Crossrail submits Farringdon office plans

A scheme by John Robertson Architects for six storeys of office space above the Crossrail station at Farringdon has been sent to London planners.

 

Crossrail and its development partner Cardinal Lysander have submitted a joint application to Islington Council and the City of London Corporation for the work. In all, it will feature 20,000sq m of offices on the corner Cowcross Street and Farringdon Road. It will also include a series of retail units at street level.

 

The scheme is part of the wider revamp of Farringdon which the enlarged Crossrail and Thameslink rail stations will herald. More than 140,000 passengers are expected to use the station every day when Crossrail opens in 2018. Crossrail land and property director Ian Lindsay said: “Our proposed developments will accelerate the area’s regeneration, helping Farringdon re-emerge as a destination in its own right.” John Robertson is also behind similar plans for a commercial and retail scheme above the new Crossrail station western ticket hall at Liverpool Street in the City. This will include 9,000sq m of retail and office space which Crossrail is developing with Aviva Investors.

 

Terry Farrell unveils plans for central London district

Terry Farrell and Partners has revealed his masterplan to revamp the Holborn, Bloomsbury and St Giles areas of London re-branded ‘Midtown’, the district is expected to undergo major regeneration with the arrival of Crossrail in 2018.

Farrell’s vision centres on the area’s three major hubs: St Giles Circus, Holborn crossroads and Holborn Circus – setting out roadmap for improving public realm, the urban environment and pedestrian and transport congestion.

Proposals include phasing out High Holborn’s one-way system, creating new pedestrian crossings and expanding the cycle network. Tass Mavrogordato, chief executive of project-backer InMidtown BID, said: ‘We will be more impacted than anywhere else by the opening of London’s two biggest Crossrail stations in Farringdon and Tottenham Court Road.

‘The economic landscape is changing and as London’s geographic centre and thriving hub of commerce, now is the time for London’s Midtown to put itself firmly on the map.  We want to take this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to guide and drive more private sector investment to ensure this district is returned to its former glory as London’s business and cultural centre.’

Terry Farrell, who landed the project back in late 20110 added: ‘Already diverse and unique, and at the very centre of London, Thameslink and Crossrail will utterly transform the area from Farringdon to Tottenham Court road, giving it unrivalled accessibility and making it even more popular.

‘My work with the Inmidtown BID has set out a vision, a “Framework for Change”, which I hope will act as a catalyst for the ongoing transformation of Holborn and its surrounding characterful neighbourhoods and places.’

There is now a dedicated Busines Improvement District (or BID) who represent the interests of businesses in Holborn, Bloomsbury and St Giles.  They have a dedicated website with links and description of the Holborn area recently rebranded Midtown