PUBLIC REALM

Guiding transformation around Oxford Street

Lucy Musgrave explains Publica’s new design guardian role for creating a resilient and improved Oxford Street District

Lucy Musgrave OBE is founding director of Publica

In August, Westminster City Council (WCC) appointed Publica as Design Guardian for the public realm of the Oxford Street District. In this new specialist advisory role, we will provide strategic oversight to shape the holistic design and delivery of the Council’s £235m plan to strengthen the district’s iconic status as one of the world’s top places to live, visit, shop and work. This follows our previous work in 2019 on the Council approved Place Strategy and Delivery Plan for the Oxford Street District, which sets out an ambitious plan to improve the whole of the district around Oxford Street. This strategy identifies streets and spaces for improvement and district-wide strategies for delivery – including flagship public realm schemes at Oxford Circus and Marble Arch – and through the Design Guardian role, we will ensure a consistent design approach across the programme, and the integration of innovative, sustainable and inclusive design-led practices to support the Council’s objectives for the district. This work now has greater impetus on account of the Covid-19 crisis, and through our work we will support the Council in creating a resilient district, adapting to the issues and potential possibilities caused by the impact of Covid-19.

Rachael Robathan, Leader of Westminster City Council, says “This project has only grown in importance in the wake of the pandemic which has left many of the country’s businesses struggling. The ambitious plans we are developing will see the Oxford Street District revitalised for residents and our city’s millions of visitors and secure its global reputation as the place to enjoy >>>

>>> London’s finest retail, leisure and culture. We will incorporate innovative smart city ideas and aim to boost air quality by being one of the greenest schemes worldwide.’ The Oxford Street District encompasses a large area of the

West End, including the street and its links to the surrounding historic neighbourhoods, commercial areas, garden squares and cultural attractions. Oxford Street itself is one of the world’s most celebrated retail streets, and one of its most important strengths is its vitality and inclusivity – it is a space for residents, workers and visitors of all ages and backgrounds. The district is a historically resilient area built on incremental growth over centuries and has adapted to social, environmental, political and economic challenges.

Now, more than ever, there is the opportunity to enhance the district’s complex and multi-faceted built fabric and urban character to retain Oxford Street’s reputation as the nation’s favourite high street and an internationally renowned destination. Large-scale infrastructural developments, such as the future opening of the Elizabeth Line, are an indication of this, but fastpaced smaller innovations for buildings and public spaces are needed to address innovation and environmental enhancements.

This momentum is evident with transformative projects, including the revitalisation of Hanover Square, a major design competition for Grosvenor Square, a new vision for the public realm

Marble Arch and significant developments at Cavendish Square.

The maintenance and management of new streetscape, spaces and amenity will be crucial for the success of all these projects,

which will be well-connected destinations in their own right with true civic amenity. Publica has had the privilege of studying and designing areas in the district for almost a decade. Working with WCC, we have previously undertaken a major public realm study of Soho, redesigned Marylebone Lane and the whole of Bond Street, and our design for new public realm and civic amenity at Hanover Square is currently under construction.

Our new role as Strategy and Design Guardian for the OSD is progressive. Given the scale and rate of change in the area, it is important for consistent design quality oversight across the district’s streets and spaces. The role is an opportunity to realise the PSDP strategy and seek to establish the highest standards based on our embedded knowledge and expertise within the area, and our long and positive relationships with its stakeholders to facilitate the careful consideration needed when addressing the connections and interactions that visitors, residents and stakeholders have in the area. We will be integrating innovative, sustainable and inclusive design-led approaches to support the Council’s objectives and sharing international best practice to inform the process. We will play a key role in the governance of the design process, including participating in an integrated design review process for the OSD to incorporate world-class quality and design elements into the deliverables, and that these are joined up across the district. The holistic role we are undertaking in this significant area will ensure that a comprehensive and multi-layered approach is taken to the streetscape of the entire district.

High-quality streetscape – walkability and clean air

The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to light how crucial it is to create and maintain an accessible, safe and welcoming streetscape that supports all aspects of public life. These range from the design of the public realm itself, to land uses and programming of the streetscape to improve the overall city experience. The revitalisation of the environment will be addressed to ensure it is fully accessible, walkable and safe for all, at all times of the day, evening and night-time to encourage visitors and Londoners of all ages to use and explore the district. Working with the City Council, Publica will seek to deliver a cleaner, healthier district with less traffic congestion, more active travel routes, cleaner building emissions, improved air quality, and better lighting in its streets and spaces. A key objective is to reduce air pollution along the street, which has in the past been regularly recognised as one of the most polluted in Europe.

New uses, creativity and innovation

Like so many high streets in the UK, Oxford Street and its businesses, shops, restaurants and bars are facing huge challenges. The design and delivery of the Oxford Street District scheme will need to be flexible and adaptive, anticipating new uses and programmes, and enabling testing of new ideas for retail space and possible other uses. The demand for more stimulating and multi-faceted or experiential forms of shopping and leisure will require a more active and diverse public realm, providing greater character and programme to the spaces between and around buildings on Oxford Street. Land uses are evolving and changing, supported by new policy, presenting an opportunity to test alternatives and lead innovation on the future of high streets and retail. Oxford Street benefits from many stakeholders who are leading this field of innovation and adaption, and we hope the reimagining of the district will provide many lessons and ideas that can be shared with other towns and cities.

As such, the advisory role will inform an integrated design review process, seeking to incorporate all aspects of design and the many cross-cutting layers such as play and a programme of culture and public art, hard and soft landscape, street furniture, lighting, wayfinding, trees and planting, play, amenity — all of which are important to revitalise the district and ensure it is a destination for the day, evening and night-time.

Through this new role, Publica is proud to be continuing our work with Westminster City Council to implement a holistic, multi-layered approach to urban change. We believe this is one of London’s most significant projects, urgently needed and with the opportunity to demonstrate an international showcase of longterm, innovative, creative and sustainable adaptation of a major apart of the West End. Westminster City Council’s Leader Rachael Robathan says, “Publica share our vision, understand the challenges we face and the delicate balance that must be struck to ensure our ambitious plans works for residents, businesses and visitors alike. We look forward to continuing our work with them during the next steps of this scheme.” n

SEE https://publica.co.uk/projectsoxford-street-district