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BBC News
21-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Liverpool Street station plan a financial 'gamble', opponents say
The redesign of London's Liverpool Street station has been described by opponents as a "billion pound gamble" after a report raised doubts over its financial review found the planned scheme was not currently profitable due to the expected costs of revamping the Victorian site compared with the income it would the plan was close to becoming viable due to a likely upturn in economic Victorian Society said relying on an economic boost was "remarkably cavalier and not in the public interest". Network Rail said it was confident the project could progress and that it would generate "hundreds of millions of pounds". The firm said the project aimed to future-proof the station for the 200 million passengers using it each original redevelopment proposals were scaled back due to strong opposition. But a new office block above the station is still planned, as well as new entrances, concourses and some external recent viability assessment, by real estate services firm JLL, was prepared as part of the planning application and weighed up costs against rental values for the concluded the project was not "technically viable" - meaning it would not be profitable based on current growth it said the local office rental market was "cyclical", and was likely to be buoyed if the local authority approved the scheme, according to the Local Democracy Reporting also said "relatively few further efficiencies or market improvement" were needed in order for the plans to become financially sound. The Victorian Society's director James Hughes said: "This is one of the country's most important and impressive historic railway stations, as well as one of its busiest. It should not be a token in a billion-pound gamble."The report itself concludes that the works proposed would not fund the works to the station, only a part of them, unless favourable market conditions emerge," he said.A spokesperson for Network Rail: "Our plan will tackle congestion, improve accessibility and enhance the customer is an operationally led scheme that will generate hundreds of millions of pounds."Although the City property market is cyclical, there is a rising demand for landmark office space."We are confident in being able to bring this scheme forward and working with future partners means the scheme can be delivered at no cost to the customers or the taxpayer."
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Southend: Future of iconic Kursaal building to be discussed
The leaseholder of an iconic seaside venue has confirmed it is working on plans "for a viable future" for it. The Kursaal in Southend-on-Sea opened in 1901 and has hosted acts such as Queen and AC/DC but last year it was added to Victorian Society's top 10 list of endangered buildings after being left to City Council owns the freehold of the land but London-based property group AEW has a 200-year lease on the of the Grade II-listed building. A spokesperson for AEW said it was "looking forward" to discussing the results of a public meeting on Thursday with organiser and MP Bayo Alaba. 'Exhilarating building' The Kursaal was thought to have been the world's first purpose-built amusement park with a circus, ballroom, arcade, dining hall, billiard room, an ice rink and even its own zoo. Comedian Griff Rhys-Jones, Essex-raised and president of the Victorian Society, told BBC Essex the Kursaal was "an exhilarating building" as it was placed on its endangered list in 2024. Bayo Alaba, the Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford, described the Kursaal as "one of the most iconic buildings in the south of England".The MP - who will chair the public meeting on Thursday 19 June at Belle Vue Baptist Church - told the BBC he had spoken with both the council and the leaseholder to "spark a conversation" about the Kursaal's future."They're keen," Mr Alaba said about AEW, adding : "They know they've got a symbolic building... they want to do something with it".Mr Alaba said he felt that the leaseholder was "serious about getting the building back into community use"."[The Kursaal] is central to the community, it's important to civic pride," he told the BBC."The fact that it's closed - it sends almost a subliminal message that Southend isn't open for business, and we need to fix that." How the Kursaal changed over time The venue has had many different leases of life, and was even the home of Southend United before the club moved to Roots it housed a casino, bowling alley, and hosted a number of major bands including Dr Feelgood, Black Sabbath and the Kursaal Victorian Society said the Kursaal's Wall of Death motorcycle rides were the first such spectacle in whole complex finally closed its doors in 1986 with its ballroom demolished that years of dereliction, and millions of pounds spent on restoration, it re-opened presently, only a Tesco Express occupies a small part of the building. Southend-on-Sea City Council leader Daniel Cowan will also be at Thursday's meeting, which starts at 19:00 Cowan said the council was "keen to bring the Kursaal back into public use and we will pull every lever at our disposal to see that happen"."This icon of Southend deserves a present and future that befits its glorious past, so we're delighted to have the backing of Bayo Alaba MP in making that happen."A spokesperson for AEW said the group was "looking forward to discussing the feedback at a meeting we have arranged with Mr Alaba later this month"."We continue to work on plans for a viable future for the Kursaal, but are not in a position to comment further at this stage," they added. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
ITV News
23-05-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Why actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones wants to preserve a Norfolk Kwik Fit garage
