kingscrossaccess

Islington Gazette news

News about the campaign in today's Islington Gazette!

Latest campaign news

The campaign to Open Up King's Cross Station and Let Us Through! has had a makeover. At our first campaign organisers meeting this week, we named ourselves the Battlebridge Crossing Campaign. Hope you like the new moniker and banner heading for this site.

Meanwhile, with the excellent news recently that Boris Johnson's Transport guru, head of Transport for London and Spurs fan (hurray! boo! delete as appropriate), Kulveer Ranger has pledged to do all he can within his powers to get Network Rail to fund and build the bridge we are calling for, it has been pointed out our petition has nearly double the number of individuals signed up as make up Islington South & Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry's majority.

So, here is your mission should you choose to accept:

1. If you are an Islington South & Finsbury constituent, write to Emily and ask her to get the Transport Minister to tell Network Rail to fund and build the bridge;

2. If you are a Holborn & St Pancras constituent write to Frank Dobson MP and ask him to get the Transport Minister to tell Network Rail to fund and build the bridge;

3. Whoever you are - sign the petition! The closing date for signatures is 2 January 2009.

TfL agrees Network Rail should finance bridge

The Mayor's Director of Transport Policy, Kulveer Ranger, has written to the King's Cross Railway Lands Group on 8 October saying "...these changes are brought about as a result of measures implemented by Network Rail and I consider it appropriate that they should fund the proposed footbridge.
Both I, and Transport for London (TfL), will do all we can within our powers to make this happen."

Michael Edwards, co-chair of KXRLG replied saying:

Dear Mr Ranger

I am glad for this reply and its positive tone. "All we can within our powers" is s substantial promise, coming from you!

As so often in transport planning, something comes about because of one agent's actions, but the costs and benefits are spread more widely. Camden as local (parochial, really) planning authority made a major mistake in letting this scheme go through without the bridge as an integral part of it. And it thus does fall to TfL and GLA to ensure the right outcome.

Best wishes, Michael Edwards (co-chair KXRLG [email protected])

The full letter from City Hall read: On 8 Oct 2008, at 15:04, Mayor of London wrote:

Dear Mr Edwards

Thank you for your email. I can confirm that I am not complacent regarding this matter. However, these changes are brought about as a result of measures implemented by Network Rail and I consider it appropriate that they should fund the proposed footbridge.

Both I, and Transport for London (TfL), will do all we can within our powers to make this happen.

Thank you again for writing.

Yours sincerely

Kulveer Ranger
Director for Transport Policy

Letter to Network Rail

In response to Ian Fry's letter: Download ian_fry_letter.pdf, here is our reply:

Ian Fry
Director, King’s Cross Redevelopment Programme
Network Rail
344-354 Grays Inn Road
London
WC1X 8BP

7 October 2008

Dear Ian,

Many thanks for your letter of 20 August and apologies for my delay in replying. Whilst I very much appreciate your taking the time to write to me, I feel I need to raise some rather important points as a result.

Paragraph 2: I understand we agree that the Arup feasibility study doesn’t address the bridge the community is calling for; namely a bridge crossing the tracks at the north-eastern end of the station. The bridge would replace the road bridge built in 1872 and demolished during World War 1 with a pedestrian and cycle bridge. It would have no access to platforms; carrying station users externally from one side to the other creating a faster, safer and simpler walking and cycle route to the King’s Cross/St Pancras transport hub and the new King’s Cross Central Boulevard. I further understand that is LB Camden’s responsibility and not Network Rail’s that it fails in this. It is however extremely frustrating that in response to queries from politicians and the press about the pedestrian and cycle bridge the community is calling for, Network Rail continues to refer to the Arup study. This gives the impression that the bridge would not be feasible. I attach a recent answer given to a Parliamentary Question as an example. It would be very helpful if Network Rail would correct this impression and cease to refer to the Arup study in relation to the campaign for a bridge.

