A Public Realm Vision for the Eastern City
An ambitious and inspirational vision for the future of public spaces in the Square Mile’s tall building cluster has been unveiled today. The new Public Realm Vision, published by the Eastern City Business Improvement District (EC BID) following 10 months of collaborative working, seeks to support the City of London Corporation on plans already in the pipeline and identify other opportunities that could be expedited and delivered through partnership and investment between the public and private sectors.
In December last year EC BID appointed the independent research and urban design practice Publica to deliver a long-term vision for the streets and public spaces around the Eastern City area to represent the priorities of levy paying businesses within the BID footprint. Members of the local business community, alongside the City of London Corporation, have been involved in the tender process. The Publica team has spent over 100 hours on site, studying streets, alleyways, courtyards, plazas and gardens to understand how people use these publicly accessible spaces.
The Vision, which has been welcomed by the City of London Corporation, is based on evidence-led research, combining detailed spatial, heritage and demographic analysis alongside valuable insights from stakeholders and public consultation.
The BID has consulted closely with the City of London Corporation to ensure the vision aligns with, updates and supports its policies, current strategies (namely the Eastern City Cluster Vision published in 2019) and the draft of the new City Plan 2040.
The vision is supported by seven aims, developed through consultation with stakeholders in the area, which articulate specific aspects of the public life of the EC BID area:
- Welcoming publicly accessible spaces – designing spaces that are inviting and accommodating;
- Resilient trees and planting – ensuring the area is as green as possible;
- Lively uses and activity – creating a dynamic and energetic place;
- Intuitive navigation – making it easier to reach your destination;
- Historic character and lighting – celebrating and improving the heritage features;
- A mobility environment which is accessible to all – establishing environments where modes of movement can co-exist;
- A safe and secure neighbourhood – promoting spaces where all users feel safe.
Publishing the Vision in 2024 is particularly relevant given the amount of growth expected in this global business district. With city worker numbers rising by 29,000 since 2021 and now standing at around 615,000 in total, the City Corporation Planning Authority is negotiating development proposals that would provide hundreds of thousands of sqm of much needed Grade A office space, with hundreds of thousands more already approved and under construction. Much of this growth will happen in the Eastern City’s tall building cluster area, where 11 new tall buildings are underway or have the green light.
These include 1 Leadenhall Street, 100 Leadenhall Street, 40 Leadenhall Street, 70 Gracechurch Street, 55 Old Broad Street, 99 Bishopsgate, and 55 Bishopsgate.
This level of investment creates significant opportunities for public realm, but also challenges. Public realm at the ground level is already under pressure and it is important that the different developments knit together, maximising space, activation and the quality of the experience of being in the area.
Together with the City of London Corporation, further work will now be undertaken by the BID, working closely with partners such as Transport for London and property developers to test feasibility, develop funding models and delivery strategies for some of the projects included in the Vision document.
The Vision identifies projects which form part of key routes through the EC area, ranging from small scale interventions to larger scale transformational projects, including:
Camomile Street – through a transformation of London Wall, the feasibility of which is being explored by the City of London, there is an opportunity to entirely close Camomile Street to traffic and create a new meaningful piece of public realm at Camomile Street with planting and seating.
Fenchurch Street station – a clearer arrival route from London Street and at Fenchurch Street can improve the pedestrian experience here. More diverse planting and more generous planting beds can transform this space into a greener gem, whilst retaining open space for the lunchtime food market.
Lombard Street – the heritage buildings and features along Lombard Street’s short stretch that could be enhanced through lighting. The existing cycle facility could be improved. The north-south connection of Nicholas Lane to the already-paved Birchin Lane, and the addition of a raised table at this junction, would improve the pedestrian experience. Small-scale planting could be added to these quiet lanes to further enhance the environment.
Eastcheap – this is an important route for both vehicles and pedestrians and should remain a two-way street dedicated primarily to movement. Safe space for cycles can be introduced in both directions, adding to the role of this street as moving people east and west across the area. Loading areas would be retained but can be paved and given over to primarily pedestrian use at peak times. Pedestrian comfort can be improved with marked crossings, and modest pavement widening where possible.
Nick Carty, Chair of the Eastern City Business Improvement District, said:
“Our Public Realm Vision sets out our approach to collaboration and partnership, working closely with our partners the City of London Corporation and other key stakeholders in delivering on the principles set out in the Vision document. Post pandemic and with new working patterns and the need to attract workers and visitors back to the City, we recognise the value of high-quality public realm.
“This report, and the various strategies and policies it supports, recognises the importance of the spaces we use on a daily basis – the ‘spaces between the buildings’, the green pockets, the seating areas, the courtyards, alleyways and routes we use to move around the City.
“This is an important milestone and is a positive statement of intent for how we can deliver more, expedite implementation and formulate innovative funding models rooted in collaboration.”
Policy Chairman and Political Leader of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said:
“The Eastern City BID’s Public Realm Vision is a welcome contribution to our ongoing mission to attract new businesses and people to a dynamic and thriving Square Mile. Organisations like the EC BID will play an important role in the City’s future and the City of London Corporation looks forward to their help for enhancing the prosperity, equity and sustainability of the area
“Whether it be through the continued year-on-year rise in office attendance, or spending in local businesses, it is clear that our growth strategy, supported by the BIDs, is already having real impact.”
Chairman of the City of London Planning and Transportation Committee, Shravan Joshi, said:
“Through its public realm vision, the Eastern City BID has demonstrated a commitment from business in the area to fostering a more dynamic inclusive, safer, cleaner, and greener public realm for everyone.
“The Vision offers valuable ideas for enhancing the public spaces that connect and enrich these already thriving environments, whilst providing new inspiration that aligns with our strategies for the future prosperity of the Square Mile, including City Plan 2040, the Transport Strategy and the Climate Action Strategy.”
Lucy Musgrave OBE, Founding Director of Publica, said:
‘The opportunity of this EC BID Public Realm Vision is to provide a coherence to the spaces in between buildings to ensure every street and journey is accessible, safe, and a place shared by many, that has the right civic amenity, and that we are all proud of.
The City of London has a significant quantum of new development and therefore this Vision is a wonderful opportunity to ensure the public realm and amenity is welcoming and connected – a place of inclusion that offers dignity to all workers, commuters, and visitors and contributes to making an equitable and fair city.’
The proposals in this Vision represent possible visualisations and opportunities, not definitive designs. They have been developed in consultation with many stakeholders but have yet to be fully tested. Each of the projects included in the Vision are backed by insight and data but would require full consultation, feasibility analysis, drawn briefs and decisions regarding planning, phasing, funding and delivery.