"Once it's gone, it's gone forever": Russell Hookey met with the great-granddaughter of the architect behind the building The actor and comedian Griff Rhys Jones is warning that one of the oldest reinforced concrete buildings in Britain is under threat unless it is better protected. The building, 33-39 St James Street in King's Lynn, is currently a Kwik Fit garage and has been added to this year's Top Ten Endangered Buildings List, which highlights buildings under threat. According to the Victorian Society, the building is an "extraordinary example of modernist design and concrete construction". The society's president Griff Rhys Jones said, "It's extraordinary, it's a very early modernist building, and as such it might be of European significance." The Grade II-listed building, built in 1908, was designed by Norfolk-based architect A.F. Scott. It was listed in 2019 on the advice of Historic England and because of its clean lines and lack of decoration, it is considered a precursor to the post-First World War European Functionalism movement. Scott had already designed the now-demolished Chamberlin's factory in Norwich in 1903, which was the first reinforced concrete building in East Anglia. His great-granddaughter, Judith Merrill said that Scott was "very much one of his kind." "He was an individualist" she said. "He rode a bicycle - it's said he had the first pneumatic tyres in Norwich and cycled miles around Norfolk in them. "He was well ahead of his time, and it needs preserving, because once it's gone, it's gone forever." The St James Street building is now leased by Kwik Fit, although according to the Victorian Society a large part of the building is in long-term disuse and deterioration. The society is now urging the investment company which owns the building to take action to protect it. 'This bold and brilliant building is an unheralded but pioneering example of early modernism" said the society's director, James Hughes. "It deserves urgent attention, not just to preserve its fabric, but to celebrate its place in European architectural history," he added. A spokesperson for Kwik Fit said the building is "structurally sound" based on inspections which are carried out at least once a month. "Naturally we would prefer the property to be fully utilised, but our operations don't require the entire building," they added. "We have attempted to let out the space we do not use.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Torquay Pavilion one of the country's 'most endangered buildings'
A former theatre and ice rink that was often visited by author Agatha Christie has been named as one of the 10 most endangered buildings in the country. The Victorian Society lists the Pavilion at Torquay and said it was "at real risk of being lost if action is not taken".Other buildings across England and Wales that feature in the top 10 include a former hotel, a cemetery chapel and a water Council's deputy leader Chris Lewis recently outlined the council's plans for the Pavilion - as a possible home for an Agatha Christie heritage attraction. "We are determined to solve the problem of the Pavilion," said Mr Lewis. "It has been empty and derelict for too long." 'Jewel in the crown' The Pavilion has been falling into disrepair since it closed as a shopping centre more than a decade ago, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) Council recently took back the lease on the building from long-term tenants MDL and it has begun a project to repair and restore the crumbling Lewis said there was nothing about the Victorian Society's statement he disagreed with."They want to get the Pavilion done, we want to get the Pavilion done," he said."We need more plans to do it. The more people that can help us to do that - that's great."Mr Lewis added it would take about a year for the full reports to be prepared on what needs to be done."The Pavilion is the jewel in the crown of Torquay - we need to get it back to its former glory," he added. Morgan Ellis Leah, southern conservation adviser for the Victorian Society, said the structure was nominated locally. "It's not something we pick," she said."People come in and say we have this amazing building and we don't think it's being cared for, would you mind taking a look at it."Ms Ellis Leah said buildings were ranked on architectural and social merit and the Pavilion scored "pretty high for both".She added: "I think we take for granted that we have these beautiful buildings and we assume that they will always be there. "That's just not the case. They need help. There are too many greedy people who would much rather knock them down for flats."News of the listing has been hailed as a "national breakthrough" by members of the Save Torquay Pavilion said: "Today is the day our campaign goes national."The focus now is on getting the building restored as soon as possible and the initial works to enable this are under way. "We are absolutely determined to keep the Pavilion in the spotlight."
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Penarth: Derelict Victorian hotel on most-endangered list
A Grade II listed hotel has been placed on a list of the 10 most endangered buildings in the Hotel in Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, dated back to about 1865 as part of the Mercantile Marine Offices and played a central role in the town's industrial, maritime, and social the surrounding area's transformation into a thriving marina and past proposals for redevelopment, the hotel remains derelict. Now on sale for £2.25m, the Victorian Society, which compiled the list, said it may be the "final opportunity to restore a vital piece of Penarth's maritime and architectural heritage". Griff Rhys Jones, president of the Victorian Society, also expressed disbelief that the "handsome hotel" in a "posh and sought-after" area still awaits restoration. He said the "elegant" building was a valuable heritage asset in need of care. According to Mr Jones, Penarth's rise as a prosperous Victorian town began with the construction of its docks in 1865, which also helped it thrive as a seaside resort. Built at the same time, Marine Hotel served dock workers, tourists, and likely Allied forces during World War since the early 1980s, the once-grand Grade II listed building has remained derelict for over 40 years as previous redevelopment plans, including a £6m boutique hotel scheme, have failed to materialise. James Hughes, Director of the Victorian Society, said Marine Hotel is an "irreplaceable link to Penarth's proud dockside past". "After four decades of decay, this sale is a last chance to bring the building back from the brink and give it the future it deserves," he said.
