Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy — Evidence Base, Publica, 2015 by Publica

BARBICAN & GOLDEN L ANE AREA STRATEGY EVIDENCE BASE August 2015

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY

BARBICAN & GOLDEN L ANE AREA STRATEGY EVIDENCE BASE August 2015

â&#x20AC;&#x192; A PPEN DI X D: C U LT U R A L H U B WO RK S H O P REP O RT S

INTRODUCTION

Over the next five years, substantial development will impact the Barbican

INTRODUCT ION In late 2013, The City of London commissioned Publica to develop a strategy for the Barbican and Golden Lane area, in order to consider, propose and prioritise future improvements to the district’s streets, spaces and public

realm. The strategy forms one of a series of area enhancement strategies that are produced and updated by the City of London every five to ten years (see diagram on facing page). Together, they set out a vision and framework for coordinated public realm improvements across the square mile.

The 2015 Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy supersedes the 2008 Barbican Area Strategy and will become a Supplementary Planning

Document to the City’s Local Plan. It sets out principles and priorities for

and Golden Lane area. This will include the arrival of Crossrail at Moorgate and Farringdon in 2018/2019, changes to London Wall and the erection

of several new buildings on the area’s perimeter streets. This anticipated

change has led to a reconsideration of the use and function of the district’s streets and spaces. Additionally, the City’s cultural and visitor strategies

set out the ambition to develop the area’s cultural profile and endorse the

development of a cultural hub, centred on the Barbican area and its cultural institutions. This development and policy context make the strategy’s holistic consideration of the area’s public realm particularly timely.

improvements in light of changes that have occurred during the interim

THE BARBICAN AND GOLDEN L ANE AREA STRATEGY AND I TS SUPPORT ING DOCUMENTS

function, policy and future development contexts. In addition, its extent

The Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy comprises the primary

Barbican and Golden Lane estates, alongside the streets and highways that

and Vision for the City of London Cultural Hub. Each of these documents

period, as well as new research and analysis into the area’s current use, is greater than the 2008 strategy, comprising the spaces within both the

surround them. An important additional element of the updated strategy is the incorporation of a shared vision for the City of London cultural

hub, geographically focused around the “Barbican, Museum of London, Guildhall School and Milton Court campuses” and set out as a policy 1

priority in the City of London’s cultural and visitor strategies. Further

details on relevant City of London policy documents can be found in section 3.3 Policy Context of the Wider Area Survey chapter within this document.

THE AREA

Strategy report and two supporting documents, entitled Evidence Base is further divided into individual chapters. These chapters set out the

strands of work that have been undertaken in the process of developing

the final strategy, each of which has informed its concluding proposals and recommendations. Strategy

The Strategy document is the principal document of the area strategy. It

comprises the culminating vision for the Barbican and Golden Lane area,

alongside a summary of 15 key findings, derived from early-stage work, that have informed their focus.

The Barbican and Golden Lane area is located in the northwest of the City

Evidence Base

defined area is bounded by Baltic Street to the north and Golden Lane,

research and analysis from which the strategy’s recommendations and

of London, much of it bordered by the London Borough of Islington. The

Silk Street and Moor Lane to the east. To the south and west its perimeter is delineated by some of the City’s primary highways: the east–west

thoroughfare of London Wall, and the north–south axis of Aldersgate Street and Goswell Road.

The majority of the strategy area comprises two listed housing estates,

designed and built in the post-war period by architects Chamberlin, Powell

and Bon: the Golden Lane estate, completed in 1962, and the Barbican estate, built between 1962 and 1982. The use, character and urban form of this part of the City is to a great extent determined by these estates. Both feature a

range of facilities alongside their residential component, which in no small part has helped to create an area of diverse use, singular within the City.

Over 2,500 dwellings, internationally renowned cultural and educational institutions, livery companies, leisure facilities, religious buildings and

The Evidence Base document consolidates the detailed information,

proposals have been formulated, It comprises the 15 key findings set out

in full, alongside the body of work that informed them and appendices of supporting information.

It includes a record of the project’s first-stage stakeholder and public

consultation programme alongside Publica’s wider area survey, a detailed spatial and contextual analysis of the Barbican and Golden Lane area. Vision for the City of London Cultural Hub

This document sets out the vision for the City of London cultural hub,

developed by Publica, alongside the City of London, its cultural partners

and stakeholders and undertaken concurrently to the development of the

strategy. It sets out the collective aspirations for the district’s future as a key cultural destination, expressed by its cultural stakeholders and institutions.

retail premises can all be found within the area. This diversity exists

The work to articulate the cultural hub vision was informed by a series of

which are located chiefly on the area’s perimeter streets.

comprises the principal workshop findings, alongside the vision, set out as a

alongside buildings related to the City’s primary commercial function, This unusual mix of uses is not the area’s only unique condition. The

separation of cars and pedestrians, fundamental to the post-war vision

three workshops, undertaken in November and December 2014. The report

series of values and principles and further supporting information relating to the wider cultural context.

for the district, continues to have a significant impact on its urban realm.

