UK’s busiest railway station to undergo controversial £1.2 billion redevelopment
Controversial plans to redevelop London Liverpool Street railway station have been given planning permission.
The City of London’s planning committee heard on Tuesday that Network Rail’s Phase II It gave the green light to their bid for the listed space.
The £1.2 billion project involves the construction of a 97-metre (318 ft) mixed-use tower block directly above the UK’s busiest railway station.
Network Rail insisted its plans respect the station’s “unique heritage”.
But actor Griff Rhys Jones, chairman of the Victorian Society and Liverpool Street Station Campaign (Lissca), claimed it was a “sad day for the City of London”.
He said: “An ugly multi-billion pound office block located on a significant heritage asset is not essential to the City’s development plans.
“It is questionable whether ‘improving’ the concourse could easily turn a profit and provide only a small amount of extra space for the passenger.
“The focus is on retail opportunities that are not needed by the commuter.
“It destroys an existing conservation area. It demolishes protected buildings. It damages the surrounding historical texture.”
Rhys Jones accused the City of London of “caving in to the developer’s ambitions, setting a bad precedent for London and (ignoring) the user”.
Lissca said he had the “backing of thousands of supporters” and would “now await the decisions of the Mayor of London and, if necessary, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.”
Network Rail said its plans include improvements such as:
- Increasing general concourse capacity by 76 percent.
- Better passenger flow.
- Step-free access from street level to all platforms, including London Underground lines.
- More elevators and escalators.
Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s Eastern managing director, said: “This decision represents a significant step towards the transformation of Britain’s busiest station and marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Liverpool Street.
“Our plans focus on improving passengers’ daily experience while respecting the station’s unique heritage.
“With annual passenger numbers forecast to rise to 158 million, this approval ensures the station is future-proofed for decades to come.”
Figures from the regulator Rail and Road Office show the estimated number of entries and exits on Liverpool Street by the end of March 2025 is 98.0 million.
