A check-in area was planned for the first floor where the newsagents is today. With the nightmare traffic conditions at peak periods it was never going to work as there would have been delays in getting the baggage to the aircraft.
I saw planning applications for the 2 buildings that where proposed for the site that the station was built on. A plan showed the public safety zone running along the front of the station entrance, which is why it was built at a 45-degree angle to the railway line. The building was built to the maximum size in the pocket of land that was available. This is why there are so many short escalators in the building to get to the platforms and not one long one.
From memory the car park was given an exemption as it is inside the zone.
The station will be the first station to be expanded to cater for 12 carriage trains. This is part of Project 2000, which is already 7 years late.
How the station might have looked