Both supporting documents contain information to help fully contextualise

use, have high levels of footfall but provide an unwelcoming pedestrian

opportunities for change and improvement across the Barbican and

London Wall, Aldersgate Street and Beech Street, designed for vehicular experience, out of keeping with other City streets. The pedestrian-only

highwalk network, critical to the design and layout of the Barbican estate,

is considered difficult to navigate and by many, and a confusing option for traversing the area on foot.

1 City of London (2013) Visit the City: visitor strategy and action plan for the City of London, 2013–2017. City of London: London. p. 41

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the strategy’s final recommendations and vision for the district, and the Golden Lane area.

INTRODUCTION

THIS DOCUMENT This document is entitled Evidence Base and comprises four distinct chapters as follows: Key Findings

Appendices

between June and December 2014. The findings are the summarised,

that have either arisen from the strategy process, or that have informed it,

This chapter sets out 15 key findings developed from work undertaken integrated analysis of Publica’s wider area survey work, together with the engagement and consultation exercises, that were collectively undertaken to inform the strategy’s focus. Each of the 15 findings has been explained through images, maps and two complementary narratives. The first

comprises an overview of the findings from the wider area survey work. The second is a qualitative overview deriving from the City of London’s

Alongside the primary evidence base, appendices of supporting information are included within the Appendices chapter of this document. Appendices

A to C comprise information and studies that support the Engagement and Wider Area Survey chapters of this document, while Appendices D to G

relate to the City of London cultural hub: findings and vision chapter of the Strategy document.

engagement process. Engagement

This chapter provides a record of the processes of engagement initiated by

the City of London to inform the Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy. It sets out a detailed breakdown of the strands of engagement undertaken,

and is subsequently divided into sections regarding the public consultation (undertaken by external consultants Consultation Plus); stakeholder

engagement exercises (led by the City with support from Publica) and oneto-one interviews with local users (undertaken by Publica, found in full in Appendix A).

Wider Area Survey

This chapter comprises Publica’s wider area survey of the Barbican

and Golden Lane area. It is the result of research and analysis into the

area’s character, patterns of use, function, and historical, cultural, policy and development contexts. The wider area survey examines the urban conditions of the strategy area and identifies issues and opportunities relating to its public realm.

The wider area survey and engagement programme of the Barbican and

Golden Lane Area Strategy were undertaken concurrently between June and December 2014. Together, these chapters form the area strategy’s

primary evidence base, from which its 15 key findings have been drawn. Two other City-commissioned documents have also informed these

chapters: Public Consultation Findings Report, undertaken by Consultation

Plus, and the City of London Cultural Quarter Urban Baseline Study, completed by Space Syntax. Both are referenced throughout this document and can be found in full in Appendices B and C.

City of London area enhancement strategies across the Square Mile

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CONTENTS

EVIDENCE BASE • INTRODUCT ION 1 •

KEY FINDINGS

2 • 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7

ENGAGEMENT Introduction Overview of engagement and consultation strands Public consultation Stakeholder workshops Stakeholder walks Plenary session One-to-one interviews

44 46 48 52 54 56 58

3 • W IDER ARE A SURVEY 3.1 Location 3.2 Historical context 3.3 Policy context 3.4 Development context 3.5 The impact of Crossrail 3.6 Transport links 3.7 Use 3.8 Neighbourhood amenity 3.9 Cultural uses 3.10 Public realm and open spaces 3.11 Green spaces and biodiversity 3.12 Air quality 3.13 Sound 3.14 Pedestrian routes and connections 3.15 Wayfinding 3.16 Edges and frontages 3.17 Lighting APPENDI X A: One-to-one interview edited transcripts APPENDI X B: Consultation Plus, Public Consultation Findings Report APPENDI X C: Space Syntax, City Of London Cultural Quarter Urban Baseline Study

62 64 70 76 78 82 88 98 102 1 12 13 4 137 138 142 156 16 4 172 17 7 190 206

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BARBICAN & GOLDEN L ANE AREA STRATEGY: EV IDENCE BA SE 1 • KEY FINDINGS

