LeicesterSquare

Your Square Your choice

Putting the spotlight on

Sir Simon MiltonLeaderWestminster City Council

When I became Leader in 2000, I made acommitment to improving Leicester Square.Since then, the council launched its firstsuccessful action plan for this renownedWest End location. It has always been a long-term aspiration to see Leicester Squaretransformed into a world class space that will be memorable for visitors and loved by Londoners.

Working closely with our partners, Heart of London and the Leicester SquareAssociation, we are now closer than ever tomaking these collective aims for the area areality. The new concept design illustrated inthis document will reinstate Leicester Squareas one of London’s must see destinationsand, we hope, a place to rendezvous withfriends, relax and enjoy some of bestentertainment the West End has to offer.

It is therefore vital we hear your views onthese concept designs for Leicester Square. I urge you all to respond to this consultationletting us know what you think, so you canhelp to shape Leicester Square for the next25 years.

Sarah PorterChief ExecutiveHeart of London BusinessAlliance

One of the original and still fundamentalfoundations of the Heart of London BusinessAlliance has been the premise of working inreal partnership with others, on leading edgeprojects which will change the landscape ofour area. The Leicester Square Action Plan isan embodiment of this collective ambition.

Through the close working relationships wehave nurtured with property owners in andaround Leicester Square, we are intrinsicallycommitted and involved in this project,helping to provide a robust fundingmechanism which will allow this vision we all share for Leicester Square to become areality. The inspirational ideas contained inthis document will ensure our businessesbenefit from being situated in a world classSquare – a space transformed into agenuinely international destination, cementingits reputation as the UK’s home ofentertainment.

Delaney GordonChairLeicester Square Association

Having lived in, worked in and lovedLeicester Square for many years I am veryproud to be associated with it in my role asChair of the Leicester Square Association.

When I see it being beamed around theworld showcasing the best that world cinemahas to offer, watch movie stars work thecrowds, or seeing people meet up with eachother, taking time out of their busy days tostop and relax in the gardens, then I knowthese proposals will only encourage theseactivities, which can only be a good thing for the Square.

Most Londoners love their city and I wouldlike to see a Square that Londoners areproud of and the rest of the world wants tovisit. Having been closely involved with thedevelopment of the design, I am veryenthused and believe it’s achievable. TheLeicester Square Association is passionateabout the Square and we are very keen tosee these plans implemented to help secureits future as a key London destination.

Foreword

01 Your Square your choiceLeicester Square

Leicester Square is one of London’s mostrecognised locations. It is a world famouslandmark, and is visited by millions of peopleevery year. The Square also hosts numerousfilm premieres as well as acting as backdropto cultural and theatrical events. In this senseit is unique.

Leicester Square has a green garden at its heart which is surrounded by hardlandscaping and nine side streets wherepedestrians have priority. There is no othersquare in London that has the samecredentials, and probably very few in the world!

A redesign to reinvigorate the Square in linewith its stature and international reputationwould ensure the Square’s long-term futureand meet the expectations of visitors,investors and businesses as a world-classdestination.

In 2001 Westminster City Council consultedlocal residents and the business communityon Leicester Square Action Plan.

This was later adopted as council policy.Since the adoption of the action plan, therehas been a significant improvement in thegeneral management of the area, which nowwarrants further capital investment in thepublic realm. The action plan made a longterm commitment to physically transform the hard and green landscape of the Square

and its nine side streets, which for thepurpose of this scheme we have termed the ‘City Block’. Since the Heart of LondonBusiness Alliance was formed in 2004, itsmembers have been very keen to seeLeicester Square enhanced to live up to itsinternational reputation so it truly becomes a world class landmark destination. TheLeicester Square Association has also longchampioned for improvements to the Square.Together our collective clear vision for the area is:

To re-establish Leicester Square as the homeof cinema in the UK, and the entertainmentgateway to the West End. To make LeicesterSquare a vibrant London landmark and theWest End’s principal meeting place wherepeople can relax, sit, watch and enjoy.

Westminster City Council held a landscapedesign competition in June 2007. Wereceived seven submissions from awardwinning international landscape architects.The council along with the Heart of Londonand the Leicester Square Association,selected the practice Burns+Nice, inconjunction with DPA Lighting, to develop thelandscape and lighting concept for the area.Stakeholders and council officers were allinvited to a design workshop in July 2007.Since then, the council has met regularly withthe Heart of London Stakeholders Group andthe Leicester Square Association to ensure

our collective aims to create a world classdestination are achieved.

