It is going to attract 24m people a year and will be the biggest development in New York since the Rockefeller Center was built during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
But could Manhattan’s vast Hudson Yards scheme possibly provide a blueprint for regenerating the area around Euston Station and deliver almost 4,000 homes and 14,000 jobs?
Hudson Yards will comprise more than 17m sq ft of space, 5,000 homes and 14 acres of public open space.
During the mayor’s recent trade mission to America I was able to see exactly how this vast development – America’s biggest private real estate scheme – is being constructed, and it certainly bears many similarities to how a possible regeneration of Euston may eventually look.
The vast scheme, developed by US real estate firm Related Companies, is being built on the West Side of Manhattan, over a working rail yard. Two huge platforms are being constructed to bridge over 30 active Long Island Rail Road train tracks. These platforms will cover approximately three-quarters of the rail yard. The finished buildings will extend through the platform and rise above, with large structures called caissons drilled deep into the bedrock between the rail lines to support them.
What makes Hudson Yards particularly interesting, from a London perspective, is the fact that this innovative method of construction, known as a level deck scheme, could potentially be replicated at Euston. Creating a deck above the station would significantly reduce disruption and provide a vast area for development.
Euston is set to become an interchange station for Crossrail 2 and, potentially, HS2. The mayor’s vision is for Euston-King’s Cross-St Pancras to become the UK’s largest mega rail hub, contributing significantly to London’s growth.
Earlier this year, the mayor, alongside Transport for London and Camden council, published a planning framework called the Euston Area Plan, which envisages the rejuvenation of Euston, with the capacity for up to 3,800 homes, 14,000 jobs and 215,000 sq ft of retail floorspace.
Related Companies has formed a partnership with investor Sydney & London Properties to redevelop the area around Euston, delivering a world-class station and mixed-use development.
Hudson Yards was not the only incredible feat of engineering we saw on our visit to America. In Boston, we visited the Central Artery-Tunnel Project, also known as the Big Dig, which is recognised as the largest and most complex highway project ever undertaken in the US. It replaced Boston’s deteriorating six-lane elevated Central Artery with an eight-lane state-of-the-art underground highway.
It significantly reduced congestion and led to substantial regeneration.
The visit came as we unveiled proposals to redesign a number of key road networks in London to unlock growth and make the city a more attractive place to live and work.
We have unveiled five locations as being suitable for further feasibility work by TfL. In London we face similar challenges to Boston on our roads and this could also be a fantastic opportunity to better shape our city and support economic growth.
Sir Edward Lister is chief of staff and London’s deputy mayor for planning