KEY FINDINGS

A MIXED NEIGHBOURHOOD A variety of uses, unusual within the City of London

2 THE BARBICAN’S IMPENE TRABLE EDGES The condition of the estate’s perimeter 3 TRANQUILLI T Y AND GREENERY Valued peaceful places, green spaces and planting 4 THE L AKESIDE TERRACE A successful civic space 5 UNIQUE CONDI T ION OF THE HIGHWALK S 6 COMPLICATED WAYFINDING, POOR ARRIVAL EXPERIENCE A confusing environment lacking clear entry points 7 LIMI TED AND COMPROMISED NORTH–SOUTH ROUTES THROUGH THE AREA 8 HERI TAGE VALUE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Demonstrating London’s layered history, from Roman origins to present day 9 WORLD-CL A SS CULTURAL OFFER INADEQUATELY REPRESENTED IN THE PUBLIC REALM 10 INCONSISTENCY IN CONDI T ION AND UPKEEP OF HARD SPACES WI THIN THE ESTATES 11 BEECH STREE T A hostile and polluted pedestrian environment 12 A MULT I TUDE OF CAR PARK S AND SUBTERRANEAN SPACES THAT AFFECT THE PUBLIC REALM 13 LONDON WALL AND ALDERSGATE STREE T A vehicle-centric environment no longer fit for purpose 14 COMPROMISED CONNECT IONS TO SURROUNDING AREA S AND NEIGHBOURHOODS 15 RAPIDLY CHANGING SURROUNDINGS The impact of Crossrail and other planned development

This chapter of the document comprises Publica’s 15 principal findings,

arising from the wider area survey and the City of London’s engagement

programme. The body of work that informs these findings was undertaken in the summer and autumn of 2014. It can be found in full in chapters 2 and 3 of this document.

One double page has been given over to discuss every theme. Each

includes two narratives. The first recounts findings from area survey work, the second, those from engagement processes. To support this text, maps, photographs and illustrations from the area survey have been included, alongside quotes from engagement participants.

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K E Y F I N DI N GS

1 A MIXED NEIGHBOURHOOD A variety of uses, unusual within the City of London

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS Both the Barbican and Golden Lane estates were designed and built to

include civic, cultural and neighbourhood amenity. As a result, compared to other parts of the City of London, the area is remarkably mixed in use, with housing, schools, leisure and sports centres, cultural institutions,

livery companies, shops and two churches, alongside offices and commercial premises. A multitude of unusual building adjacencies give public spaces a distinct civic character, and a range of users can be found comfortably sharing and appropriating spaces.

The residential character of the area is evident in the Barbican’s residential gardens and window boxes, in the Golden Lane estate, where leisure and

community activities visibly animate the public realm, and in Bridgewater

Square, where homes look out over the playground of a local nursery school. Additionally, the area’s streets and highwalks offer unexpected glimpses of

learning and creative processes. Students of the Guildhall School of Music &

Drama (GSMD), for example, can often be seen and heard from the highwalks

Golden Lane Sport and Fitness, located within the Golden Lane estate

as they use the school’s practice rooms, or on Chiswell Street, where Sundial Court, the GSMD’s halls of residence, are located.

This mix of uses extends the area’s life through the day, week and weekend.

This is in contrast to much of the rest of the City of London, and although the

area is a weekend destination, its quiet surroundings isolate it from other nearby weekend hubs, for example St Paul’s to the south, and Spitalfields to the east.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS Many people who participated in engagement and consultation activities

commented on the range of uses and users found in the area and the special quality that this diversity adds to its character. Stakeholders in particular

commented on the mixed groups, of all ages, that use the Barbican and Golden Lane area, in contrast to the normal City condition. The foyer of the Barbican Centre was highlighted as a location that attracts users from across London

throughout the week, including parents with young children, students from

across London and independent workers on laptops, drawn by the free space and wifi connection. A number of those who have seen the area change over

Whitecross Street market

time commented on the growing number of children and families.

Responses also highlighted the sense of community and pride found in each of the estates and the wealth of clubs, groups and activities that take place.

That said, it was clear from responses that each estate is distinct, and there are few links between the residential communities of the Barbican and Golden Lane, one participant commenting “we are two villages in the City”.

Some respondents also commented that the Barbican estate lacks a space for

shared, residential community use. It was suggested that any future changes should consider the incorporation of a new residents’ community centre, or

that alternatively, Barbican residents could share the community rooms that form part of the Golden Lane estate.

Other comments highlighted how economic and social shifts have affected

the residential population. For example, across both estates, the numbers of families has increased; in Golden Lane, a large proportion of flats are now privately owned and the priorities of residents as a collective group has

become harder to articulate. In the Barbican, increasing property prices have made it harder for existing residents to move to larger flats within the estate

The Barbican lake separates St Giles’ Terrace from the City of London School for Girls

as their families grow.

