Camden has cut the tower it would allow at 250 Euston Road from 75m to about 53m and its homes from 115 to 80. The Euston plan now heads to an inspector.
Camden has lowered the tallest building it would accept at 250 Euston Road, after objections from residents living around it. The indicative height has dropped from about 75 metres to about 53 metres. The number of homes the site is expected to hold has fallen from 115 to 80.
The changes are in the revised Euston Area Plan, the rulebook for every planning application around the station and the HS2 terminus. Cabinet agreed on 8 September to send the plan to the Planning Inspectorate for an independent examination. (Camden Council, Cabinet decisions, 8 September 2026)
That is not yet the final step. The law says only full Council can approve a plan for submission, and the report went to the Council meeting on Monday 14 September. (Camden Council, Council agenda, 14 September 2026) The council had not published the result of that vote when we checked on Tuesday morning.
What changes at 250 Euston Road
The building on the corner of Euston Road, North Gower Street and Hampstead Road is used by UCLH NHS Foundation Trust for offices, research and healthcare. Its owners told the council they intend to redevelop it. (Euston Area Plan appendices, Appendix A and Appendix 1)
The proposed changes to the site allocation, known as EA4:
- the indicative tall building on the corner of Euston Road and North Gower Street falls from about 75 metres to about 53 metres, and it would be residential
- the indicative capacity falls from 115 new homes to 80
- the developer would have to work with the NHS tenant and submit a business retention or relocation strategy with any planning application
- healthcare facilities that want to stay on the site should be kept where possible
- the share of the building knocked down “should be reduced as far as possible”, and refurbishment and extension are “strongly encouraged”
- the whole open space in Tolmers Square is named as protected public open space, and development “should interact positively” with it
The plan also keeps a requirement to retain or re-provide The Square Tavern, the pub facing Tolmers Square.
The council says the height still needs work. Its own wording is that “further work is needed to fully establish the appropriate height”. A separate site next door, the Euston Square Hotel (EA5), was tested for a building of part 6 and part 12 storeys.
Fewer homes across Euston than in 2015
The plan now expects “in the region of 2000 new homes” across the Euston area. The 2015 plan said 2,800 to 3,800, and the 2023 draft said 1,500 to 2,800.
The council gives three reasons: less land freed up over the railway, mainly in the Camden Cutting, extra site constraints, and higher costs. The Camden Cutting alone is now put at “at least 500” homes. Most of the growth is expected above the station and tracks. (Euston Area Plan appendices, paragraphs 3.29, 3.30 and 3.53)
Who objected
The consultation ran from January to March 2026 and drew 66 responses. (Cabinet report, IPO/2026/18) The council’s summary lists:
- about 40 responses from residents, most about 250 Euston Road and the Euston Square Hotel
- Historic England, the Regent’s Park Conservation Area Advisory Committee and St Paul’s Cathedral, worried about tall buildings
- HS2 Ltd and the Euston landowners, seeking clarity on open space under the HS2 Act
- the Greater London Authority, which confirmed the plan is in general conformity with the London Plan
The council says changes on open space to answer HS2’s concerns “are being discussed” and are still being drafted.
Three deputations spoke against the plan at Cabinet. Climate Emergency Camden argued it is built on demolition and estimated the two Euston Road sites would cause 40,000 to 50,000 tonnes of carbon emissions. That figure is the group’s own estimate. It also said its consultation response was missing from the council’s summary. (Deputations to Cabinet, 8 September 2026) A deputation on behalf of residents of Tolmers Square, Foundry Mews and 40 Hampstead Road asked for both site allocations to be removed.
The council’s answer is that deleting the allocation would not stop the owners applying. Keeping it lets Camden “set clear parameters” for what gets built.
Why Camden is in a hurry
A new plan-making system is coming in under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act. The report says the Euston plan must be submitted “before December 2026” to be examined under the current rules.
If it misses that, the 2015 plan would probably be treated as out of date. The report warns that a new plan would take “a minimum of 2.5 years” to adopt. In the meantime, the presumption in favour of development would apply, which “could significantly limit” the council’s control over what gets built at Euston.
What it means for you
- Nothing is approved yet. A site allocation is a policy, not a planning permission. Any scheme at 250 Euston Road would still need a planning application, with its own consultation.
- You get another say. If the inspector finds changes are needed to make the plan sound, the council says “those too will be consulted upon”.
- Public hearings are expected in early 2027. Objectors and others invited by the inspector can take part.
- The plan already carries weight. The report says an emerging plan counts in planning decisions, and that weight grows as it moves forward.
Separately, Lendlease’s future over-station development at Euston will be decided by Camden under the normal planning rules, because it falls outside the deemed permission the HS2 Act gave the station itself. That application will be judged against this plan.
You can follow every live application in the borough on our Camden planning page.
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