The article touches on the Elizabeth line, but this area is a prime location Farringdon station is on both the Elizabeth line and Thameslink.

I’d sort of grimly expect that there’d be a rush to build tall office blocks all around the station, the sour taste of sweet progress.

Also it is just awkward to get to Smithfield from Farringdon, the station exit is a fair walk around a block, I had thought they could have opened station access directly to Smithfield.