Numerous residents consulted expressed pride at the concentration of cultural facilities on their doorstep, which many regularly enjoy using. However, it

must be noted that several were concerned about the future development of a

cultural hub in the area. The perceived ambiguity over the aims and ambitions of the hub, and the potential increase in footfall across the estate that might result from its development, were considered important issues requiring

discussion and clarification. It was recognised that a careful balance will need to be found between the needs of the residential community, and those of cultural institutions and their audiences.

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“In terms of the City context there’s a real mix of users. It feels like a normal place. You see families, children, students”

L AND USES (STREE T LEVEL)

USE CL A SSES A1 Shops

A2 Financial and professional services A3 Restaurants and cafés A4 Drinking establishments A5 Hot food take-away B1 Business C1 Hotel C3 Dwelling houses D1 Non-residential institution D2 Assembly and leisure Sui-generis Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

“A remarkable community in the middle of London, a neighbourhood that defies the assumption that ‘nobody lives in the City!” “It’s a special combination of buildings, spaces, amenities – and people”

NB. Land uses shown are indicative only and may not be the use as defined within the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as amended

K E Y F I N DI N GS

2 THE BARBICAN’S IMPENETRABLE EDGES The condition of the estate’s perimeter

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS While the Golden Lane estate is permeable and well integrated with

surrounding streets, the Barbican estate’s edges are fortress-like and

impenetrable. At street level, the Barbican was planned for vehicles rather than pedestrians, and the result is an area that is highly impermeable,

with extensive blank frontages and limited street-level activity along its

main perimeter: Aldersgate Street, Silk Street, Moor Lane and Fore Street. Beech Street, one of the area’s primary east–west routes, is covered by the podium level of the Barbican estate for a greater part of its length. The

lack of hierarchy between front and back streets makes for a disorienting pedestrian landscape. The City of London Cultural Quarter Urban Baseline Study, commissioned by the City of London and completed by Space

Syntax, highlights the unusually large size of the Barbican urban block as

an indicator of the area’s impermeability (see urban form analysis map on p.15, see p.102 of Appendix C for further details).

Today, most of the City’s streets are shared by pedestrians, cyclists and

vehicles. The study undertaken by Space Syntax reveals that the streets around the Barbican’s edges – such as Aldersgate Street, Beech Street

and London Wall – carry the highest levels of weekday pedestrian traffic in the area (see p.23 of Appendix C for further details), and yet the

pedestrian environment around these edges is a hostile one. While other areas of the City are bustling with the activity of shop fronts and office

1936 land use map showing pre-war grain, scale and street layout. Before the war the area was filled with warehouses, rail yards, commercial spaces and homes. Streets would have been busy with the activity of people coming in and out of doorways and entrances. Source: City of London (1944) Reconstruction in the City of London, London

entrances, the Barbican’s streets are lined by impenetrable walls that in many cases conceal car parks and servicing spaces.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS While consultation responses revealed a great deal of affection for the Barbican estate’s interior spaces, the majority of respondents

acknowledged that its edges and perimeter streets are unwelcoming, particularly for those unfamiliar with the area. Comments of this

nature were particularly evident in responses and discussions from

cultural institutions and their visitors. Observations included the lack

of street-level activity, the monotony of these streets for pedestrians and their traffic-dominated character. The Barbican’s high perimeter wall, particularly on Aldersgate Street, make accessing the interior of the

estate both difficult and uninviting, one commenting “people avoid the

Barbican”. In contrast, it was noted that it is these hard edges that protect

and preserve the estate’s valued calm and tranquil interior. Nevertheless,

a number of participants suggested that improvement to these streets and the estate’s entry points should be a priority.

“The south end of Aldersgate Street is a grim soulless canyon. The buildings give the impression that they’re turning their back on the pedestrian”

Blank frontages, shown as thick lines

“Except for a few recent interventions the streets surrounding the Barbican are bereft of activity”

Blank frontage on Aldersgate Street

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Figure ground map showing current grain and scale of the area’s built environment. Following the post-war redevelopment of the Golden Lane and Barbican area, the grain and scale of the area evolved, changing from a tight network of streets and alleyways to an urban layout with few streets and larger blocks, more similar in size to the station complex at Liverpool Street or market buildings at Smithfield

SPACE SYN TA X Urban form analysis, Spatial layout attraction, Urban block perimeter analysis

K E Y F I N DI N GS

3 TRANQUILLIT Y AND GREENERY Valued peaceful places, green spaces and planting

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS The Barbican and Golden Lane area is the City of London’s greenest and

most biodiverse, with four of the City’s five Sites of Borough Importance

for Nature Conservation (SBINC) within the strategy area. The Barbican’s unique and extraordinary natural landscape is an integral part of its

character, and the Barbican estate is designated Grade II* in the English Heritage Register of Historic Parks and Gardens for the special interest of its landscape. A variety of spaces with distinct qualities, many with

a strong relationship to water, can be found in the area. The character of these spaces changes dramatically with the seasons.

