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Euston Estate |
Press Release3 September 2009 SHOULD THE EUSTON ARCH BE RE-BUILT? A euston arch discussion document has been published by Sydney & London Properties, as project manager to the Euston Estate Limited Partnership. The publication raises questions as to the viability of rebuilding the Euston Arch as part of any redevelopment of Euston Station as well as offering modern interpretations as alternatives. The document is an addendum to While the Vision Masterplan sought to promote debate about the future shape and scale of the new Euston Station and the surrounding neighbourhood, the euston arch discussion document focuses on one aspect alone: whether the famous Euston Arch could be integrated into the Vision Masterplan, and if this is the most appropriate response to the creation of a gateway for a 21st Century railway at Euston. The discussion document suggests a number of options including: · the re-creation of the arch on · re-creating the arch as part of the frontage of the new Euston Station · a modern interpretation of the arch using water technology · an arched foot and cycle bridge at the rear of the station · building a clocktower at Euston · a museum to house as many of the recovered pieces of the original arch as possible It is clear that local and government stakeholders recognise the importance of the development of this site, not only in terms of transport optimisation but equally for its potential to transform this area of London with a sustainable development – creating local jobs, housing, an improved public realm, green open spaces, and making Euston a destination in its own right. It is hoped that the ongoing consultation will assist Network Rail and its development partner British Land to agree a clear direction for the future of Euston, so that key stakeholders can work together effectively to bring about the development so urgently required. Richard Anning, Managing Director of Sydney & London Properties said: “In the same way that the Vision Masterplan was not designed to be a scheme that can be developed without question, but a vision to be adopted, adapted and improved, we hope that this discussion document will stimulate discussion and debate about the role of the Euston Arch in the new Euston Station.” “During the coming weeks and months we look forward to additional consultation and further engagement with all parties involved to date, but we also seek to welcome new voices from the local community and hear from those who have been inspired by the story of the Arch and its future. We invite all readers of the euston arch discussion document to make comments on the ideas proposed and look forward to the conversation continuing.” As part of the process to develop the discussion document, a consultation was held with the Euston Arch Trust, founded in the early 1990s by a group of historians, architects and journalists headed by Professor Dan Cruickshank following his 1994 BBC series in which he tracked down the remains of the Arch to the bed of the Prescott Channel, part of a network of waterways in East London. He commented: “Standing 70 feet high, the Euston Arch was one of The Euston arch discussion document can be viewed by visiting www.eustonvision.com and comments are welcomed by email to euston@theproffice.com - ENDS - Attachments: · Image 1 – Option 1: Arch Re-creation · Image 2 – Option 5: Water Arch For a copy of the euston arch discussion document, Vision Masterplan, images of Euston Station and impressions of NOTES TO EDITORS The Euston Arch The famous Euston Arch was built in 1838 and was the centrepiece of Euston Station which, when it opened in 1837, was the first main line railway terminus built in any capital city in the world. The arch was the architectural wonder of its age, taking the form of the largest Doric propylaeum, or gateway, ever built, it was one of the finest Greek Revival buildings in the world. The Arch was demolished in 1962 as part of the rebuilding of Euston Station.
The Euston Estate Sydney & London Properties, on behalf of the Euston Estate Partnership, manages the Euston Estate which comprises of four office buildings fronting Euston Station: Grant Thornton House, 40 Melton Street, One Eversholt Street and the Podium totalling over 350,000 sq ft. Euston is the last major rail station in By 2015 an estimated 94 million passengers a year will pass through the overland rail interchange of Euston. This figure will be comparable to the number of travellers passing through all five terminals of More than 3 years after Network Rail announced its modernisation scheme for Euston Station, no development agreement with preferred developer Euston Station is already struggling to cope with the number of passengers and it is only a matter of time until train services in and out of the station are affected. For operational reasons, there is an urgent need to expand the facilities available, build new platforms and lengthen existing platforms to ensure we do not reach a situation where trains have to queue outside the station. In recent months, Network Rail has spent £9m on temporary measures including relocating a number of food retail units outside on the station forecourt in an attempt to alleviate the problem of overcrowding in the short term.
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