Camley Street Natural Park is an urban nature reserve in King's Cross in central London and within the London Borough of Camden. It is a Local Nature Reserve.[1]
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Comprising 0.8 hectares (2 acres) of land on the banks of the Regent's Canal – by St Pancras Lock and adjoining St Pancras Basin, the park is a sanctuary for wildlife and an education centre. It is run by the London Wildlife Trust. A visitors' centre caters for casual visitors and school parties, though tours must be booked. A variety of habitats co-exist in the park's small environs, including wetlands, meadow and woodland, which attract insects, amphibians, birds, and at least six species of mammal.
In shape the park is a narrow strip of land bounded by the canal, Camley Street and Goods Way. The entrance is through an ornate gate on Camley Street. The park is immediately opposite the high-level lines of High Speed 1, running into St Pancras Station. Much of the old industrial surroundings are being redeveloped as part of the plans for King's Cross Central (formerly known as the Railway Lands), following the completion of the High Speed 1 construction work in 2007. This should increase the park's popularity; formerly the area was part of the kerb-crawling district. Whether such a small space is able to cope with a large increase in visitors remains to be seen; for example, the developers have outlined planning permission for building a footbridge over the canal and along the park's northern boundary. The Wildlife Trust opposed the application, but it has been approved by Camden Council.
Admission to the park is free. Its opening hours and days change with the funding it is able to win.
The park was developed in the early 1980s from a derelict railway site, and officially opened in 1985. It was originally occupied by coal chutes of the Midland Railway.
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