Herzog & de Meuron reveals plans for Liverpool Street station towers

Herzog & de Meuron has revealed its much-anticipated proposals to build two towers above a revamped Liverpool Street stationThe pair of 15 and 10-storey blocks form part of a wider £1.5 billion project for the key London terminus backed by Sellar and Network Rail – a major scheme that has already attracted controversy.Last month, the development team unveiled initial plans for the £450 million station overhaul and ‘vital upgrades’ to transform the station into a ‘world-class transport interchange’. Historic England hit out at the proposals , saying it was ‘deeply concerned’ at their impact and that it would object to scheme if it were taken forward to a planning application.Herzog & de Meuron’s latest plans reveal the full extent of the proposed refurbishment of the Victorian rail terminus, which could see its 1980s concourse and station entrances demolished to make way for the two towers and a new concourse-thoroughfare covered by a membrane-like roof.Six new escalators would take passengers down to platform level while public amenities will be made available on the lower levels of the new towers. A public roof garden will also be accessible via elevators to the top floors of one of the new buildings.A newly opened-up thoroughfare connecting Liverpool Street and Sun Street would see improved access to the station, London Underground, the Elizabeth Line and surrounding public spaces, including a revamped Hope Square and Bishopsgate Square. The team behind the project says 1.5 acres of public realm will be created in and outside the station in addition to the development’s 80,000m 2 of office space.The Andaz hotel, the current occupier of the Grade II-listed Great Eastern Hotel building, would move into the second tower, standing 15 storeys tall on the corner of Liverpool and Sun Street.Restoration of the 19th century building and original Victorian train sheds – the oldest part of the terminus – will bring rail passengers and members of the public inside parts of the historic hotel building for the first time in decades, with Herzog & de Meuron promising a ‘sensibly and sustainably’ restored Ballroom, Hamilton Hall, and Masonic Temple, among other spaces.A public consultation on the plans will run until Wednesday (23 November), following co-ordination with ‘key groups’. A planning application is expected to be submitted by 2024 for completion of the station improvements by 2026.When initial plans were unveiled last month, government heritage watchdog Historic England and heritage campaigners voiced concerns over the major overhaul, which was branded ‘oversized and insensitive’ and ‘fundamentally misconceived’.Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s chief executive, said: ‘Liverpool Street Station is one of London’s great Victorian stations, with a distinctive and special character. While we recognise the need for upgrades to the site so that it can better serve the millions of people that pass through its doors, this oversized and insensitive development is surely not the answer.’Historic England said it believed the project would have a ‘severe impact on the Bishopsgate Conservation Area’.Sellar chief executive James Sellar defended the concerns about heritage and said the latest designs for the station were evidence of a ‘leap forward for accessibility’ and that Herzog & de Meuron’s scheme ‘prioritised protecting and enhancing the heritage elements of both the Andaz Hotel and of the station itself’.He added: ‘The original Victorian railway sheds at Liverpool Street station will not be touched but will be celebrated by opening up new views to them.’Last month, the Victorian Society launched a fighting fund to challenge the proposals ‘if need be’, saying that it was dismayed it had only just been invited to meet the developers when the initial proposals were unveiled.‘Given Sellar’s previous developments of the Paddington Cube and the Shard, this development is likely to overwhelm the listed building’ said Victorian Society director Joe O’Donnell. ‘The few images provided hint at the sky above the concourse being totally blocked out by a view of a new tower.’The heritage group was originally part of a coalition that saved the 1874 station from total demolition following a public inquiry in 1975. The station was reopened by the Queen in 1991 after a six-year conservation-led redevelopment which the society said was ‘now under threat’.A second consultation on the designs for the retail and office space above the station will be held in January.