This consultation document reveals theproposed concept designs for LeicesterSquare, for your consideration and comment.The intention is to ensure that the designworks well with the important existing historicfeatures of the Square, such as theShakespeare statue and fountain, but also tointroduce some unique and exciting designfeatures that you will not find in other publicsquares in the UK.

As well as the new design we have otheraspirations for Leicester Square that wewould like to introduce; features like a flexibleseating system so that people can arrangehow they want to sit in the gardens. We arealso keen to encourage premises to providemore al fresco dining that will complementthe new look of the Square, especially insome of the quieter side streets to help to animate these spaces further.

We will also be seeking expressions ofinterest from internationally renownedarchitects to design an iconic and excitingnew building to replace the existing ticketbooth on the south side of the Square.

VisionTo re-establish Leicester Square asthe home of cinema in the UK, and the entertainment gateway to the WestEnd. To make Leicester Square avibrant London landmark and the WestEnd’s principal meeting place wherepeople can relax, sit, watch and enjoy.

03 Your Square your choiceLeicester Square

Design rationale

The physical improvements toLeicester Square will fulfil a number of the council’s One City targets. The new design will transform theappearance of the whole ‘City Block’.

The solution will be functional andaccommodate the range of demands; it will be robust and hardwearing, toensure longevity; it will be innovativeand cutting edge but will work withsome of the Square’s notable historicfeatures; and we hope it will be awardwinning too!

1 Swiss Court gateway: New location ofSwiss Glockenspiel. New tree plantingwith informal seating and granite paving.Any street furniture will be contemporaryyet simple in appearance and style.

2 Lighting up the Sainsbury’s Wing of theNational Gallery: We intend to workclosely with the National Gallery on improving the pedestrian route betweenTrafalgar Square and Leicester Square,and linking the two spaces by animatingthis under-utilised walkway.

3 Irving Street: More greening and plantingwill be introduced into the side streetswhere there is an al fresco dining offer tohelp to soften their appearance. Planterswill be made from similar smooth graniteto compliment the granite paved streets.

4 Irving Street: A series of white decorativelighting schemes will be encouraged onsome side streets where al fresco diningis on offer. The bases of the planters willalso be lit to delineate the streets.

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GardensThe Shakespeare statue and fountain are thephysical and visual centrepiece of the gardenscheme. The architectural style of thefountain is the reference point for some of thenew design elements within the Square. Forexample, the proposed ‘ribbon’ seatingmakes reference to the fountain in terms ofcolour, material and form. The introduction ofnew water elements will ensure that thefountain has a greater impact and allow formore interaction with public. White lightingwill strengthen the interplay of water and itspresence at night. The lighting will beresponsive so the fountain can take ondifferent appearances for events andpremieres.

Fixed street furniture will be minimal, with thegrass, enhanced planting and the existingperimeter trees providing a green oasis inwhich visitors can relax. The raised edgesaround the fountain will also be lit at nightand will offer an opportunity for informalseating. A bespoke flexible seating design willallow users to create their own social seatingarrangements. Storage space for the flexibleseating will be below ground. The pathwayswill maintain their diagonal arrangement toreflect the main pedestrian flows, but will besubtly realigned to radiate out from thecentre, drawing the eye to the Shakespearestatue and fountain. The removal of visualand physical obstructions from the gardenswill allow the public to make better use of the space available. The four listed busts willremain at the entrances and will be lit withwhite light at night. We are proposing toremove the central tree on the southwestcorner of the gardens. This is to providemuch needed light and moisture to the grassand the space as a whole.

Work is continuing on the design of thebronze railings and gates. The design will becontemporary yet simple in style.

The Square The ‘ribbon’ seating around the edge of the gardens overlooking the four terracesprovides a new opportunity for seating neverseen before in the Square, and reinforces thedefinition of the green space. The ribbon isundulating in form and white in colour, andthe use of lighting under the seating willemphasise its unique shape. It will integratethe terraces with the gardens, creating betteruse of the pedestrian space and will helpmake Leicester Square the new West End‘meeting place’. Between the ‘ribbon’ andthe new contemporary railings will beundulating yew hedges and distinctivecontemporary white and green planting, tocomplement the overall theme.

