The multi-million pound King’s Cross development will damage Caledonian business and lower tourism unless major action is taken, community leaders told Islington Now.
The 67-acre office, accommodation and entertainment complex will increase housing rents and detract from Caledonian business, locals fear.
Professor Philip James, a member of the King’s Cross Neighbourhood Forum, said the concerns are well founded.
“If Caledonian Road is paranoid, they’ve got every reason to be paranoid because they have been beaten and neglected for so long,” he said
“There are huge challenges, if Caledonian Road, which is a deprived community, is to actually begin to benefit from these arrangements.”
There is a growing concern that the modern development will not bring any benefits to the Caledonian area, despite being very close by.
Geoff Gex, chair of Bemerton Village Management Organisation, feels that the Caledonian Road does not have enough to offer people.
He said: “Can you imagine what’s going to happen if the Kings Cross Development brings cute boutiques and new restaurants? You’re going to have one-way traffic of people going that way.
“Unless Caledonian Road gets moving and really starts to develop…this area is going to get left behind.”
Developer Argent was chosen by Camden Council to head the project after planning permission was granted in 2006. A group called the King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership (KCCLP), consisting of three companies including Argent was formed in 2008 to move the project forward.
The development will have a brand new postcode and contain student accommodation, offices, retail spaces and will host University of the Arts London.
But an activist, who campaigned against the negative impact of the Channel Tunnel rail link in 1996, thinks landlords will seize the opportunity to push up rents.
Diana Shelley, Chair of the Cally Rail Group, said: “Land owners think they can put their commercial rents up because they think the Caledonian Road is going to be part of the regeneration.
“People can’t afford it. It’s an indication to me of what happens when people get greedy and that development is going to be a signal for greed.”
The majority of the King’s Cross development falls within Camden Council’s remit but there is a small section under Islington’s control.
There are fears that Islington will not be able to have their say in any future proposals for the project that might affect the borough.
Cllr Paul Convery, Executive Member for Community Safety, said: “It is [King’s Cross development] located in our neighbourhood but it is technically inside Camden. So Cally as a place and Islington as a council has very limited influence over what happens there.
“There is going to be a continuous stream of issues that arise where we feel the impacts but we don’t have the jurisdiction because that will be with Camden.”
The KCCLP feel their development will bring advantages to the area.
A spokesman for the partnership said: “The transformation of King’s Cross is an opportunity for local businesses, not least because it provides new, high quality office, retail and other premises.
“Some 30,000 people will live or work within the development within five years and the scheme has been designed to be integrated with surrounding communities. It is already evident that the positive benefits – social, environmental and economic – are being felt far beyond the site itself.”
The development has scheduled a 2016 completion.
