St James Gardens

• SADLY this photograph documents the final spring in St James Gardens next to Euston station.

HS2 have announced that, after Easter, the public will be excluded from the gardens (the historic public park former St James cemetery).

They said the gardens will be hoarded (for health and safety reasons) so clearance of the ancient plane trees and excavation can commence in order to dig up over 60,000 bodies in order to create the vast basement services below their platforms to facilitate the gigantic office blocks they propose to build over the station.

This quiet park with its ancient plane trees will be a big loss.

As noted in your Letters pages, HS2 also propose to fell 80 per cent of the existing mature trees in front of the station in Euston Square Gardens. This is on top of all the street trees on Cardington Street and the St James Gardens trees. Last week HS2 announced they will be planting small replacement trees elsewhere in Camden to compensate – in locations to be agreed with the council.

I took the photo as I walked back from a Camden consultation workshop about the future masterplan for Euston. The focus of the meeting was Camden’s proposal to commercially redevelop Euston Square Gardens involving the removal of all the trees. Camden’s masterplanners argued that in return for the redevelopment of this important and protected London Square, HS2 might create a walkway running from north to south over their new station… including some planting. And they showed photos of high-level walkways (similar to the proposed garden bridge over the Thames).

They asked those attending the workshop to think positively about this proposal and give them feedback. Subsequently community representatives present have made clear to Camden that this proposal is completely unacceptable. In response HS2 pointed out they will be consulting other “stakeholders” about the proposal.

The original proposal to redevelop Euston Square Gardens was not Camden’s. It was put by HS2 to Camden (at a Euston Area Plan Strategic Board meeting in October 2014) in order to maximise commercial return from the station development. Camden’s response was to point out it might be difficult to persuade the public because it is a protected London Square.

At the masterplanning workshop HS2 announced that they were heartened that Camden were now working hand in glove with them. So It seems! I’m sure they’d value further feedback from the public however.
JEFF TRAVERS
Euston Design