Westminster City Council has released new proposals for the Connaught Village Green project. These are a reduced version of the previous proposals, with a smaller pedestrian area and a wider carriageway on Kendal Street, in order to allow better access for through-traffic in both directions. We have published the results of the previous consultation.
Whilst the proposals will be beneficial compared to the status-quo, we feel that this is a missed opportunity, given the one-off chance and the budget of £1.4m (unlikely to be available again). Other areas of London have achieved more with less.
With the Council’s stated intention to revitalise the City’s high streets, it’s a shame that something more ambitious hasn’t been proposed.
What could it have been?
We thought we would take this opportunity to look at some of the feedback we’ve received over the years; what people perceive Connaught Village’s problems to be; and what other ideas have been mooted.
What are the problems?
Nobody disagrees that Connaught Village has very low footfall, with some shops receiving as little as one visitor a day. This is despite the village’s unique character and its proximity to Hyde Park, Paddington Station and Oxford Street.
The Church Commissioners?
The Church Commissioners are the local landowner. Some people consider that the Church Commissioners simply need to rent the shops to different tenants. Ones that will attract more people to the area or that appeal more to local residents. We don’t think it’s that simple though.
The Church Commissioners are always on the lookout for desirable businesses to rent their units to and the rents are attractive. The demand is limited though and the vast majority of the units in Connaught Village are actually quite small and so have limited use. In addition, the whole area is relatively small when compared to other areas. So it is never going to be possible to replicate, for example, Marylebone High Street.
In any case, fitting out a shop is a significant investment: it would be easy to spend £200k doing so. As a business owner, would you be prepared to invest that amount of money in an area with low footfall?
In terms of providing more “everyday” shops for local residents, HyPER naturally supports this. It is also oversimplifying it though: the population density of full-time residents is relatively low on the Hyde Park Estate (see map below). Connaught Village has actually had a number of shops for residents over the years, and the evidence shows that there aren’t enough residents that support them. Roni’s Bakery produced fantastic products, but too few residents bought their bread there. Buchanans Cheesemonger sold a very good range of fresh fruit and vegetables during Covid, but with residents returning to Waitrose, it was no longer feasible for Buchanans to continue this service, even though they would have liked to. There are also already a lot of everyday shops nearby, such as on Spring Street, London Street and Praed Street.
Some of the existing shops such as La Maritxu are very successful and could put the village on the map, but they need help from a street worth visiting. But as many of the shopkeepers admit, anybody that does visit tends not to stay.
The real problem
The real problem is that Connaught Village is simply not an attractive area to visit and spend time. It is simply a road with a few shops and a lot of traffic. Anybody who does visit, does what they need to and then leaves quickly.
What could make it more attractive?
We thought we would show you a few ideas.
Iconic place making
As a local resident, renowned architect John Outram (famed for buildings such as Cambridge’s Judge Business School, the Pumping Station on the Isle of Dogs, and the Old Town Hall in the Hague) offered to provide his services for free as well as potentially obtain sponsorship for construction. His idea was to raise the planting (thus preventing it being used for discarding rubbish) and to create the idea of a journey through a series of pillars, all the while being sat on a raft. The image below, although undeveloped, is indicative of his idea.
John put a significant amount of time and effort into the ideas, and we think it’s only right for them to be available for public viewing at this link.
Whatever you think of his proposals, it’s without doubt that something like this would have brought people in from far and wide.
Large piazza
Another idea is the creation of a large piazza across the whole street. This would have created a large and beautiful public space, the only of its kind in the area, which again would have been an attraction to visit from Hyde Park and Paddington Station. It also would have dealt with the through-traffic whilst at the same time still allowing vehicular access for those requiring it (from both east and west). The artist’s impression below gives an idea of how this could have been:
Reduced traffic impact
Finally, maybe a series of one-way streets throughout the whole village would have made the traffic less dominant. Pavements would be wider and there would be reduced attraction for vehicles rat-running straight through the area without stopping. Pedestrian safety would be greatly improved.
Thinking long-term and holistically
There are many difficult topics that interrelate and that must be tackled together in order to have a positive effect. Traffic, pollution, pedestrian safety, footfall, better shops, more families, higher rents and property prices all interlink together. These need to be understood and considered holistically. An overarching strategy is very much within the Council’s remit, which in fairness has started the High Streets Program. Implementing specific projects before that has completed does seem a bit horse before cart though.
The Council states that this project is a “public realm project that will help create a new village focal area for the community to enjoy”. It’s difficult to see how the community will enjoy a public space that is spoilt by a lot of through-traffic.
We are not saying that any of these things are easy. It does require leadership and a vision though, with a desire to build for future generations. HyPER feels this is a missed opportunity.
Your ideas and have your say
What ideas do you have? Do use the opportunity of the consultation to give your thoughts.
Visit the project website to view full details on the new consultation. Have your say by emailing tmo.westminster@wsp.com quoting reference 8058/HWB by 13th March 2024.