Heritage groups gear up for ‘huge battle’ over Liverpool Street station plans

Heritage groups have again promised to “vigorously oppose” plans by Shard developer Sellar to redevelop Liverpool Street station, setting the stage for a repeat of the 1970s battle to conserve the east London icon. 

Proposals drawn up by Herzog & de Meuron are set to go to City planners by March next year, with the current proposals involving around one million sq ft of mixed-use space at the site along with a revamp of the station concourse. 

But the Victorian Society and Save Britain’s Heritage have both restated their opposition to the scheme, despite attempts at reassurance by Sellar development director Barry Ostle, who told a public consultation on Tuesday that the Victorian railsheds would be protected, as would the majority of sheds built in the 1990s and a revamped Great Eastern hotel. 

Both groups received private viewings of the proposals in the last few weeks, but have held firm in their criticisms, with the Victorian Society urging members of the public to respond to the public consultation, objecting to the proposals. 

It confirmed it met with the developer and architect last Friday, at which it underlined its concerns about the project. 

The Society said the claimed need for redevelopment fails to consider changing commuting patterns and the impact of the Elizabeth Line on passenger interchange numbers.  

It added the station’s character would be “irreparably damaged” by introduction of a double-level concourse and the demolition of the late 20th century Victorian-style roof and entrances to the station. 

Victorian Society director Joe O’Donnell has approached other heritage organisations with a view to reforming the Liverpool Street Station Campaign, which in the 1970s defeated British Rail proposals to demolish the entire station. 

Henrietta Billings, director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, said the scene been set for another “huge conservation battle” akin to the one half a century ago.  

She said: “We remain deeply concerned about the impact that the redevelopment plans and 16-storey tower would have on the listed station buildings and former Great Eastern Hotel, as well as the wider conservation area which is designed to protect the City from exactly this type of overwhelming development.” 

The Great Eastern is a grade II listed Victorian hotel and would be turned into commercial space under the current proposals. 

“Sellar claim public benefits in terms of station upgrades to justify the proposals – but these appear to us to be minor compared to the massive impact that the proposed office block would have on the special character of these buildings and this part of the City,” said Billings. 

“If the proposals are submitted in their current form, we will vigorously oppose them.” 

> Also read: Herzog & de Meuron’s £1.5bn Liverpool Streeet station makeover to be submitted by next March

Around £450m would be spent on upgrading the station – the capital’s busiest with 135 million passengers annually – to double its concourse space and increase the number of lifts, escalators and ticket barriers as well as adding new public real and green spaces. 

Sellar has developed the plans alongside Network Rail and O’Donnell said it was “deeply depressing” that a public body would spend four years developing proposals and “only consults on them when the plan has been decided upon”. 

The Victorian Society has already applied to upgrade the station’s 1975 listing, which O’Donnell said was “out of date” – Historic England, whose chief executive Duncan Wilson attended the consultation on Tuesday, has yet to make a decision on the application. 

“This ‘consultation’ gives no opportunity to consider less harmful options and uses images which misleadingly ‘greys out’ the huge tower above the station to make it semi-transparent,” O’Donnell said. 

The redevelopment plans will see the station height increase to 108.5m from top to bottom, larger than the existing structure but smaller than some of its neighbours which will include the 278m tall 22 Bishopsgate 

O’Donnell added: “Rather than a sensitive response to listed buildings in a conservation area, the proposals appear to be an attempt to maximise commercial return by creating a shopping centre dressed up as public amenity space over the station.” 

He also criticised the developers’ statement, reported in the Evening Standard, that the scheme “will not harm the historic station”. 

“While different opinions on the level of harm are possible, stating that there will be no harm is obviously false,” he said. 

“Consequently, the public and decision makers should think twice before trusting the developer’s statements on the impact of the scheme.”