The gateways to the gardens will haveretractable bronze railings that will becontemporary yet simple in their design.They will allow the gardens to be closed off atnight and for events if required. The bronzerailing around the perimeter of the gardenswill be another integral design feature that willdifferentiate the Square from others inLondon. The ‘ribbon’ will be framed by adark granite surface.

The terraces will be freed of any unnecessarystreet clutter. The new Leicester Square‘street furniture family’ will be contemporaryand simple in its design. The terraces, like the gardens, will be paved in a palette ofsmooth granite setts and slabs. Smaller settsare proposed for the corners to cope withthe stresses of vehicle turning manoeuvres.The lighting of the terraces will be from thebuildings. Lighting levels will be flexible toaccommodate the different needs of theSquare at different times of the evening andnight. Decorative lighting will be a white lightsolution, which will be both sophisticated andtimeless, emphasising the importance andstatus of the Square.

1 Cross section illustrating the gardensand ribbon.

2 Gardens during the day: Most of theexisting street furniture will be removedfrom the gardens, providing a clutterfree environment that will allow for greatmovement around the space. A flexibleseating solution is being considered forthe gardens.

3 Gardens at night: New smooth granitepathways will be almost flush with thegrassed areas to allow for greatermovement and accessibility. Thefountain will be lit with white light. Thefountain will take on a new dimension,with the addition of a water feature atthe base of the structure that will allowfor greater interaction by the public.

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07 Your Square your choiceLeicester Square

Side street gatewaysThe nine side streets are the ‘gateways’ intothe Square. Their treatment is a key aspect ofthe design solution. The appearance of thesestreets will be the start of the LeicesterSquare experience, and they will be paved insmooth granite. Like the rest of the Square,visual and physical obstructions will beminimised or re-aligned. Each gatewayentrance marking the perimeter of the ‘cityblock’ will have a white granite ‘ribbon’design to mirror the style of the ribbonseating on the terraces. Some of the sidestreets will have opportunities for public art projects. It is proposed that thesecommissions be rotated, like the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, to provide anotherunique facet to the Square. More plants willbe introduced into the side streets alongsidethe alfresco dining; planters will be used todelineate the dining pitches and will bemaintained by the Heart of London and thecouncil. The functional lighting of thesestreets will be the same as the terraces;mounted on buildings and flexible. Thedecorative white lighting scheme for thesestreets will be a new feature and will improvelegibility and way-finding, making the Squareeasily identifiable from the surrounding areas.

Linking Trafalgar Square and LeicesterSquare, and enhancing the pedestrian routefrom the Sainsbury’s Wing of the NationalGallery via St Martin’s Street, is a keyaspiration of the scheme. The use of lighting,paving and the eventual roll out of Transportfor London and the council’s Legible Londonscheme (currently being piloted in BondStreet), as well as the National Gallery’saspirations for a café on Orange Street, will certainly help to make this a principalwalking route.

Toilets As part of the redesign the toilets will becompletely refurbished. Part of the old maletoilet will become storage space for theflexible seating from the gardens when it isnot in use, as well as for events equipment.Both existing entrances will have newarchitectural canopies that will be lit at nighthelping to make the toilets more recognisable.

1 West Terrace: New smooth granitepaving. The ‘ribbon’ provides anotheropportunity to relax and enjoy theSquare, and the dialogue between social gatherings and the al fresco dining work very well in further animating these spaces.

2 Cranbourn Street gateway: New treeswill be planted along the street. Decorative pea lighting will light the tree canopy at night and add a magicalfeel to the street. Lighting spanning theentrance to the gateway will be seenfrom a distance, and will give a realsense of arrival when approaching the Square.

3 Northeast corner: Smooth granitepaving along all the terraces. The whiteand green contemporary planting,between the ‘ribbon’ seating and thenew bronze railings, makes reference to the green space of the gardens and, the form and colour of the fountain and ribbon.

4 East terrace at night: Ambient lighting will illuminate the ‘ribbon’ at night, giving the illusion that theseating is suspended off the ground.The new glass canopies over the existing toilet entrances will also be lit at night to make them morerecognisable.

