Meanwhile Project's Jess just came across this case study of Interim uses in King's Cross in a 1995 Good Practice Guide. It's funny how long it has taken for this kind of thinking, that comprehensive masterplanning and development of large sites seems to have had its day, to even really be considered by the big players in the property industry. 

Have a quick look at the drawing on p7 and particularly the final paragraph on the last page.

KingsCross_InterimUses_1993-95.pdf