Liverpool Street: Stephen Fry against London railway station plans

Broadcaster Stephen Fry and artist Tracey Emin are among dozens of public figures and conservationists opposing a "grossly opportunistic" development at London's Liverpool Street station.

They want Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to intervene in proposals by developer Sellar to build offices, shops and a hotel at the terminal.

A letter published in The Times is signed by members of heritage groups.

Sellar says its plans involve more than £1.5bn of private investment.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has been approached for comment.

Network Rail, which owns the station and has said the project will provide "long-lasting benefits", is partnering with Sellar in developing the project along with transport company MTR.

Comedian Griff Rhys Jones, who is president of the Victorian Society, previously told the BBC the plans would "completely and utterly obliterate" the railway station's interior and exterior.

The station is used for mainline train connections to destinations across Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, as well as Elizabeth line and London Underground services.

Sellar says it will spend £450m to double the size of the station concourse and add more lifts and escalators.

The station "suffers from significant overcrowding", as well as "poor pedestrian accessibility and connectivity", according to the company.

The plan would involve rebuilding the neighbouring Grade II-listed Andaz hotel, which opened as the Great Eastern hotel in 1884.

In their letter, opponents to the plans wrote: "To plonk 15 storeys of insensitively-designed tower directly on top of the Grade II-listed former Great Eastern hotel, thus partially demolishing the listed station and overwhelming the Victorian train sheds, is grossly opportunistic and wrong.

"The claim that a cantilevered building directly on top of a heritage asset somehow 'preserves' that asset is nonsense, and sets a dangerous precedent."

A Sellar spokesman said: "Our proposals aim to deliver the vital upgrades needed at Liverpool Street station to address significant overcrowding and access issues, while protecting and celebrating its remaining Victorian elements.

"We would hope that Mr Gove or anyone involved in the decision-making process would assess our proposals in full, and balance the impact of building over and removing less than half of a 1980s concourse roof against the £450m of privately funded public benefits delivered at no cost to the taxpayer."

A campaign to preserve the station against development was first launched in the 1970s by Sir John Betjeman, the then poet laureate.

In October last year, Network Rail group property director Robin Dobson said the plans would "deliver a world-class transport interchange alongside new workspace with a new 24/7 leisure district at its heart".

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