Liverpool Street Station Acme architecture’s proposed plan for Bishopsgate entrance. Visualisation: Network Rail and Acme
The Victorian Society is calling on the public to write to the Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, urging him to refuse damaging proposals for the redevelopment of Liverpool Street Station.
The scheme, recently approved by the City of London, would involve extensive demolition of the historic station and the construction of a 19-storey office tower through and above it. If implemented, the scheme would cause serious and irreversible harm to the station and its setting, alongside years of disruption for passengers.
A critical moment
The Mayor now has the power to intervene. At this critical moment, the Victorian Society is urging the public to write and call for the scheme to be refused. A guide to writing to the Mayor is here.
Email: [email protected] quoting planning application 25/00494/FULEIA
Why the scheme should be refused – and why the Mayor should intervene
- The proposals would cause serious and unjustified harm to the Grade II-listed Liverpool Street Station and its historic surroundings, entailing extensive demolition and the construction of a 19-storey office block in and over it.
- Less harmful options for improving the station have not been properly explored or assessed, despite clear evidence that alternatives exist.
- The developer’s own financial assessment raises serious doubts about whether the scheme can be delivered, and points to the real prospect that significant public funds could be required.
- The scheme would result in up to a decade of disruption, affecting passengers, businesses and the wider area.
These issues mean the scheme meets the tests for Mayoral intervention:
- It conflicts with the London Plan, causing significant and unjustified harm to a listed building and its setting.
- Its impacts would be felt far beyond the City of London, affecting passengers and communities across the capital.
- There are strong planning reasons to refuse, including the scale of harm, uncertainty over delivery, and the failure to properly explore and assess less damaging alternatives.
Griff Rhys Jones, President of the Victorian Society, said: “Londoners do not want a vast office block plonked down on top of their beloved Liverpool Street Station, and the eye-watering harm it would cause. This is an ill-thought-out scheme that would demolish historic fabric and still deliver very little for passengers. This is really about a huge office development, not a better station. We have seen at St Pancras and King’s Cross stations that these buildings can be upgraded and redeveloped without this level of destruction – so where is the proper evaluation of less damaging alternatives? The Mayor has the power to ask for a less destructive and greener solution and he should do so. We must all write to ask him to stop this planning application. On behalf of London and the railway capital of the world the Mayor must intercede. Make your feeling known.”
James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said: “This is a deeply flawed scheme. It proposes a high level of harm to a historic station and would set a staggering precedent, yet its delivery is uncertain and the claimed public benefits are therefore speculative. In those circumstances, the harm cannot be justified – particularly when less damaging alternatives have not been properly assessed. The Mayor now has a clear opportunity to step in and refuse it. London deserves better, and it is in his power to ensure that”
The fundraiser The campaign to Save Liverpool Street Station is ongoing. Donations to support its work can be made here.
The view now: Liverpool Street Station Bishopsgate entrance and former Great Eastern Hotel. Visualisation: Network Rail and Acme