The majority of the area’s green spaces are closed to the public. However, these private gardens are often visible from public spaces, streets or

highwalks. Unexpected glimpses of greenery add interest and soften the character of surrounding public spaces throughout the seasons.

The Barbican’s interior green spaces, Thomas More and Speed Garden,

provide quiet oases away from traffic noise, allowing the sounds of human

Thomas More Garden, Barbican estate

activity, water and wildlife to be heard. St Giles’ Terrace is a particularly quiet space, especially at its western end. Sheltered between St Giles’

Cripplegate church and the City of London School for Girls, this space

does not provide a through-route, other than to keyholders, and is used by visitors who are reading, eating or resting on their own.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS The area’s green and tranquil qualities were highlighted as a significant asset by numerous participants from across the strands of engagement undertaken, with many highlighting these aspects, or particular, associated spaces, as the features they most liked.

It is clear that the area’s green spaces and qualities are greatly valued and

considered as a defining part of the district’s character. Features including planting, window boxes and water were particularly noted. Many used words like ‘oasis’ or ‘peaceful’ to describe the interior landscape of the

Barbican estate, referring to its traffic-free nature, and the contrast with the world outside. Some resident respondents showed concern that

St Giles’ Terrace

development and building works could be a threat to this quiet and calm environment.

Particular spaces mentioned include the Barbican’s three private residents’ gardens located within the estate. Fann Street Wildlife Garden was

highlighted by resident respondents, while many others cited the Barbican lake, the “hidden gem” Barber-Surgeons’ Garden and Golden Lane’s allotments and green spaces.

Some participants referred to the green vistas towards the residents’

gardens from the highwalks, observing that they add to user enjoyment

“It’s lovely to have Fann Street Garden, a fairly undeveloped piece of land that supports and encourages local wildlife and biodiversity. All the City gardens and spaces are beautifully maintained, but it’s good to know there’s also room for a little bit of peaceful chaos”

of these routes. Others observed that on the Golden Lane estate, where

planting on balconies and private gardens is visible from the street, it creates a particularly welcoming and cared-for character, unusual in the City.

Although outside the strategy area, Fortune Street Park was recognised as an important neighbourhood green space, particularly by residents and

users of Golden Lane. Though much valued, several responses highlighted that it is oversubscribed, particularly on summer lunchtimes. As a result, office workers visiting Whitecross Street market often sit and picnic

within the Golden Lane estate, affecting the tranquillity and cleanliness of these spaces. Some proposed solutions, including extending the park into

Golden Lane to alleviate current pressure. It was suggested that this would create a new green transition between the two estates; a gateway into the

area from the north and a better link with the City-owned Bunhill Fields. A number of comments referenced wildlife, citing Fann Street Wildlife

Garden, the Barbican’s lake, and residential window boxes as positively encouraging local biodiversity.

Barber-Surgeons’ Garden

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GREENERY AND BIODIVERSI T Y Public green space Private green space (shared) Private green space Private allotments School grounds Barbican Conservatory (open to public Sundays 11am–5pm, Bank Holidays 12pm–5pm) Water

Registered landscape Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation (SBINC) Construction site

Station entrance Strategy boundary Borough boundary

PL ANT ING ( W I T HIN S T R AT EGY BOU N DA RY ) Tree*

“A peaceful area amidst the buzz of the City on weekdays. A restful area of peace and quiet on weekends. Do not disturb!”

Planter*

Aquatic planting*

* Detailed data sourced from: Barbican Listed Building Management Guidelines Volume IV Landscaping

“The Barbican is an oasis, peaceful and spacious, hidden in the motion and noise of the city”

K E Y F I N DI N GS

4 THE L AKESIDE TERRACE A successful civic space

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS Despite being invisible from the street, the Lakeside Terrace is

the area’s most successful public space. The terrace has a strong

relationship with the Barbican Centre, its café and the lake, and provides a variety of both intimate and communal spaces for enjoyment by the public.

Different users can be found sharing the main terrace, with people of all ages using the space throughout the day and evening, during the week and at the weekend.

