As someone who has lived in London for a long time, the steady decline of the stunning neo-Gothic red brick building of St Pancras Chambers always made me feel sick. How could such a beautiful building ever be allowed to fail into disrepair?

The news of the redevelopment of Kings Cross and St Pancras as the new London terminus for Eurostar gave me hope that something would be done to restore the buildings. And so it turned out: a joint development between property developers Manhattan Loft and hoteliers Marriott would see the building - formerly the Midland Grand Hotel - turned into a mixture of luxury flats and a five-star Renaissance hotel by 2009.

When the news of the development was announced a few years back, I was very privileged to be given my first ever tour inside the building. It was both shocking and inspiring. Shocking in that many of the most beautiful original internal features had been ripped apart by insensitive refurbishment. Inspiring to hear the visionary plans of the architect, such as the conversion of a beautifully tiled former kitchen into a swimming pool.

It was a hugely ambitious project and I was not surprised to hear Bill Marriott, the hotel group’s boss, announce this week that the new hotel will not now open until late 2010.

Hotel delays are not uncommon - see this blog at HotelChatter and news that the Savoy’s ambitious refurbishment has been put back several months – but I’m desperate to see whether the reality lives up to the architect’s dreams. I for one will be booking a room as soon as they become available.