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It feels like it was just yesterday that the massive 2018 redevelopment of King’s Cross was completed, but now developers want to re-do it already. Eh?
A developer, Related Argent, has put forward plans to make over Coal Drops Yard, transforming the Grade II-listed shopping destination into a series of smaller streets hosting shops and ‘grab-and-go’ food outlets. But locals aren’t happy about it.
The proposed plans include building a new pavilion in the centre of the former Victorian coal depot. However, local groups and celebrities have slammed the proposals.
Artist Sir Antony Gormley was one of the people to criticise the plan. Gormley, who lives in the gasholders near Coal Drops Yard said: ‘We object to the destruction of the beautiful, unusually shaped, historic space of the yard’. He said the design showed ‘a lack of imagination, a lazy solution in a place that deserves more’ and the area would be ‘left with something that feels sad and broken’.
Meanwhile other locals have said the new building would look like a ’duty free mall’. King’s Cross Conservation Area Advisory Committee filed a formal letter of objection, and said the pavilion would ‘cause unacceptable harm’ by blocking views through the yard.
The future of the plans remains up in the air. A spokesperson for Related Argent told Ham&High: ‘We remain in ongoing discussions with Camden Council on the project.’
What do you think about the potential development of Coal Drops Yard?
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