Paragraph 5: As a regular user of train services from King’s Cross to Yorkshire and Scotland, I understand the importance of Platform Y to our rail system and welcome the foresight being shown in constructing it. However, Network Rail is removing a centuries old east/west route of growing importance to the King’s Cross and Somers Town communities in order to build the revenue generating Platform Y. Network Rail should therefore be obliged to provide us with a replacement. This should be by Network Rail either alone or in a partnership led by Network Rail comprising statutory bodies and property developers. The community is not asking for a new facility in pressing for this bridge; we are calling for an amenity we have enjoyed for a very long time to be maintained.

Paragraph 6: The new square and improvements to York Way are very welcome and are improvements of the type to be expected under S106 resulting from a major development. These improvements are separate from the preservation of east/west access. Again, it is frustrating that Network Rail continues to quote these improvements as alternatives to east/west access and it would be helpful if Network Rail would be more precise when mentioning them rather than giving what could be a misleading impression.

Paragraph 7: I find it very difficult to understand why, when Network Rail states it aims to take into account the needs of the community, it refuses to fund the bridge the community desperately needs – particularly when the cost of the bridge is estimated at less than 2% of station redevelopment cost. I can see why Network Rail might want to create and lead a partnership to fund and deliver the bridge as St Pancras International and Transport for London would also benefit from its construction. But total refusal to positively engage with the project appears perverse. The tours for local residents are great and were suggested by Will Perrin; they are a good example of how Network Rail can work positively with our community. Network Rail’s corporate community investment is also very welcome and we would ask that you work with experts in this field such as the Charities Aid Foundation and National Council for Voluntary Organisations, as well as local experts such as Camden and Islington Councils for Voluntary Service to get the best out of it.

Paragraph 8: Community engagement is a vital element of the change process in major developments such as King’s Cross. The change management and community development professions are generally overlooked by developers. The tendency is to take a minimalist approach, putting a limited amount of information out, undertaking only those consultation processes required by statute and pacifying rather than engaging with differences of opinion. My recent experience seems to point to Network Rail being rather inexperienced in the field of change management in the context of community development. I remain hopeful that past mistakes such as meetings promised and never taking place, minimal information provided and only in the station, engagement being seen as a one-way street with debate being viewed as a negative rather than a potentially highly positive input to station redevelopment will decrease in the coming months. I am also keen to work with Network Rail to ensure the outcomes achieved as a result of the station redevelopment are as far-reaching as possible. It would be a terrible shame if a narrow, solely economically driven agenda were to continue to drive this construction programme. Taking a sustainable development approach in line with the aims of Network Rail’s Corporate Social Responsibility Committee would achieve so much more not only for King’s Cross, but for all of the redevelopment projects Network Rail is now undertaking across the country.

I look forward to your comments on the above points.

Yours sincerely,
Sophie Talbot

Kings Cross station - more public amenity lost

News from our parent site: more shops close in the Euston Road canopy.

Camden New Journal 2 October 2008

A slightly different edit of the same letter appeared in the Islington Tribune on October 3rd.

Big Draw at St Pancras and other news

What makes St Pancras International great? Find out at this free week long drawing festival.

The success of St Pancras station continues with its next event for all station users whether they be passengers or not. Leaflets publicising the Big Draw have been distributed throughout the community on both sides of the station. It's lovely to be included, to have a sense of being invited into what is both one of our local stations and an international transport hub. Network Rail please take note - redevelopment of King's Cross Station is much needed and the plan for the new Western Concourse looks stunning, but please don't shut the local community out.

Meanwhile, it's sad to see the Handyside Bridge inside King's Cross covered in scaffolding whilst being dismantled. This famous bridge appeared in the Harry Potter films and was until a couple of weeks ago a big tourist destination with cameras snapping fans standing on and under it. Removal of the bridge results in the last vestige of the centuries old east/west route at the mid point of what is now the station being lost.

The entrance to King's Cross at the junction of Wharfdale Road and York Way remains open for the time being. It is the entrance the community desperately wants to keep. It's really come into its own this week with the opening of King's Place as it is the most convenient for anyone visiting the fantastic new music venue, gallery, restaurant, bar and canalside terrace.

