Camley Street redevelopment to be largest yet in King’s Cross’s expanding Knowledge Quarter

Camden council has launched a procurement process to find a development partner for a £500m mixed-use scheme in London’s Knowledge Quarter.

The Camley Street redevelopment is set to be the largest life sciences project yet in the expanding commercial district around King’s Cross station.

Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architect Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, it will include more than 200,000 sq ft of office space geared towards the life sciences, technology and digital industries and 350 homes, 170 of which will be affordable.

Camley Street London N1C Illustrative scheme showing proposed uses across the two sites (Credit FCBStudios)

Source: FCBS

The scheme will span two sites either side of a railway line near King’s Cross station

Spanning 3.56 acres, it will be set across two council owned sites at 120 - 136 Camley Street and 3 -30 Cedar Way, either side of the railway leading into St Pancras station.

It will join a cluster of major healthcare and bioscience schemes in the area, including Precis Group’s £150m Merck life sciences centre opposite King’s Cross station, which is being built by Mace, the £400m RSHP-designed British Library extension, which received planning approval in January, and the £250m Moorfields eye hospital, which was won by Bouygues last year.

Camden council said it is looking for a development partner with a proven track record for “delivering high quality, commercial-led schemes targeting the knowledge economy”.

Under the agreement, the appointed partner will work with the council on a drawing up a planning application. Following approval, the partner will acquire the existing industrial estate at 3 - 30 Cedar Way on a 250-year leasehold to build out the commercial space, private residential units and affordable homes.

Further affordable housing and affordable workspace at the Camley Street site will be directly developed by the council.

Camden’s director of development Neil Vokes said: “Rarely does an opportunity as significant as Camley Street come to market in central London. 

“The potential exists for a key site with scale and connectivity, to write a new chapter in the history of Camley Street that sets the standard for social value, active sustainability and lasting ideas. 

“This is best done in partnership with a developer prepared to align to the values we attach to our stewardship of places, people and development.”

Proposals for the two sites have been worked up over the past three years with a project team including procurement consultant JLL and architects Studio Woodroffe Papa and Architecture 00.

The scheme is part of the council’s £2.3bn plan to build nearly 5,000 homes in Camden, including a large quantity of affordable homes and new community facilities.

Topics