on how the plans were granted full planning permission in March. When a new administration took over the Town Hall, new councillors wanted to reassess the decision but were prevented by council officers. Campaigners now say this prevention was unlawful.
The attached press release has just gone to the locals, Londons, national print media, national broadcast media and trade journals. LBC).
King’s Cross Think Again campaign: Press release of 23 April 2007
King’s Cross development: High Court hearing of demolition injunction
King’s Cross campaigners are due to attend the High Court on Tuesday, 24th April, after a hearing scheduled for 20th April had to be postponed for lack of court time. Leigh Day and Co, solicitors for the King’s Cross Railway Lands Group, which leads the King’s Cross Think Again campaign, hope to agree final amendments with developer, Argent, to a revised injunction not to demolish Grade II listed Stanley Buildings North beside St Pancras station.
When Mr Justice Collins agreed in February to grant a judicial review hearing of the way Camden agreed consent for the £2bn King’s Cross development, he also ordered that ‘in the meantime, no building which is listed or which may be required to be retained should be demolished’. Argent appealed against this order and sought an undertaking for damages against the campaigners for alleged costs caused by delays. Then ten days ago they offered to abide by the injunction pending the judicial review, in return for being allowed to carry out internal demolition and salvage works to Stanley Buildings North.
The judicial review hearing itself is scheduled for the end of May.
Michael Edwards, co-chair of King’s Cross Railway Lands Group, said:
‘We are absolutely delighted that Argent has agreed not to demolish any buildings unless our case fails, but we are still worried that even the internal demolition they propose could damage Stanley Buildings North. We can agree to their removing asbestos and some salvage work but we don’t want them to rip out any of the features which give the building its historic importance. One option if we succeed in having the present planning consent quashed might be to use the building for housing, its original purpose. With the judicial review hearing now only weeks away, we very much hope there will be agreement with Argent on this.’
Argent does not yet own Stanley Buildings. Camden’s Executive decided on 14th March to sell the 1860s tenements for an undisclosed sum, rumoured to be less than half their probable development value. But after demands from councillors, the sale has been ‘called in’ to Camden’s Scrutiny Committee meeting to reconsider at a meeting, also on Tuesday, 24th April. Campaigners will urge the Committee to seek an independent valuation. The Department for Communities and Local Government has already made clear it will not give consent to the sale till after the judicial review.
Two planning applications affecting the actual demolition of Stanley Buildings North were agreed by Camden’s Development Control Committee last Thursday, 19th April, without discussion. One, a detailed application to realign Pancras Road, was opposed by the campaign because there had been no public consultation on it. These, and other key applications on the redevelopment of King’s Cross station, were adjourned from a previous meeting because officers scheduled so many applications for that meeting that councillors ran out of time.
‘Despite giving a whole evening to these controversial applications, there was no discussion on anything except the station redevelopment,’ said Michael Edwards. ‘That’s very important but has nothing to do with realigning Pancras Road, which went through on the nod. Objectors to all the applications had come in force to answer questions, but councillors did not ask any. It seemed as if they just didn’t care about these important plans which will affect King’s Cross for decades to come.’
The campaign’s case for judicial review will be heard in the High Court by Mr Justice Sullivan on 24th and 25th May; he is expected to give a judgement either at the hearing or soon afterwards.
‘If we lose, then the developers will have lost very little time and can get on with their regrettable scheme,’ added Michael Edwards. ‘If we win, we hope the proposals will be revised, with real local participation, to create the regeneration the area needs. We want more housing, particularly affordable housing, more small enterprises to help create local jobs, serious proposals for a zero-carbon development and the rehabilitation rather than destruction of our urban heritage.’
_____________________________________________________________________
Other info:
• Camden’s Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee will be held at 7pm, Tuesday, 24th April, in Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, WC1. Its agenda is on http://www3.camden.gov.uk/templates/committees/showHTML.cfm?file=20753.htm
• Michael Edwards, co-chair of King’s Cross Railway Lands Group, is principal spokesperson for the King’s Cross—Think Again campaign: phone 07813 194401, email
office@kxrlg.org.uk
• Leigh Day & Co are KXRLG’s solicitors, where Sharon Steward is press contact on (020) 7650 1319.
• Further information from Diana Shelley, press officer for the campaign, phone (020) 7609 0054 or email diana.shelley@btinternet.com. Diana can also supply contacts for campaigners on specific topics, such as housing, conservation and heritage, energy and environment, the Regent’s canal.
• The King’s Cross—Think Again campaign is a consortium of local groups and individuals, led by the King’s Cross Railway Lands Group which has campaigned for regeneration in the area for nearly twenty years. Other groups include King’s Cross Conservation Area Advisory Committee, Regents Network, Cally Rail Group and members of Camden Green Party.
More information online at www.kxrlg.org.uk.
http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/list_admin.htm. Campaigners will be available outside the courts from 1.30pm for comments and photographs. Background:
The valuable Victorian industrial archeology and architecture of Stanley (and Culross buildings on Battlebridge Rd) have been earmarked for demolition to make way for the extension to St Pancras Station for the new Channel Tunnel Rail Link since the original plans were released in 1989 by London Regeneration Consortium, all until last year when campaigners won the right to have a judicial review of the whole development, to be held at the end of May. (Stanley Buildings South is to remain - they are listed, after all - but 'embedded' in a giant office block).
