Midtown revamp to create ‘premier cultural district’ for London

 
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12 June 2012

London’s “Midtown” between the West End and the City will be transformed into the capital’s most vibrant cultural district under a masterplan unveiled today.

Urban designer and architect Sir Terry Farrell said the vision will link Oxford Street in the west and Cheapside in the east to create a continuous shopping boulevard across central London.

The plans would start with a makeover of the “dysfunctional” Holborn and New Oxford Street artery, scrapping the one-way gyratories that have turned them into inner city motorways, introducing cycle routes and giving pedestrians priority at increased numbers of crossing points.

The route once taken by condemned prisoners on their way from Newgate in the City to Tyburn at Marble Arch would be “greened” with a tree-planting programme, and feature regular “street events” and public art installations.

There would be a focus on the road crossings at Holborn, where the station is used by 200,000 passengers a day.

The vision, unveiled at a conference at New London Architecture in Bloomsbury, is aimed at turning Midtown into London’s premier media, cultural and new technology hub, said Sir Terry. He compared it to the revival of New York’s East Village.

The area is known as a seat of learning because it is the location for LSE and University College London as well as the British Museum and the Inns of Court. However, it has struggled to attract shoppers and nightlife because it is viewed as hostile to pedestrians.

The arrival of Crossrail in 2017 will mean the area will be “bookended” by the major hubs at Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon.

Midtown developments already planned or under way include the St Giles piazza at Centre Point and a £200 million convention centre at the former Central St Martins site in Holborn.

Tass Mavrogordato, chief executive of InMidtown, which represents 570 businesses in the area, said they wanted to drive more private sector investment to ensure the district was returned to its former glory.

Mayor Boris Johnson said: “With Crossrail set to have a massive impact, now is the time to set the right vision and secure a bright future for this business and cultural centre.”

The Midtown name is used by the business community as an umbrella for the Holborn, St Giles, Bloomsbury and the Inns of Court.

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