The greenlight has been given for 130,000sq ft of new retail space to be built under London’s Waterloo station.
A £60 million retail development has been approved by Lambeth Council as part of the £800 revamp of the iconic train station.
Beneath the five platforms that once welcomed Eurostar passengers, which have been disused since 2007 when the Eurostar moved to St Pancras, three new retail floors will be constructed.
A wider “remodeling” project is underway to increase the capacity of the station by 40 per cent and improve routes to the south-west, Surrey and Berkshire.
The station already sees 100 million passengers pass through every year.
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The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has expressed its concern over the planned development,saying there needs to be a focus on small business space.
“In London, we‘re losing our inherent small business space that‘s vital to the community — we‘ve seen it in Soho, Chinatown, Brick Lane and Brixton,” an FSB spokesperson said.
London and Continental Railways chief executive David Joy added: “We are working with Network Rail to reopen the former Waterloo International Terminal for passenger use, providing much needed railway capacity and retail space on the lower levels, with a mix of independent, high street and food stores.
“Our ambition is for the project to match the quality of St Pancras International.”
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