- Decision
- dismissed, 17 August 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: C Skelly
- Authority
- Camden (London)
- Appeal reference
- 6010059
- Application reference
- 2025/5879/P
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- BT Street Hub with digital advertisement panels (linked advert appeal 6010061)
- Site context
- inside settlement, conservation area, listed building setting
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- December 2024 NPPF (transitional)
- Determinative policies
- HE6(4), P5
- Development plan policies
- Camden Local Plan 2017 D1, D2, C5, T1
- Main issues
- heritage setting; community safety; pedestrian safety
Summary
A BT Street Hub with digital adverts opposite St Pancras was dismissed. It caused harm to the settings of listed buildings and the conservation area, and it undermined community safety given Metropolitan Police evidence of hub-related crime. Pedestrian safety was acceptable.
What made the difference
The prominent position in an uncluttered stretch of pavement, eroding views of the Grade I station (DL ¶12-13), plus site-specific crime evidence (DL ¶20-22). The letter is dated 17 Aug 2026 but reasons entirely under the 2024 Framework (¶¶212, 215, "less than substantial").
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| HE6(4) | fail | considerable | harm to setting of Grade I St Pancras / Midland Grand Hotel and CA, "less than substantial … lower end"; assessed under 2024 NPPF paras 212 and 215 (DL 13-17) |
| P5 | fail | community safety: Met Police evidence of drug dealing and phone theft around hubs; Camden C5 conflict (DL 19-24) | |
| TR4 | pass | 5.7 m clear footway remains (DL 25-27) |
Key facts
- Decision dated 17 Aug 2026 but applies 2024 NPPF paras 212/215 with no mention of the new Framework (DL 15, 17)
- Same inspector decided concurrent Pentonville Road and Gray's Inn Road hubs (DL 7)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.