The UK train station set to open huge rooftop pool and garden

DELAYED passengers could soon have the chance to kill time waiting for their trains with a swim, or with a wander around a rooftop garden.

The idea might sound fanciful, but could soon become a reality as part of new £1.5bn plans for one of the country’s most famous train stations.

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Earlier this year the new plans were revealed for Liverpool Street station, which included mocked-up images of the rooftop lido.

The four-lane pool would be open to members of the public and would be heated year-round using excess heat released by the offices beneath it.

However, new plans have now been revealed by the City of London, providing extra information about the refurbishment.

They include a new 20-story tower above the Grade II listed building and the Andaz London Liverpool Street hotel, which opened in 1884 as the Great Eastern Hotel, next door.

The tower will include offices, as well as rooms for the hotel.

The redevelopment has been designed by Herzog & de Meuron along with Sellar, who designed the Shard, Network Rail and MTR, who run the Elizabeth Line.

Robin Dobson, Group Property Director, at Network Rail, claims that that the refurbishment will include £450m worth of improvement work to the station.

The transport hub was last redeveloped in the 1980s and is now running well over capacity.

He told the Evening Standard: “The station is regularly closed from a health and safety, overcrowding, chaos perspective.”

If the plans are given the go-ahead next year, work will start in 2025.

It would also see Liverpool Street become pedestrianised, while the station will be given a new entrance canopy.

A rooftop garden and cafe is also part of the design, and would offer views across London, including sights like St Pauls.

While some form of work is necessary for the train station to be improved, the plans have come under scrutiny, with plenty of people opposing them, including celebs like Stephen Fry and Tracy Emin.

In particular, the towers on top of the station are causing the most friction, with opponents saying they have been “insensitively designed”.

A letter co-signed by those against the plans said: “Partially demolishing the listed station and overwhelming the Victorian train sheds, is grossly opportunistic and wrong.

“The claim that a cantilevered building directly on top of a heritage asset somehow ‘preserves’ that asset is nonsense, and sets a dangerous precedent.”

In response, James Sellar, chief executive at Sellar, said: “Our entire approach prioritises protecting and enhancing the historic elements of both the Great Eastern Hotel and of the station itself.

“The original Victorian railway sheds at Liverpool Street station will not be touched but will be celebrated by opening up new views to and through them.”

Meanwhile, this UK airport is set to get a £60m boost it claims will transform travel for passengers.

And this budget hotel chain is set to open 100 new sites across London.

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