London highline gets green light

London's going to have a park in the sky. It will run along an old railway line, like the Highline in New York. Simon Pitkeathley's the head of the project.

Simon Pitkeathley: "We're hoping to build an amazing park in the sky, as you can sort of see behind me, the other side of that wall there. There's going to be this walkway between Kings Cross and Camden Town that's going to be a pleasant, beautiful environment in which to move between these very vibrant parts of London."

The planning's taken five years and it's cost over a million pounds. Camden council's just given permission. Many people have worked on the project, like politicians, designers and locals.

The new park will exist next to another railway line, which is still used. Walls will shut out the noise. Then a range of flowers and trees will be planted there, which will attract insects, birds and animals. There'll be plenty of seats too.

It's going to cost around £35 million and this will come as gifts from the public. Because of the cost and its small size, some people are unsure about the park.

Will Mowat: "It's, it's expensive. I mean, the current budget is about 34 million [pounds] for the whole project. And it's quite short. It's less than a mile. So, the value for money aspect has to be looked at, but I think it's, it's going to be okay."

For others, the park's an opportunity to bring nature into the city. Local people and visitors will have a different experience of London.

Charlotte Tansey: "Yeah, we love the Highline in New York, and are very excited that the same company are involved in this one, because it has a similar natural beauty, this landscape, in terms of the industrial spin on Camden, that I think more people should see. And there are so many tourists going through Camden every day, it'd be great for them to have a different viewpoint, just like the one in Manhattan."

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