Floating park between Camden Town and King's Cross
Visualisation of ground level view of Camden Highline. - Credit: Hayes Davidson
Proposals to regenerate a disused railway viaduct to create an elevated park that links Camden Town and King's Cross have been submitted for planning permission.
The Camden Highline would feature gardens and walkways, along with seating, cafes, play areas and spaces for arts, cultural and charitable activities.
It has been created by the firm the New York Highline, James Corner Field Operations, together with Camden-based practice vPPR Architects.
They say the designs are inspired by woodlands, meadows, hedgerows, and gardens, and the park will provide new wildlife habitats, and a woodland balcony will provide a natural wooded environment that overlooks Camden Town.
The architects plan to use light and art installations on stairways and under bridges as people move from Camden's busy streets to the gardens above.
The Camden Highline route would be 1.2km long, running 8m above the ground, with entrances on Camden High Street, Royal College Street, Camley Street and York Way.
The submission is for the first phase of the project, from Camden Gardens to Royal College Street, and the park is planned to open in phases from 2025.
Camden Highline axon drawing. - Credit: Camden Highline
It began as a grassroots initiative that grew via a Crowdfund with more than 1,000 supporters. Backers have included Camden Market owner LabTech, King’s Cross Central Limited Partnership, Camden Council and Camden Town Unlimited.
Most Read
- 1 'Reclaiming public spaces': Islington's free nonconformist street party
- 2 New Aldi on Old Street to open this month
- 3 Islington men charged after jewellery store robbery
- 4 Alleged stalker sent '1,000 emails in a month’ to The Crown star Claire Foy
- 5 Old Bailey: Pair enter pleas over Alex Smith murder
- 6 Guilty: 4 teenagers admit 27 offences after series of 19 robberies
- 7 Concerts to be held across Islington as festival returns.
- 8 Plea date set for man accused of Sabita Thanwani killing
- 9 'Save Islington's buses': Call for action as sweeping cuts loom
- 10 The Rolling Stones prove rock ‘n’ roll is alive and kicking at Hyde Park
More than 300 local volunteers have given their time to local educational and fundraising activities to raise awareness of the project and more than 1,600 people have taken part in a walking tour of the Camden Highline route.
The Highline is part of an overarching public realm strategy, Camden Green Loop, to connect Camden’s key landmarks and existing green spaces via public pathways, which will launch later this year with a wayfinding scheme.
Illustration of Camden Green Loop. - Credit: Dale Crosby-Close
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The Camden Highline epitomises London’s creativity and ingenuity and is the kind of thinking we need as we head towards a green future."
Camden Highline CEO Simon Pitkeathley said the design team has "surpassed our already high expectations", adding: "Now the real challenge is to raise the funds to build it so that we can all benefit. This will involve a collaborative effort from a range of funding sources, and we would like to talk to anyone who thinks they might be able to help.”