The Lakeside Terrace does not provide a through-route but

rather a pedestrian destination, and despite often bustling with activity it is a space characterised by a leisurely pace. This is a place where a variety of public life can be observed, with GSMD students playing instruments in the more secluded

parts of the terrace, children playing by the water, workers

sunbathing during lunchtime breaks and strangers comfortably sharing a table or a bench.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS The Lakeside Terrace is the key focal point in the strategy area. Participants referred to its civic and welcoming atmosphere, as well as its setting, the water and its users of different age

groups. It was cited by many respondents, notably visitors, as their favourite place, or the one they most associate with the Barbican and Golden Lane area.

“When you’re on the terrace on a sunny lunchtime, how can you not feel like you’re on holiday?!”

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“When you see the Lakeside Terrace, you know you’ve arrived”

“I love the fountains outside the Barbican Centre. It’s the most relaxed and lively space in the area”

K E Y F I N DI N GS

5 UNIQUE CONDITION OF THE HIGHWALKS

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS The post-war vision for a highwalk network across the City was never

fully realised. However, the highwalks (sometimes referred to as pedways or City walkways) remain an intrinsic feature of the Barbican estate. They offer dramatic vistas across the estate’s open spaces and unexpected long views to City destinations beyond. The highwalks provide a circuit of

covered pedestrian routes above traffic and are mostly sheltered, offering

a different pedestrian experience to that of the street. Although the streets are considerably busier than the highwalks throughout the day and week, as illustrated in the below urban function pedestrian movement studies

by Space Syntax (see p.23 and p.33 of Appendix C for further details), the

highwalks are popular with groups familiar with the area: residents, City of

London School for Girls pupils and City commuters. From Moorgate station, for example, crowds of commuters can be found walking along the upper levels during the morning peak, particularly along Moorfields Highwalk

Seddon Highwalk, Barbican estate

and Andrewes Highwalk.

However, as illustrated in the below urban function diagrams, only a small proportion of the highwalks are well used as routes. The podium provides vast amounts of open space but much of it is lacking in identity and

function — a condition that is highly unusual within the City of London. For those who do not know the area, the highwalks can be difficult to

navigate. Their layout means they do not provide direct routes across the estate, making them hard to move around instinctively. The result is that

many podium spaces have low spatial accessibility (see p.45 of Appendix C for further details). Furthermore, destinations are often visible but the routes to them are not, resulting in a disorienting environment.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS The Barbican’s highwalks, like the estate itself, divided respondents’

City of London School for Girls pupils on Thomas More Highwalk on their way to school

opinions. While those familiar with the estate praised the traffic-free routes, alongside the views afforded over green spaces and water, many visitors chose the highwalks as their least favourite part of the area. Numerous

responses stated that they are unwelcoming, confusing and can feel unsafe,

S PACE S YN TA X Urban function

particularly at night.

Perceptions about the highwalks were closely related to how well people

understood them, and the routes they provide: regular users were generally positive about the shortcuts they can offer, while those unfamiliar were negative about the difficulty in navigating their multiple levels, and the perceived hostility of their concrete aesthetic.

Some interviewees noted particular benefits: a parent and a pupil at the

City of London School for Girls both highlighted that the highwalks and

podium are safe spaces and a traffic-free environment for children to play and explore.

Others participants commented more generally about the sense of discovery and exploration afforded by the highwalks, one stating “they are secret routes to be discovered and delighted in”.

“The Barbican highwalks are an integral part of the Barbican estate. They are a great way to get from A to B without traffic, while enjoying the wonderful views of the gardens and buildings”

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DAY T I M E M OV EM EN T, W EEK DAY

DAY T I M E M OV EM EN T, W EEK EN D

E V EN I N G M OV EM EN T, W EEK DAY

E V EN I N G M OV EM EN T, W EEK EN D

OBSERVED PEDESTRI AN ROUTES Upper podium level Lower podium level Street level Pedestrian routes were observed and recorded at different times of the day and week to better understand popular routes through the area and patterns in pedestrian use and navigation. The map illustrates all the pedestrian routes recorded in the study. For full methodology, see section 5.14 Pedestrian Routes and Connections of the Wider Area Survey chapter in the Evidence Base document.

