Westminster City Council Cabinet has given its unanimous support for the Church Street masterplan by Peter Brett Associates (PBA) and LDA Design. This approval follows seven weeks of public consultation.
The plan is the authority’s largest regeneration scheme to date, creating 1,750 new homes, more than half of which will be affordable, and a new cultural quarter in the heart of Westminster.
Adjacent to Marylebone Station, Church Street has experienced serious issues of social and economic exclusion. The PBA/LDA Design masterplan will help guide economic growth and physical development for the next 15-20 years, delivering real change for the community with fresh opportunities for a healthy and prosperous lifestyle. It is expected to create more than 4,000 jobs through construction, as well as new retail and leisure opportunities.
The plans will transform the public realm with welcoming new publicly accessible open space to support cultural exchange and a new pedestrian-priority street, linking Lisson Grove to Edgware Road.
Other headline features include: an improved street market with up to 220 stalls; a community centre and a health and wellbeing hub; flexible and affordable workspace; a new cultural quarter centred on the antiques market and Cockpit Theatre, and new and improved retail.
The masterplan provides a robust framework for the delivery of regeneration projects in Church Street and has been prepared in parallel with the Council’s City Plan review to ensure there is an up to date planning context for the delivery of the aspirations within the masterplan.
Rachael Robathan, Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “Church Street delivers the council’s number one priority of affordable housing. The construction of new homes is supported by the creation of a greener environment and more leisure and retail opportunities. Church Street is one of the strongest and most vibrant communities in Westminster with a strong sense of community cohesion, and these plans aim to build on and support that – this is an area which people will be proud to call home.”
LDA Design Associate, Graciela Moreno, is thrilled with the result. “Our aim with this masterplan is to make Church Street a more inclusive place to live with a range of high-quality and affordable new homes, a place where people can thrive and businesses prosper. It’s been great to see the public response to our vision and for the plan to pass through Cabinet with unanimous approval.”
Jane Hirst, Partner, PBA, believes that the process will result in the delivery of award-winning regeneration for Westminster: “Everything is exemplar about this masterplan; the professional and client team behind it, the inclusive approach to consultation, high-quality public realm and phased delivery, which will result in real change very early on in the delivery process.”
