London highline gets green light

London is to benefit from a brand new park in the sky which, much like the Highline in New York, will run along a disused railway line. Simon Pitkeathley is the CEO of the Camden Highline.

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."

Getting the project off the ground has taken five years and cost more than a million pounds, involving local supporters, planners, designers and politicians. The effort's paid off as the project's just received planning approval.

The park will extend along railway tracks currently in use. These will be hidden by huge screens for the sake of the view and also noise reduction, and access will be via a disused train station entrance. The intention is to plant woodland and flowers, creating environments which will appeal to insects and other wildlife, and to provide seating areas for pedestrians.

The cost is estimated to be around £35 million, which will come from donations. However, some local residents are cautious, given the price tag and the relatively short length of the proposed parkland.

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."

Others are attracted by the prospect of a slice of nature in Camden, with the raised park providing both visitors and residents with an unusual view over this busy urban area.

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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