An isolated box entrance to King’s Cross tube station is to be demolished and replaced with a new step-free entrance as part of a building development.
Replacement entrance (c) Planning application
The existing entrance sits on the south side of the Euston Road, in front of a rather appealing if run-down art-deco building, known as Belgrove House which was built in the 1930s as the King’s Cross Coach Station. It closed in 1947 as a garage, as the buses moved to another garage on Pentonville Road, and was taken over by the Post Office.
Today it’s used as a storage warehouse and is fronted by a number of shops, and a branch of a well-known burger chain.
Belgrove House and tube entrance (c) Google Street View
The plans will see the whole building demolished and replaced with a tall brick and glass-clad tower for use by the pharmaceuticals giant, Merck for their London Discovery Research Center.
As part of the planning package, they will include a new step-free entrance to the tube station, replacing the black box that currently fills much of the pavement.
A staircase will lead down to the basement connection that runs under the road, and a lift will be included in the design.
Showing tube entrance in the top-right corner (c) Planning application
Although the replacement entrance won’t add any additional capacity to the station, other than the inclusion of an additional lift, removing it from the pavement to the building will open up a lot more space for pedestrians. The addition of the lift also means people on the south-side of the road would no longer need to cross the road to the north side where step-free access already exists.
Although the plans have been approved by Camden Council, they now need approval from the Mayor of London.
If approved, it could open in 2025.
The planned building (c) Planning application
Given how many passengers using Kings Cross and St Pancras
International have luggage this lift will benefit far more people than just wheelchair users and will make it safer for those exiting the station. Although it will make it possible to enter or exit the station on both sides of the very busy Euston Road.
It’s this type of development that’s needed to improve and in some places like the adjacent Euston Square Station where development allowed lifts to platform level can be used to improve station accessibility sometimes has at no cost to TFL .
In fact there are many stations where escalators go from platforms to booking halls so the adding of a lift from street to booking hall creates what’s known as stair free access which while not suitable for wheelchairs still improves access for prams , people with luggage or people who can walk but have difficulty with stairs .
Isn’t this the building where oasis filmed their first music video? Not an excuse to keep it but still.
The location reminds me of Mrs Wilberforce’s lodging House in Michael Balcon’s 1955 magnum opus “The Ladykillers”.
Mrs W’s house was in Argyle Street, adjacent to the corner building concerned (if you look at the view from her house) but as we know, the house was actually built as a set on the top of the Copenhagen Tunnel a couple of miles away.
The side of this building is also used for storing Boris Bikes for King’s Cross. Every morning and evening bikes are taken out or put into storage for the hundreds who get off the train and use bikes for their onward journey.
Again, I’m sure this building will be an improvement to the area, but TFL will need to find some substantial alternative bike storage locally.
Will they keep the McDonalds?
Is that near to the old entrance of former Kings Cross Thameslink station. Or near to York Road.
No.
I notice that this has been pre-let to Merck for their London Discovery Research Center.
With the Francis Crick Institute just behind St. Pancras, will this be the first of many similar pharmaceutical developments in the area. You’ve also got the Welcome Trust and the world-leading University College Hospital just up the road.
Could London be planning to overtake Cambridge and Oxford, in the race to be the pharmaceutical capital of the world?
Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Opthalmology are also planning to moving to a purpose built centre at Kings Cross
It’s directly opposite and facing the main frontage right opposite King’s Cross Mainline station. Pentonville Roaad.