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08 Your Square your choice

Iconic building An iconic new building on the south side ofthe Square will replace the existing ticketbooth, the design of which will be subject toa separate architectural brief. The brief will beissued in early 2008, and the final landscapeand lighting design will help to influence itsarchitectural design. It is proposed that thenew building will contain the existing ticketbooth but will also potentially house a café. It will have a bandstand style performancespace overlooking the south quadrant of thegardens, as well as a disabled toilet. Theperformance space will be multifunctional; itwill be used for events and premieres, as wellas by the café to provide further alfrescodining for the Square when not in use. It willalso be the focus of an arts and culturecommunity programme, which the councilalong with Heart of London want to develop.It is hoped that this will add further buzz andatmosphere to the Square.

Events and premieres Events and premieres are one of the uniqueselling points of Leicester Square, attractinghuge media attention and large crowds.Sometimes the general appearance of theSquare whilst premieres are set up anddismantled detracts from its ambience. A management plan for small, medium and large scale premieres and events will be developed.

Events infrastructure such as power andbroadband points to help reduce the amountof events equipment required and provide amore flexible events space, is being proposed.

Street trading and portrait artistsAs part of the wider street trading review bythe council, Leicester Square has beenincluded in the pilot scheme. Generallystakeholders and residents would like to seesome form of street trading remain as long as it has a purpose, and the commodities orservices sold enhance the visitor experienceas opposed to detracting from it. The kioskdesign is also important and shouldcomplement the new design for the Squareand surrounding streets.

Due to the ribbon seating surrounding thefour sides of the gardens, it is likely theportrait artists would need to be relocated.The idea would be to disperse the artistsevenly around the Square, gardens and sidestreets to further animate these spaces.

New additions1 Functional lighting: The functional

lighting scheme for the Square andside streets will be flexible, allowingfor greater lighting levels at different times of the evening. Allfunctional lighting in the Square andstreets will be wall mounted at 18 to20 metres allowing for greater range.

2 Premieres: Illustrating how thegardens provide a flexible premierespace by connecting the east andwest terraces. White search lightsand laser beams will be used during premieres to add to the cinematic atmosphere of the Square. They can also be used as a way-findinglighting solution, to help navigatepeople to the Square from otherareas in the West End.

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Garden opening hoursStakeholders have expressed their desire toextend the garden opening hours to midnightevery night. The decorative lighting design forthe gardens will compliment the new openinghours and provide a magical experience after dusk.

Ducting Underground ducting for all statutory utilityservices, and ideally for events infrastructure,is being proposed for all streets and terraces.This will minimise the need for statutoryservices (utilities) to dig up the paving forrepair work, and help to reduce the amountof events equipment and numbers ofvehicles in the Square. Generally thisapproach to large public realm improvementshas not been adopted in London, but inother world class cities this infrastructure has proved advantageous. Leicester Squarecould be the blue print for other squares and schemes across the country, and beused as an example to convince utilities ofthe benefits of ducted solutions; namely areduction in long term maintenance andrepair costs.

Swiss GlockenspielThe Glockenspiel that was presented to the City of Westminster in 1985 from thepeople of Switzerland and the people ofLiechtenstien as a symbol of everlastingfriendship and unity. It is currently housed on the front of the existing Swiss Centreoverlooking the Square. In February 2006 the council's Planning Committee grantedconsent to relocate it on to Swiss Court. The Swiss Canton situated at the gatewayentrance to the Square will remain in itscurrent location.

Extension of schemeWe will be extending the scheme out to thejunction of Cranbourn Street where it meetsSt Martin’s Cross to connect the twoschemes (St Martin’s Cross and Long Acre).This is also to provide an improved pedestrianspace outside Leicester Square tube stationentrance, particularly on the west side ofCharing Cross Road. We are also consideringa complementary decorative lighting schemefor Charing Cross Road from CranbournStreet to Trafalgar Square, to add an extrasparkle to the atmosphere on the streetbetween London’s two principal Squares.

DevelopmentsWe hope that these proposals will encourageproperty owners to bring forward theirmaintenance and refurbishment programmesfor their own properties, particularly with the2012 Olympics in mind.

Where appropriate, and subject to thecouncil’s policies, redevelopment could beconsidered where existing structures fail tocontribute positively to the space. Earlyimplementation should be encouraged sopublic realm works and refurbishments arecompleted together. Heart of London will also be encouraged to facilitate discussionsin upgrading the retail offer of the frontagesto complement the new look Square.

