Ealing Broadway and Maidenhead among stations panned after four-month assessment

High-profile architects, including the UK鈥檚 biggest practice BDP, have been sent back to the drawing board with their plans for Crossrail stations, after a panel of experts panned some of the proposals.

The plans for the 拢10bn scheme came under scrutiny during a four-month assessment of 23 Crossrail stations, including key sites such as Liverpool Street (Moorgate) Station, Bond Street Station and Tottenham Court Road Station. Architect John McAslan鈥檚 Paddington Station was not ready to be reviewed.

The panel, set up by Crossrail in response to calls from English Heritage, criticised two of BDP鈥檚 stations. Ealing Broadway was attacked for not providing scope for future development.

BDP also came under fire for a lack of design flair at Maidenhead. The report said: 鈥淭he new glazed concourse attempts to give the station civic presence but the panel thought it architecturally undistinguished.鈥�

The panel, which consisted of Manchester University professor Michael Hebbert as chairman, Allies and Morrison founder Graham Morrison, head of planning at Government of London Andrew Melville, design champion for Crossrail Michael McCretton, structural Alan Baxter and Transport for London鈥檚 head of Urban Design and architecture David Ubaka, also criticised the plans for Bond Street. Architect Tony Meadows Associates was berated for the positioning of the station鈥檚 eastern entrance within Hanover Square while the western entrance was criticised for taking up too much space.

The criticised schemes will be expected to have altered their designs accordingly by the second design review phase 鈥� due to take place in late 2006 or 2007.