British Waterways (BW) and the King's Cross Central Partnership (KXCP) have
secured half a million pounds towards improvements to the Regent’s Canal
between the Constitution pub (the exit for Camden Garden Centre) and the
Islington Tunnel (aka the western portal). Additionally, the rental income from
four canalside properties including the new T1 building will fund future
improvements. Yesterday saw Latham Architects, the company employed by BW and KXCP to produce a masterplan for this stretch of the canal, run a two and a half
hour consultation session with various stakeholders including the London Canal Museum,
St Pancras Cruising Club, Thornhill Community Gardens, King’s Cross Community
Projects, the Inland Waterway Association and Battlebridge Moorings.
A vast number and variety of potential projects were
introduced by Latham’s. All were inspiring, many open to improvement and only a
couple were no-goers. The secured funding is unlikely to completely fund any
single project, so being flooded with all those great ideas was a little
frustrating. In this case I didn’t feel there was any hidden agenda in this,
unlike many master-planning consultation exercises that seek to obfuscate at
best and at worst to waste valuable time and goodwill by leading stakeholders
down hopeful but dead-end paths – the infamous Argent masterplan for example.
So many community organisations and schools hopes were raised by Argent who has
paid us back by delivering a largely unimaginative development that gives
nothing back to the communities that surround King’s Cross Central.
Some key principles did result from the meeting; hopefully
these will be included in the final plan due for public consultation in
February 2010:
- Boat communities are key to the ongoing sustainability of
the canal. Replacement of the Goodsway Moorings should be a priority as should
protection of all other moorings on this section of the canal.
- The canal must remain open for use by a wide variety of
appropriate boats, including freight carriers.
- Protection of existing wildlife habitat areas should override
other uses – the canal forms an important ‘green corridor’. Self-seeded
planting and mature ivy as well as grassy verges for grazing are all essential.
The currently sterile areas on the, mostly privately owned, south side of the
canal should be used to provide additional habitats for a diverse range of
indigenous species. The Islington Biodiversity Action Plan will be out for
consultation before Christmas and will include the canal.
- Any new signage should be unobtrusive and all efforts should
be made to retain the towpath’s semi-wild character, much needed in this area.
The canal should not be subsumed into looking like part of the massive King’s
Cross Central Development, but should stand apart with its unique identity. (An
interesting new term was coined – King’s Cross Centralisation!)
- Community engagement and participation should be
prioritised.
- There are now no organised water activities, particularly
for youth, on this stretch of canal. Provision should be made for a major
sustainable community facility, perhaps by gifting assets to a Community
Development Trust.
- The industrial heritage of the towpath should be preserved
and protected. This would include maintaining a balance between retaining ivy
for wildlife and revealing the multi-coloured stock brick and Midland Railway
red brick walls.
The discussion was very productive and covered much more
than I can address here. Interesting little snippets included:
- Mooring rings should be of practical use, they are often not
in new developments – the mooring rings provided by King’s Place are too small
and inaccessible.
- British Waterways is working with Phillips to develop bat
friendly lighting. Whilst lighting would be of real benefit to pedestrians and
cyclists, unless properly planned it could drive away the existing bat
population on this stretch of the canal, particularly under bridges and in the
tunnel.
- Access for people fishing needs to be retained. Some interesting
design ideas, such as ‘bays’ where the towpath is wide enough, were suggested.
Floating pontoons were felt to be inadvisable as they impinge on the
waterspace.
All in all this was a very positive morning, it’s not often
we get to spend time specifically thinking about our local amenities in this
way. The presentation given by Latham's yesterday can be downloaded here. (Note: this file is nearly 10 megabytes big so don't download it unless you've got the bandwidth to cope.)
Chris Twomey of Latham’s sums it all up:
“I enjoyed meeting local interest groups/stakeholders and
hearing a wide range of views. The
concept ideas we presented prompted lots of lively discussion. The overwhelming message we took home is to
make sure we develop a practical plan which improves the Regent’s Canal
corridor, whilst ensuring its special character is not lost. We look forward to discussing proposals again
in the new year and plan to hold a public consultation event in February 2010.”
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