The West End Streets Steering Group (WESt), run by BusinessLDN, brings together the likes of The Portman Estate, British Land, The Crown Estate and Grosvenor to work with the West End Business Improvement Districts and public sector stakeholders to promote funding and delivery of major London public realm projects.
At any one time, the group champions three priority projects. Following the completion of stage one at Strand Aldwych, which has converted a busy roadway into a new public space, the group are seeking a replacement scheme to support and have shortlisted the below four applications.
Applications were assessed against the following criteria:
- Delivers high quality public realm to the benefit of businesses, residents and visitors (including improvements to accessibility, cultural engagement, decluttering, cleanliness, opportunities to dwell, safety and perception of safety, especially for women and girls)
- Takes an innovative approach to traffic management – reducing congestion and vehicular movements, and improving conditions for walking and cycling (including improvements to surface connections between London’s neighbourhoods, innovative freight management)
- Contributes to London’s environment strategy and net zero goals, particularly improvements to air quality and urban greening.
- Sustains and delivers improved economic growth with consideration of whether this is an area in need of investment/regeneration.
- Is high profile, future-proofed and deliverable within five years.
The winning project will be announced later this month.
Great Ormond Street – Healthy Hospital Street
The vision for a reimagined Great Ormond Street and Queen Square is ambitious, creating a street rebalanced for people – a green and friendly place to spend time in rather than move through. A place to socialise and convalesce, of benefit to the local community, patients, families and hospital staff. Through reclaiming street space, improvements to ambulance access and patient drop off and changing vehicle access arrangements, Great Ormond Street and Queen Square can become a nature-inspired place of wellbeing, delight, and escape, as well as a new common ground that residents, patients, workers and visitors can enjoy together.
Cadogan – Sloane Street
The aim of the Sloane Street Transformation public realm scheme is to create a stunning, 1km, green boulevard from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, with; wider pavements to stroll down, greater accessibility, a magnificent planting scheme to enhance biodiversity and air quality, elegant street furniture to improve dwell time, plus enhanced, energy efficient lighting on the carriageway and pavement, to improve visibility and security.
Grosvenor – Grosvenor Sreet
Reflecting Grosvenor Street’s role in connecting a renowned garden square to one of the best retail streets in the world, the project is designed to benefit residents, businesses, and visitors. It will create a welcoming arrival, improving the setting of its historic buildings, and future proofing the street through a demonstrable commitment to high-quality design and detail, environmental sustainability, and genuine engagement to support people to live happy, healthy lifestyles.
Holborn Liveable Neighbourhood – London Borough of Camden
With Holborn’s continued success, significant investment and development in the area is being undertaken in an area which is dominated by vehicular traffic. Camden Council have proposed transformational changes across the key areas to improve congestion, promote public transport and active travel whilst enhancing greenery across the area. The combination of all of these measures will deliver the Healthy Streets agenda in the heart of London.
Find out more about WESt here.