Campaigners won an injunction to stop developer the developer Argent pressing ahead with its plans until the case is heard. Campaigners claim Argent's scheme has too many offices, not enough houses and will create pollution in the area. However, in court Kings X Railway Lands Group will focus on how the plans were granted full planning permission in March. When a new administration took over the Town Hall, new councillors wanted to reassess the decision but were prevented by council officers. Campaigners now say this prevention was unlawful.
The attached press release has just gone to the locals, Londons, national print media, national broadcast media and trade journals. LBC).
King’s Cross Think Again campaign: Press release of 23 April 2007
King’s Cross development: High Court hearing of demolition injunction
King’s Cross campaigners are due to attend the High Court on Tuesday, 24th April, after a hearing scheduled for 20th April had to be postponed for lack of court time. Leigh Day and Co, solicitors for the King’s Cross Railway Lands Group, which leads the King’s Cross Think Again campaign, hope to agree final amendments with developer, Argent, to a revised injunction not to demolish Grade II listed Stanley Buildings North beside St Pancras station.
When Mr Justice Collins agreed in February to grant a judicial review hearing of the way Camden agreed consent for the £2bn King’s Cross development, he also ordered that ‘in the meantime, no building which is listed or which may be required to be retained should be demolished’. Argent appealed against this order and sought an undertaking for damages against the campaigners for alleged costs caused by delays. Then ten days ago they offered to abide by the injunction pending the judicial review, in return for being allowed to carry out internal demolition and salvage works to Stanley Buildings North.
The judicial review hearing itself is scheduled for the end of May.
Michael Edwards, co-chair of King’s Cross Railway Lands Group, said:
‘We are absolutely delighted that Argent has agreed not to demolish any buildings unless our case fails, but we are still worried that even the internal demolition they propose could damage Stanley Buildings North. We can agree to their removing asbestos and some salvage work but we don’t want them to rip out any of the features which give the building its historic importance. One option if we succeed in having the present planning consent quashed might be to use the building for housing, its original purpose. With the judicial review hearing now only weeks away, we very much hope there will be agreement with Argent on this.’
Argent does not yet own Stanley Buildings. Camden’s Executive decided on 14th March to sell the 1860s tenements for an undisclosed sum, rumoured to be less than half their probable development value. But after demands from councillors, the sale has been ‘called in’ to Camden’s Scrutiny Committee meeting to reconsider at a meeting, also on Tuesday, 24th April. Campaigners will urge the Committee to seek an independent valuation. The Department for Communities and Local Government has already made clear it will not give consent to the sale till after the judicial review.
Two planning applications affecting the actual demolition of Stanley Buildings North were agreed by Camden’s Development Control Committee last Thursday, 19th April, without discussion. One, a detailed application to realign Pancras Road, was opposed by the campaign because there had been no public consultation on it. These, and other key applications on the redevelopment of King’s Cross station, were adjourned from a previous meeting because officers scheduled so many applications for that meeting that councillors ran out of time.
‘Despite giving a whole evening to these controversial applications, there was no discussion on anything except the station redevelopment,’ said Michael Edwards. ‘That’s very important but has nothing to do with realigning Pancras Road, which went through on the nod. Objectors to all the applications had come in force to answer questions, but councillors did not ask any. It seemed as if they just didn’t care about these important plans which will affect King’s Cross for decades to come.’
The campaign’s case for judicial review will be heard in the High Court by Mr Justice Sullivan on 24th and 25th May; he is expected to give a judgement either at the hearing or soon afterwards.
‘If we lose, then the developers will have lost very little time and can get on with their regrettable scheme,’ added Michael Edwards. ‘If we win, we hope the proposals will be revised, with real local participation, to create the regeneration the area needs. We want more housing, particularly affordable housing, more small enterprises to help create local jobs, serious proposals for a zero-carbon development and the rehabilitation rather than destruction of our urban heritage.’
_____________________________________________________________________
Other info:
• Camden’s Resources and Corporate Performance Scrutiny Committee will be held at 7pm, Tuesday, 24th April, in Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, WC1. Its agenda is on
http://www3.camden.gov.uk/templates/committees/showHTML.cfm?file=20753.htm • Michael Edwards, co-chair of King’s Cross Railway Lands Group, is principal spokesperson for the King’s Cross—Think Again campaign: phone 07813 194401, email
office@kxrlg.org.uk • Leigh Day & Co are KXRLG’s solicitors, where Sharon Steward is press contact on (020) 7650 1319.
• Further information from Diana Shelley, press officer for the campaign, phone (020) 7609 0054 or email
diana.shelley@btinternet.com. Diana can also supply contacts for campaigners on specific topics, such as housing, conservation and heritage, energy and environment, the Regent’s canal. • The King’s Cross—Think Again campaign is a consortium of local groups and individuals, led by the King’s Cross Railway Lands Group which has campaigned for regeneration in the area for nearly twenty years. Other groups include King’s Cross Conservation Area Advisory Committee, Regents Network, Cally Rail Group and members of Camden Green Party.
More information online at www.kxrlg.org.uk.