Pop up toiletsA number of sites around the Square arenotable ‘wet spots’. We are proposing toinstall pop up toilets, similar to the one atCambridge Circus. These facilities shouldhelp to reduce this type of anti-socialbehaviour in the area, helping to keep thearea clean and hygienic.

Traffic management The council, Heart of London and LeicesterSquare Association are in broad agreementthat the Square should become anincreasingly friendly space for pedestrians. As part of this consultation, a change indelivery times will be canvassed. Our longterm aspirations would be to prohibit alldeliveries from the Square, and work withlocal developers and landowners to provide a shared service delivery point or depot.Stock would then be delivered by palettedgoods trolleys to premises around the Square.

1 Garden lighting: Two lighting solutionsare currently being considered for the gardens. Both are white light solutions. One utilises the central andperimeter trees, the other proposesthe installation of four iconic columns(centre) and the perimeter trees at thegarden entrances. Both solutionsadvocate uplighters to light thecanopies of the perimeter trees.

2 Garden after closure: Two lightingsolutions either using the existingcentral trees or new iconic columnsare being proposed. After thegardens close at night, only theShakespeare statue and fountain willbe lit at night. This will help to makethe Square and gardens feelatmospheric, but will also help toprotect the structure from vandals.

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12 Your Square your choice

Management plans The key to the success of any public realmimprovement is to ensure that the designsolution is both manageable and easy tomaintain. The council, Heart of London, andthe emergency services, in consultation withBurns+Nice and DPA Lighting, will devise aLeicester Square Management Plan for theentire ‘City Block’. This management plan willensure that the design is maintained to a highstandard, and will act as a reference point forthe council contractors and the Heart ofLondon, who provide a range of additionaloperational services over and above those ofthe council. The agreed management planwill commit both organisations to maintainthe Square, gardens and its nine side streetsto exceptional standards.

Scheme delivery programme Subject to consultation with stakeholders,local residents and businesses, the counciland the Heart of London are aiming tocommence the implementation of thescheme in April 2008. It will be implemented through a phasedprogramme to ensure the least amount ofdisruption to the area. It is envisaged that the development will be completed withinthree and half years, in time for the London2012 Olympics.

The council will project manage the deliveryof the scheme from detailed design throughto implementation and completion. We will meet regularly with the Heart ofLondon, the Leicester Square Association,the residents and wider West Endstakeholders to update on the progress ofthe scheme and listen to feedback.

Delivery1 Leicester Square: Day and night plan of

the ‘City Block’. The scheme has beenextended to include Cranbourn Streetto the junction of St Martin’s Cross, theentrance to Irving Street from CharingCross Road, as well as St Martin’sStreet leading down towards TrafalgarSquare.

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We want to hearfrom you

This is an exciting time for LeicesterSquare and the West End. This investment will invigorate the areaand re-establish its status as one of the world’s most recognisable destinations.

The council and its partners want tohear from you. This is your chanceto let us know what you think of the new design we are proposingfor Leicester Square and its nineside streets.

Consultation will close on Friday29th February 2008.

01 Do you feel the overall landscape design solution for theSquare, gardens and nine side streets is a dramaticimprovement?

02 Would you like to see more well managed and quality al fresco dining in the Square and side streets?

03 Do you think it’s a good idea to link Leicester Squareand Trafalgar Square, and promote a new pedestrianroute between the two Squares via St Martin’s Streettowards the National Gallery and Sainsbury Wing?

04 Would you like to see the opening times of the gardensextended to midnight?

05 Whilst removing one of the central trees will help thegrass recovery rate, would you be happy with furthertree removal?

06 Would you be supportive of a cultural and communityevents programme?

07 Would you like to see a reduction in the level of vehiclesentering the Square and the side streets ie reduction indelivery times, taxi pick up/drop off etc

08 Are you supportive of a lighting solution that is flexible interms of lighting levels at different times and for differentpurposes?

09 Do you think a dedicated Leicester Square ManagementPlan is the right approach to ensuring the quality ofexperience and longevity of the scheme?

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For further information please contact Roger Austin, Leicester SquareProject Manager on 020 7641 7061 or raustin@westminster.gov.uk

You can also download this document and respond online by loggingon to www.westminster.gov.uk/LeicesterSquare or you can write tous at: West End Team, Westminster City Hall, FREEPOSTLON17652, LONDON SW1E 6QY. If you require this document in analternative format please contact the West End Team on 020 76417061 or via email: leicestersquare@westminster.gov.uk

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