“I dislike the walkways — they go on forever in circuitous routes but never directly to where you want to go”

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6 C OMPLICATED WAYFINDING, POOR ARRIVAL EXPERIENCE A confusing environment lacking clear entry points

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS Wayfinding

Wayfinding in the Barbican area is notoriously difficult. The area’s

complex, three-dimensional urban configuration, with numerous levels, highwalks and few streets at ground level, makes for a disorienting

built environment that is difficult to navigate intuitively. A number of

part of St Paul’s gyratory system, this street provides an animated route,

comprising a variety of buildings including cafés and pubs, with plenty of glimpses of greenery. At peak times St Martin’s le Grand is well used by commuters but is less busy at other times.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS

non-original additions to the built fabric obstruct long views and have a

It was widely acknowledged that wayfinding through the area is

Jonson Highwalk and the roof structure over Brandon Mews.

were repeatedly cited in participant responses as the area’s worst aspects

detrimental effect on wayfinding, particularly the ‘Yellow Shed’ on Ben

Many podium-level spaces lack a distinctive function or identity, making them indistinguishable to unknowing visitors. As a result, pedestrians

who are not familiar with the area rely on signage to find their way. The Barbican’s numerous wayfinding systems and graphic identities can be

confusing, particularly as outdated signs and old branding identities have not been removed. Signposts frequently offer podium and street-level

route alternatives, and the lack of hierarchy and clarity between these

means that adjacent signs to the same destination may point in opposite directions.

Over the years, efforts have been made to aid wayfinding, recognised as problematic since the Barbican Centre opened in 1982. The Yellow Line, painted on the ground to demarcate routes, was introduced to guide

audiences to the arts centre. Many sections of it have since been removed, and piecemeal maintenance over time has resulted in a line that is

interrupted and inconsistent in quality. Moreover, the route of the Yellow Line has not been updated to reflect recent changes to the highwalk network.

The complexity of the Barbican estate’s layout makes it particularly

difficult to represent visually in a comprehensible way. Though wallmounted maps (most recently introduced in 2006) are generally

appropriately positioned, they fail to provide a helpful tool for those not already broadly familiar with the estate’s configuration.

The Golden Lane estate is better integrated with surrounding streets and

is generally easier to navigate. Chamberlin, Powell and Bon’s original cast iron wall-mounted models of the estate make for clearly understandable wayfinding aids.

Arrival

Upon arrival at the area’s surrounding underground stations, visitors

unfamiliar with the area may turn to their smartphones for directions, but these devices are unable to correctly display and distinguish the Barbican’s highwalk routes.

problematic and signage to key destinations unhelpful. These issues

and of significant detriment to its general appeal. Additionally, many

respondents expressed disappointment and frustration with approaches to the area from Barbican, Moorgate and, to a lesser extent, St Paul’s stations. It is clear that users consider arriving to the area an underwhelming

experience, and traversing through it difficult and confusing. In particular, responses highlighted that visitors, and those not already familiar with

local routes, struggle to navigate the walkways and levels of the Barbican estate, and as a result, frequently get lost, some going so far as to suggest that one disorienting experience has acted as a deterrent to revisiting, or

not doing so as often as they might have otherwise. Others suggested that the area has an established negative association with losing one’s way: “Who doesn’t fear getting lost?” one respondent stated.

Responses also revealed that signed routes, both at ground and highwalk

level, are considered an unreliable way to reach destinations and can lead to wasted or unnecessarily long journeys to locations that are known to

be in close proximity. One respondent stated: “Everything is within five

minutes, but only if you can find it”. This lack of confidence in highwalk routes, the area’s signage and wayfinding systems results in many users

avoiding the Barbican estate altogether, preferring to remain on the area’s

perimeter streets, which, though less confusing, are considered to provide a poor welcome to visitors.

Routes into the Barbican estate from Barbican and Moorgate stations and

from St Martin’s le Grand to the podium-level entrance of the Museum of London were frequently cited as problematic access points, with unclear

or blocked views of routes and destinations, and nothing to announce or celebrate arrival.

Many responses additionally referred to unused structures or entrances

including the ‘Yellow Shed’ exhibition hall entrance on Ben Jonson Place;

the closed podium level entrances to the Barbican’s library, art gallery and conservatory; the transparent roof structure on Brandon Mews and the

Museum of London rotunda, as ‘obsolete’ or ‘red herrings’ and the causes of considerable impediment to ease of navigation.

The streets and spaces around Barbican and Moorgate stations in

Numerous participants suggested that the current problems of wayfinding

institutions within it. Upon exiting Barbican station pedestrians are met

additionally highlighted that improved signage alone would not be

particular provide a poor welcome to the area and to the cultural

by a busy junction and blank walls. Beech Street — although unpleasant — provides a direct route to the east, becoming the default link between Barbican station and the Barbican Centre’s Silk Street entrance and

and arrival should be addressed as a priority. A number of stakeholders sufficient to significantly alleviate these issues, and consequently, more fundamental changes might be required.

cinemas, the GSMD and Milton Court. Only those familiar with the area will realise that by crossing the road or the bridge, they can access an alternative, traffic-free, podium-level route to the Barbican Centre.

