The Holborn and St Pancras byelection, scheduled for Thursday, 8 October 2026, is focusing on the loss of green spaces and housing developments. The seat was vacated by former prime minister Keir Starmer, and will be contested by Labour and the Green party.
HS2 construction around Euston station, which began in 2017, has led to the disappearance of parks and playgrounds. Planning documents show that 14,404 sq metres of green space and playgrounds in the constituency will be permanently lost due to the high-speed railway project and associated developments.
St James’s Gardens, an 18th-century burial ground, is among the green spaces affected. HS2 Ltd had initially committed to replacing the gardens with a new park, but government cost-cutting redesigns have removed this replacement from the scheme. Responsibility for the surrounding site is now shared between public planners and private developers, with Lendlease drawing up plans for commercial space and homes. Camden council is currently assessing Lendlease’s plan, with a decision anticipated next year.
Alice Brown, cofounder of Climate Emergency Camden, has highlighted the importance of retaining green space for residents. Dorothea Hackman, a governor at Netley primary school near Euston, expressed concerns about the impact of new buildings on falling pupil numbers, linking it to Camden's policy on family-size housing.
Lendlease has stated that their scheme could deliver up to 1,500 new homes, including affordable ones, but the final number and the proportion of affordable housing are yet to be determined. A Camden council spokesperson confirmed that the Euston area plan, setting out the council's vision for development until 2051, has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for public examination following a consultation this year.