King's Cross Central
The site is largely determined by three boundaries: the existing East Coast Main Line railway leading out of King's Cross; York Way, a road marking the division between Camden and Islington boroughs; and the new railway line, High Speed 1 (HS1), formerly known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, which curves around the site to the north and west.
Designed by architect Stephen Geary,[2] the statue was constructed of bricks and mortar, and finished in a manner that gave it the appearance of stone "at least to the eyes of common spectators",[3] allowing it to cost no more than £25.
Known locally as the "Lighthouse Building", the popular theory that the structure was an advertisement for Netten's Oyster Bar on the ground floor seems not to be true.
[7] However, traffic for the second International Exhibition in 1862 suffered great delays over both lines, and so the decision was taken to develop its own London terminus from Bedford.
Initially planned to be filled with spoil from the tunnels north of the railway lands, instead the void was used for dry freight, in particular beer from the Brewers of Burton.
Since 1997 the main collection has been housed in this single new building, designed specially for the purpose by the architect Colin St John Wilson.
This has now been approved by the national government and the Mayor of London, although separate planning permission for the Triangle Site is still required from Islington Council.
Following the opening of HS1 on 14 November 2007, and with outline planning permission, GLA (Greater London Authority) and GOL approval, the developer Argent Group PLC is now at work.
A partial list includes Camley Street Natural Park, The Cross nightclub, and St Pancras Cruising Club.
[20] It was also reported in September 2014 that Havas, the Global communications group, will consolidate its existing twenty-four London offices into one new building at Three Pancras Square at Kings Cross Central.
In addition, the proposals include 6.5 acres (2.6 ha) of new public realm along the Regent's Canal (the Gas Holders Zone and Coal Drops Yard[22] and within a new "Cubitt Park".
About a mile along the towpath to the west is Camden Market, and beyond that Regent's Park and London Zoo; to the east is the Islington Tunnel and then Upper Street, a busy retail and entertainment area.
Camley Street Natural Park, Old St. Pancras Church, and Somers Town are now connected to KXC by a footbridge, one of three new crossings over the Regent's Canal.
A 2012 investigation by The Independent and Corporate Watch into the initial allocations found that "people with a history of mental health problems are being excluded from the social housing built there while the developers and local council have also set quotas for the number of homeless and unemployed people" at King's Cross Central's 500 social housing units.
[23] Argent's planning permission agreement with Camden Borough council included a commitment to provide 750 affordable units in the 1,946 constructed.
[24] In 2019 Madhumita Murgia reported in the Financial Times that Argent was using facial recognition software in the King's Cross Central area of London.
The development around London's King's Cross mainline station includes shops, offices, Google's UK HQ and part of St Martin's College.
Murgia told the BBC Argent had refused to give any detailed information about how the system was used and what kind of watch list was involved.
The ICO said: "Scanning people's faces as they lawfully go about their daily lives, in order to identify them, is a potential threat to privacy that should concern us all."
Facial recognition software has also been used at Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield, the World Museum in Liverpool and Millennium Point complex in Birmingham.
Network Rail has redeveloped King's Cross station, relocating the ticket hall and other functions from the former temporary structure which fronted the Euston Road.
