LCA’s longest running client has been Argent, along with landowners London and Continental Railways (LCR) and DHL Logistics (formerly Exel), on the regeneration of the 67 acre King’s Cross Central site.

Just after LCA was set up in autumn 1999, LCR and Exel announced a shortlist of three development partners from which they would select one to work with them to deliver KXC.  Argent, along with St George, appointed LCA to help the team pitch and win the project – which they did in March 2000.

Over the next seven years LCA has acted as Argent’s PR and public affairs advisers.  In the early years this work included help preparing and launching three consultation documents Principles for a Human City (July 2001), Parameters for Regeneration (January 2002) and a Framework for Regeneration (October 2002).  These sought to explain clearly to everyone interested in KXC what Argent’s vision would be, what could and could not be done on the site and what the overall approach would be.

LCA then managed the announcement of the submission of the planning applications for the site (May 2004) and the submission of the revised planning applications in September 2005, and finally the decision by Camden Council in March 2006 to grant outline planning permission for the scheme.  LCA planned and executed extensive media relations campaigns, generating coverage in over 30 publications from the Financial Times and Sunday Telegraph, to Property Week and Regeneration and Renewal, as well as radio and TV coverage. 

Both the Mayor of London and Office of Deputy Prime Minister (now Department of Communities and Local Government) gave King’s Cross Central the green light.  There was then a Judicial Review of the borough’s decision which was thrown out by the High Court in June 2007.   Later in 2007 Sainsbury’s announced the decision to move their HQ to King’s Cross, and Central St Martin’s, part of the University of Arts London, is also moving to the site.

LCA continues to be retained as a core part of Argent’s team on the marketing of the site and PR around the development of detailed planning applications.