Google's revised plans for the retail high street at its under-construction £1 billion campus at King's Cross Central in London, aimed at creating more flexible and sustainable timber-framed stores, have been rubberstamped.

A reserved matters application that tweaks proposals for the ground floor shopping street at the US technology giant's 1 million-square-foot Thomas Heatherwick and Bjarke Ingels Group-designed plans go before Camden council on 7 July. They focus on the shops stretching across the ground floor of the groundscraper, increasing the number of stores from the original 17 to 21, in varying sizes totalling 4,376 square metres.

Ronan Harris, vice-president and managing director, Google UK & Ireland, recently explained in a blog post that the redesigned ground-floor space will include more than 250 metres of shop fronts and a flexible space for events and community use. The ambition, he said, is to "create a lively, welcoming boulevard that connects communities to an ecosystem of local makers, purpose-driven retailers, and public activities".

The shop units will target a mix of established and growing brands. There will also be a market hall that aims to offer a launchpad for small businesses, while a community, education and event space will host a programme of events.

Harris says the new ground floor designs will create a "more inviting, creative public space, with a series of playful tilting timber portals and varied shop fronts that each tenant can customise". The designs also incorporate more places for the public to come together.

Backing the changes for approval Camden council reports they create a more flexible retail environment, not only in terms of the occupiers, but also through a more adaptable architecture at the ground floor. They say the result is a less constrained facade that give opportunities for a flexible ground floor. The retail element is "entirely unfettered by structural elements, can entirely have its own character and is highly flexible in the long term". In contrast with the workplace floors above, the column-free ground plane has a series of retail frames of different size and forms to break down the scale of the street and introduce diversity that is often found in high streets.

Discussions on how to improve the retail frontage and move away from large retail displays were key in the development of the final design, they say. This resulted in a new ground floor frontage that "appears more human in scale as well as more dynamic in its use, allowing each shopfront to evolve depending on the occupiers’ needs".

The overall consented plans for the Zone A site at King's Cross Central are for a new office headquarters building with the shops on the ground floor level fronting King's Boulevard.

The under-construction building – already a landmark at the King's Cross campus by St Pancras Station and one of the UK's most talked-about offices – comprises 76,137 square metres of offices across seven to 11 storeys to accommodate up to 5,000 employees plus visitors.

There are also two basement levels totalling 11,313 square metres comprising loading bays, four disabled parking spaces, refuse storage, plant and utilities.

Google UK has been involved throughout the design process with a stated plan to “provide a high street that fosters entrepreneurship, growth and resilience for the future”.

Camden planners are recommending approval in documents that provide insight into Google's ongoing process of refining its first ground-up build in Europe.

The south anchor unit which was originally destined to be retail space is now intended to be a dedicated space for community engagement and public programming.

Integrated in the offices are various ancillary uses including staff cafés, multi-use games area, gym and wellness facilities which include a swimming pool and a 450-seat auditorium. Measuring approximately 300 metres in length and between 20 metres to 60 metres in width from the south to the north, the roof plane extends from levels seven to 11. A fully accessible roof garden space with four distinct character areas that involve 8,590 square metres of landscaping on the roof has been proposed. The areas include a trim trail, a large outdoor seating area and an amphitheatre.

On 1 July, local MP and leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and leader of Camden Council Georgia Gould placed the final beam on the development.

Google says innovation at the building is playing an important role in helping us to achieve its goal of going carbon free by 2030. It says it is its most ambitious smart building to date, including a system of 13,500 interconnected devices that will work together to improve energy efficiency in real time.

The office opens in 2024.

Camden council planners add in their response to the latest plans: "Overall it is considered that the proposed Zone A building with the revisions to the ground floor strengthens its display and commitment to attaining the level of quality and detail demanded of this complex site. The building as is currently being built on site, will be of exceptional architectural character and make a strong positive contribution to the area. In view of the above it is considered that the proposed Zone A building would make a strong positive contribution to the Kings Cross area and is recommended for approval."