London’s global neighbourhood – the future of the West End West the of global neighbourhood – the future London’s London’s global neighbourhood – the future of the West End A Centre for London collection for A Centre A Centre for London collection Centre for London Centre for London finds new solutions to the capital’s challenges. We publish research. We hold events. We collaborate and influence. London’s only dedicated think tank, we work across economic, environmental and social issues, and develop rigorous research and bold, long-term solutions. Our ideas and recommendations have been widely adopted. We work with partners across the globe. London’s global neighbourhood – the future of the West End Edited by Ben Rogers, Kat Hanna and Rachel Holdsworth A Centre for London collection Contributors 5 Foreword, Sadiq Khan 7 Foreword, Baroness Couttie 9 Introduction and overview, Ben Rogers 11 Keeping London’s heart aglow – transport Alex Jan 21 Mixology – a new planning framework Sandra Jones and Rob Harris 27 Planning a global neighbourhood Tony Travers 35 Boulevards – the future of the West End’s great streets Peter Murray 42 Designing for density Brian Girard 49 Street life – a better public realm Lucy Musgrave and Alex Arestis 56 Surf and turf – the future of retail Eva Pascoe 66 Policing the neighbourhood – public safety in a global district Rick Muir and Liz Crowhurst 73 Freedom pass – funding and finance Alexandra Jones 80 Patchwork city – how should the West End be governed? John Dickie 88 A great estate – placemaking leadership Craig McWilliam 96 Contributors Alex Arestis Rob Harris Rick Muir Alex Arestis is Publica’s Rob Harris is Principal Rick Muir is Director of Urban Design Director, of Ramidus Consulting the Police Foundation, and has particular exper- Limited, which he the country’s leading tise and understanding of established in 2003 as a independent think tank the conditions of London’s specialist built environ- focusing on policing West End. ment research-based and crime. consultancy. Baroness Couttie Peter Murray A WCC councillor since Alex Jan Peter Murray is Chairman 2006 and Leader since Alexander Jan is a director of New London 2012, Baroness Couttie in Arup’s City Economics Architecture (NLA), was this year elevated to team and has more than Chairman of the London the House of Lords. She 25 years of policy, gov- Society and co-curator is chair of the West End ernment and consultancy of the Streets Ahead! Partnership Board. experience with a strong Exhibition. focus on London. Liz Crowhurst Lucy Musgrave Liz Crowhurst is Policy Alexandra Jones Lucy Musgrave is Founding Officer at the Police Alexandra Jones is Chief Director of Publica and a Foundation. She has Executive of Centre for leading practitioner in the previously worked as Cities and Chair of the fields of urbanism and the a researcher for the West End Partnership public realm. public services think Prosperity Board. Views tank Reform. expressed are her own. Eva Pascoe Eva Pascoe is Digital and John Dickie Sandra Jones Strategy Director of The John Dickie is Director Sandra Jones is a research Retail Practice consul- of Strategy and Policy partner of Ramidus tancy. She advised the at London First. He Consulting, a Director of government on high street is a former Head of Dataloft and a Research strategy for the Grimsey Corporate Affairs at the Associate at Centre Report and pioneered BBC and Deputy Leader for London. fashion e-commerce in of Camden Council. the UK. Sadiq Khan Brian Girard Mayor of London. Ben Rogers Brian Girard AIA RIBA is a Ben Rogers is the Director principal of Kohn Pedersen Craig McWilliam of Centre for London. Fox, an architectural firm Craig McWilliam is based in London and New Executive Director for the Tony Travers York. His work is presently London estate and Chief Tony Travers is Director of focused on the West End Executive (designate LSE London at the London and west London. 2017), Grosvenor Britain School of Economics and & Ireland. a professor in the School’s government department. 5 Foreword, Sadiq Khan London’s West End is part of our city’s global identity – a draw for tourists, a shopper’s paradise, a culture seeker’s dream, a foodie heaven, and a home to many thousands of Londoners. Nowhere better demonstrates the message that I have been spread- ing around the world – London is open. There can be few neighbour- hoods in any other global city which are more diverse economically, socially and culturally. We should be grateful for the chain of historical decisions and coinci- dences that have left us with a central London district where you can see so many aspects of what London has to offer within a ten minute walk. This is what makes the West End so important to London and indeed the UK – as a driver of economic growth and