Skyscraper threat to ski jump bus station

The £4 million "ski jump" bus station in Vauxhall could be demolished just six years after the distinctive steel canopy opened.

Under elaborate proposals for a new pedestrian walkway, developer CLS has launched a competition for designs to replace the landmark structure.

It is part of a wider £250 million plan for two 40-storey skyscrapers in Vauxhall which would include flats, offices and a hotel.

The site is opposite Vauxhall Tube station and would be part of a regeneration of the area which will be home to the new US Embassy in Nine Elms. The £20 million raised walkway is part of a package of community benefits linked to the skyscraper towers. It would connect the buildings to Vauxhall's rail, Underground and bus station infrastructure, creating a pedestrian-friendly zone above the area's busy road system. The proposed walkway would have at least nine street-level entrances and could also host a cycle route. Vauxhall bus station's foundations would support the new structure but the ski-jump canopy would go, CLS chief executive Richard Trice confirmed.

Mr Trice said: "Cities evolve and this is a case of trying to do things better and better. The existing canopy is an interesting form but it doesn't [deal with] the most important issue [for the area] which is pedestrians tackling a five-lane gyratory."

The undulating roof canopy was designed by Arup Associates. Paul Brislin, director at Arup, said the practice would be "disappointed" to see the canopy destroyed.

He told Architects' Journal: "The distinctive form is a beacon for regeneration in a previously run-down area of London and is held with affection by many."