Network Rail have moved into King's Place, The Guardian is in the process of moving in. The north eastern entrance to King's Cross at Wharfdale Road is becoming ever more important. It has brought a wry smile to my face seeing Network Rail staff are now using the Wharfdale Road entrance to get to their workplace.

The full case for replacement of the Wharfdale Road entrance can be read here.

Please do sign the petition and if possible, ask your friends, family and colleagues to do the same.

If you have news about the campaign for access to King's Cross Station do contact us and we'll post it up on this blog. If you have an hour to spare and can help by handing out leaflets at the Wharfdale Road entrance or outside King's Place contact us and will get you a stock of leaflets.

Let's make this Lisa's bridge

Lisa Pontecorvo's death in a tragic road accident has hit the King's Cross community hard. Tributes to her have flooded into kingscrossenvironment.com, the host site of this blog. There are many calls for suitable memorials to this tireless local campaigner's life including renaming Edward Square in her honour and a living memorial in the form of the campaign for access to King's Cross/St Pancras (see letter below). Lisa remains an inspiration and is totally irreplaceable, our community is impoverished by our loss of her. The bridge we are calling for at the north end of King's Cross Station is a highly appropriate metaphor on so many levels for her bravery, unceasing commitment to improving our environment and her single-minded determination. The campaign needs more activists to keep going. Can you devote just an afternoon or morning between 1-5 October - during the King's Place opening festival - to stand and hand out leaflets asking people to join the campaign and sign the petition? Or can you make a contribution of time and/or expertise to assist? Please contact us as soon as you can.


Islington Tribune Letters page 26 September 2008:

Network Rail & community engagement...

I bumped into Alastair Metcalf of Network Rail yesterday so I grabbed the opportunity to ask some questions. Alastair is responsible for communications with the local community. He told me that Network Rail are currently engaged in a process called 'Station Change'. It will decide on and roll out closures of shops and amenities in the main Euston Road entrance, making way for a new left luggage area and sign posting people to shops and amenities in St Pancras. They had not informed the community about 'Station Change' because they have not made any decisions yet. I asked Alastair to keep us up to date even when decisions have not been made. For example, letting us know that 'Station Change' was underway and what it's scope is could have allayed rumours about what Network Rail is up to. However, Alastair reiterated that as no decisions had been made, the community was not informed. He did say that notices will go up in the Station informing passengers when decisions are made.

It is clear though, that we will be losing all the shops and amenities at Euston Road well before it closes, and long before the Western Concourse opens. St Pancras is seen as the replacement. And how do we get there? By doing a huge u-shaped walk around the entire station site. The bridge that we need crossing King's Cross at the mid point is more urgent than anyone had anticipated.

It is very difficult for our community to feel that Network Rail are engaging with us, or even informing us, over the station redevelopment. Getting replies to basic questions by email remains almost impossible. We only find out about decisions after they've been implemented (Boots KX for example), engagement appears to mean telling us what they've decided once they've implemented it - this is a new definition of engagement for us.

A big question for folks out there - how can we deal with doublespeak? It feels like we speak different languages - what does engaging the community really mean? What does keeping the community informed mean? For Network Rail and the community these things have completely different definitions and are leading to some very unfortunate miscommunications. Perhaps Network Rail would benefit from talking to some community development specialists... Network Rail are planning a meeting in October to which the community will be invited, shame if we can't sort out these fundamental communication issues before then. If you have any good strategies or ideas for coping with doublespeak, please let us know!

And don't forget to sign the petition

Local heroes: Dodds the printers!

Dodds, our local printers on King's Cross Road, delivered the campaign leaflets and posters yesterday. They have done a superb job, top notch quality print and paper - and they topped up the print run from 7,000 leaflets to 10,000 leaflets at no cost. In an earlier post I recommended Dodds. Now, I want to ask you all to use Dodds for all your print needs!!! Email them here.

So now it's full steam ahead. Please contact us to get hold of leaflets and either A4 or A3 posters. Please distribute them as widely as you can - to neighbours, shops, pubs, libraries, anywhere you can think of... Return any you don't use to us so that other people can use them. Email the campaign here.