Euston can be more than a station.
Yesterday, the Government unveiled its latest vision for Euston Station, something we at Camden Town Unlimited have been eager to see.
As a Business Improvement District, we represent the companies that operate in the creative cluster immediately to the north of Euston. In Camden we've got world-famous markets, big tech players and a leading-edge start-up economy.
Bringing HS2 into a redeveloped Euston Station has immense benefits - it is a once in a generation opportunity. We've seen the effect a station redesign can have - King's Cross has been given a new lease of life since the redevelopment.
The HS2 chief executive yesterday called for Euston to become a 'much bigger and fully accessible part of its community.' To do this we need think bold in order to bring an out of date railway station into the 21st century. If Euston is to be London's iconic northern gateway, it has to connect and serve the commercial and residential geography of the modern capital.
A major problem for businesses and residents alike is that the station currently faces south towards Bloomsbury and Fitzrovia, but cannot be accessed from the north. The affluence of these central London districts shows what the onward dispersal of commuters and tourists can do for an area. Camden's business community currently lose out, and access to the station for its residents is awkward.
The station should be the epicentre of Camden and Euston. It should be more than simply a station - once construction is finished, there should be an array of homes, offices and shops built on top, making it a hub of business and leisure.
It should also be fully permeable, accessible from every direction. I know from working with my business members that this would unlock a corridor of regeneration that is just waiting to happen. Our belief is that increased connectivity between Euston, Camden Town and Kentish Town would be hugely beneficial for each area and the business communities within them.
Over the coming months we will be talking to the Government and local organisations with an interest in regeneration, about how this vision for Euston can be realised.
Get it right and we could bring in 6,000 jobs, 1,000 homes and a £400 million economic boost to the area. Get it wrong and we could stifle growth, drive out businesses, and give our residents years of disruption.