Local people need the Brill Place land

Published: 22 July, 2010

• I REFER to correspondence about the UK Centre for Medical Research and Innovation proposed for Brill Place, King’s Cross (Letters, July 15).

Much as I welcome more medical research generally – as chairman of a charity dedicated to supporting people afflicted by a life-threatening, chronic, incurable kidney disease – I agree with recent correspondents that most of the highly skilled “knowledge-workers” at the new centre are unlikely to live locally.

They will probably prefer to commute into our high-speed terminus mecca, from leafy Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and beyond.

I equally doubt if there are any places for these people to live locally, even if they desired to, given the pressure on space in our ward in Camden.

We already have the wonderful British Library and Wellcome Centre – and it would be interesting to profile their workforce – plus the massive influx of people travelling through St Pancras and, shortly, King’s Cross.

Isn’t that enough footfall in the area?

Give the land to the locals, build social housing and other community facilities.

I write in a personal capacity not as spokeswoman of my charity.

TESS HARRIS
NW1