PM urged to rethink ‘once in a generation’ plans for Euston

PM Think tank London First has written to the prime minister Boris Johnson calling for a rethink over the plans for Euston and the area around the new HS2 terminus.

London First has said that the government has a “once in a generation opportunity to build back better” if it expanded the scale of its regeneration plans in and around the station.

The letter states: “We are writing to express our support for the Government to pursue a comprehensive redevelopment of Euston in order to create a world-class transport interchange, unlocking transformational development above and around the station – supporting economic growth and levelling up, by enabling strong links with the economies of Birmingham, Manchester and beyond.

“The scale of the project of over 60 acres will create a new destination that could draw in over £9bn of international inward investment, adding £3bn a year in economic value and over £2bn in UK supplied materials. Maximising the redevelopment of Euston could also create 10,000 jobs during construction, 30,000 new jobs once completed, deliver thousands of new homes and acres of public green spaces.”

Euston is set to be transformed when the first phase of the new HS2 line opens later this decade, however campaigners and local councillors have lobbied for the government to consider linking up the communities on either side of the rail line into central London, stating that the current station has no real east-west through passage.

London First’s letter calls for the government to fund the redevelopment of the existing Euston station, which had been mooted to cost approximately £4bn, to ensure full integration with the new HS2 terminus. It also calls on the government to recognise the need to deliver social value which would be maximised through a “comprehensive approach to development to communities around Euston”.

Commenting on the letter Jonathan Seager, executive director for place at London First, said: “HS2 will be a transformative project for the whole UK, but for its full impact to be realised we must maximise every opportunity that the scheme presents.

“If the Government wants to build back better, it is only through the comprehensive redevelopment of the site, including a joined up approach to the creation of a new HS2 station and rebuilding of the existing Euston station, that all of the social and economic value can be unlocked.”

A final design for the HS2 terminus is yet to be complete. As previously revealed, the Department for Transport (DfT) has ordered HS2 consultants to look at scaling back Euston Station’s design to cut the construction time and save costs.

An insider close to the Euston station project previously told NCE that scaling back the station from 11 platforms to 10 will allow contractors to build the station in a single stage rather than the previously proposed two-stage design.

This month one of the main lines into Euston was taken out of service as enabling work ramps up for the High Speed 2 (HS2) terminus until the end of August. Preparatory work on the approach line at Euston to enable HS2 will be carried out over the six week period, resulting in platform and services alterations.

It follows a similar six-week period of work carried out between April and May.

Source https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/pm-urged-to-rethink-once-in-a-generation-plans-for-euston-22-07-2021/

Department of Civil Engineering https://www.ibu.edu.ba/department-of-civil-engineering/