as a cultural hub. But the West End is also beset by challenges, in many cases the products of its own prosperity. Without places to live and work which are affordable, we risk forcing out the businesses – and residents – that give places like Soho their unique characters. And while the hustle and bustle is all part of the charm, it can sometimes become too much. We can’t – and as Mayor I won’t – allow Oxford Street to remain among the most polluted roads in Europe. Nor can we allow the wonderful independent cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars, and cultural centres to be priced out. And we must support the West End’s world-famous retail offering too – from the high-end luxury boutiques and vast palaces of fashion and design, to the vintage shops and long-established specialist outlets. We must meet the challenge of planning for liveable, breathable, usable space for all Londoners, in areas that were never planned to accommodate commerce or transit on the scale necessary today, with bold and innovative solutions which protect the West End’s character, its businesses, and its residents. I welcome this collection of essays, which is a valuable contribution to the exchange of ideas necessary to make the most of the West End’s bright future. 7 Foreword, Baroness Couttie London’s West End is one of the most celebrated and exciting places on the planet. It is an economic powerhouse, a mixture of diverse urban neighbourhoods, a focus for culture and entertainment, a world class centre of learning and research, as well as being the country’s leading retail destination. This special place is the most dynamic and diverse city centre in the world, with a huge capacity to rapidly generate economic growth and jobs for the benefit of the UK as a whole. The West End is not only the driver of London’s success, but is also home to long-established and new communities, bringing family and neighbourhood life to the heart of London. But the West End faces both challenges and opportunities to grow in ways that enhance the experience of those who live, work and visit the area. In the face of fierce international competition, the area’s success cannot be taken for granted. Through careful stewardship and investment, where public bodies are working collaboratively with private partners as never before, plans are underway to encourage investment and jobs, and to create the new work places needed to accommodate them. In tandem with this, there are also plans to deliver transform- ative improvements to the public realm and capture the benefits of game-changing new transport links that will help to reduce traffic and improve air quality. The West End is a great place to live and work, but we must ensure that it continues to be as good as any international location; that the dis- tinctive feel of the area’s urban villages is enhanced; that large, medium and small businesses thrive; and that the visitor experience is the best it possibly can be. That’s why, whilst it is important to celebrate the heritage and special character of the West End, we can also look forward with confidence that it will remain as the beating heart of the economic and cultural life of the UK. This unique character has been captured well in these essays, setting out why the place and its people have combined to create an extraordinary environment, which has no global comparison. 9 Introduction and overview, Ben Rogers Many of the contributors to this collection help us see what makes the West End special. There are a number of crucial ingredients. First, there is the built environment, laid out in the late 17th, 18th and early-19th centuries and still largely intact today. The West End has no firm boundaries – as Tony Travers puts it in his paper: “My West End is different from yours.” But, however we define it, the area stretching roughly from St James’s Park in the south to Euston Road in the north – and from Tottenham Court Road (or perhaps Kingsway) in the east to Edgware Road in the west – has a distinct build character. It is surrounded by large parks (Hyde Park, Green Park, St James’s), includes some important boulevards (Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Charing Cross- Tottenham Court Road), and features world-famous public spaces (Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus). Nevertheless, the West End is a generally a place of streets, garden squares, alleys and yards. Some of the individual estates that make up the area, like the Grosvenor Estate in Mayfair, are laid out relatively for- mally. But there is no overall plan. The irregular urban grain, the variety of architectural styles, and the preponderance of low- and mid-height development all ensure that the overall effect is one of individuality and sociability rather than grandeur.