Network Rail Property’s fresh plans to redevelop Liverpool Street Station have largely been given the thumbs up by the public.
After a consultation, which involved nearly 250,000 people engaging with the plans and more than 1,800 responding with comments, three out of four passengers responded in support of the new plans.
The group’s plans, which it put back out to consultation last month after proposals with Sellar Property Group faced strong opposition from heritage bodies, include step-free access, new lifts, more turnstiles, new toilets, better signage and increasing the size of the station’s concourse.
Robin Dobson, group property director for Network Rail Property, said: “It is a vote of confidence in our approach to restore the station’s status as world leading – to regenerate our facilities and deal with inadequate capacity, both of which continue to frustrate our passengers.”
Dobson added: “With such a complex project, and with multiple stakeholders, there will always be objections, but the overwhelming response has been that it is time to get on with making Liverpool Street station the best it can be.”
The results of the consultation follow opposition to the first iteration of the plans in 2023, which included objections from actor Stephen Fry, artist Tracey Emin and three former presidents of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
In a letter to The Times, they wrote: “To plonk 15 storeys of insensitively designed tower directly on top of the Grade II* former Great Eastern Hotel… is grossly opportunistic and wrong… and sets a dangerous precedent.”
Photo © Acme
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