From Moorgate station there is no direct or visible route westwards to the Barbican and Golden Lane area. Large blocks force pedestrians to walk

north along Moorfields before cutting westwards through the CityPoint

office complex or in the carriageway along New Union Street — a private

vehicular street used to service a large office block. Alternatively, a poorly signed escalator leads pedestrians to the podium, where neighbouring

buildings and structures obstruct views to destinations and landmarks. From St Paul’s station, a direct route leads northwards to the Museum

of London along St Martin’s le Grand. Although vehicle dominated and

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

“The stair and bridge at Barbican station form a major entry point to both the Barbican estate and the Barbican Centre which is uninviting, obscure to say the least, and completely unfitting as a major entry point to Europe’s most significant arts centre”

“The signage around Barbican is pretty useless. The plaques on the walls don’t really mention anything useful and because they can only point left or right are plain inaccurate”

Visitors on their way to the Museum of London discuss how to reach it. From this location the Museum of London rotunda can be seen to the south, but signage points visitors to the east

A confused pedestrian consults her smartphone for directions on St Giles’ Terrace, surrounded by several road markings and the Yellow Line

Audiences arrive via Beech Street

View from Ben Jonson Place to the closed entrance of the Barbican Centre’s exhibition halls

View from Barbican station

K E Y F I N DI N GS

7 LIMITED AND COMPROMISED NORTH–SOUTH ROUTES THROUGH THE AREA

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS The roads that bound the Barbican’s perimeter form routes that continue beyond the strategy area and connect into the wider network of streets

(see p.25 urban form analysis, local accessibility diagram by Space Syntax, and p.45 of Appendix C for further details). However, the estate’s lack of interior streets and the impenetrable character of its edges result in

a generally impermeable environment, and very few street-level routes

cross the strategy area. Generous vistas across the interior of the estate, particularly at podium level, mean that destinations like the Lakeside

Terrace, GSMD and St Giles’ church are visible from long distances across the estate, with clear desire lines between these. However, the Barbican lake restricts north–south movement through the area, with only one

public podium-level crossing via Gilbert Bridge. Although this bridge

is prominent, the street-level routes and access points to it are not. As a result, many of the estate’s interior spaces are disconnected from each

other, and the Barbican Centre and Lakeside Terrace are not easy to access from London Wall and City locations to the south.

Nevertheless, Gilbert Bridge is part of a journey that is well used by those

who are familiar with the area. It is particularly busy at peak times and at lunchtime, when local workers walk from the City, south of London Wall,

to Whitecross Street market and back. Counts by Space Syntax identified that the peak pedestrian flow along this route takes place on a weekday

lunchtime, with 828 people per hour on one side of Whitecross Street and 468 people per hour walking across Gilbert Bridge (see p.81 of Appendix C). Although well used, the route is convoluted and poorly signposted. It passes through some of the Barbican’s labyrinthine internal spaces

and ends in the Barbican offices’ main reception lobby. Furthermore, the

internal section of the route is only accessible when the Barbican Centre is open to the public, compromising the entire route.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS Engagement responses revealed that there is a desire for better

north–south connections through the area. Comments highlight

frustration with the perceived poor access between the north and south of the Barbican lake, and the difficulty in reaching the arts centre from London Wall and the Museum of London. Improving this journey

was considered particularly important by the Museum of London, the Barbican Centre, and their respective audiences.

Responses revealed a prevailing perception that this journey should

be easier to accomplish: “I can see it but I can’t reach it” was a repeat

comment. The compromised access between the north and south of the lake was discussed in stakeholder workshops and access to St Giles’

church in particular. One participant highlighted that parishioners of

St Giles’ church who live north of the lake are unable to approach it via Gilbert Bridge on Sunday mornings, as the arts centre is closed at this time.

It was acknowledged in stakeholder workshops that Barbican estate

residents have a greater choice of routes north–south through the area via keyholder routes and spaces.

NORTH–SOUTH ROUTE, WOOD STREE T TO SILK STREE T 1

Some comments suggested that Beech Street creates an additional barrier

Lane estates. Responses highlighted that despite their proximity, the

north–south within the strategy area, separating the Barbican and Golden physical links between the two estates are poor.

The Postern

3 4

Gilbert Bridge

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

Alban Highwalk

Barbican Centre Silk Street entrance, Barbican Centre Gate managed by Barbican Centre Route through Barbican Centre interior Silk Street entrance, Barbican Centre

SPACE SYN TA X Urban form analysis Spatial layout attraction Local accessibility, 800m

The Gilbert Bridge (directly beneath Gilbert House, seen in the background) straddles the Barbican lake, connecting St Giles’ Terrace and the Barbican Centre complex

“When the arts centre is closed there is no natural route through the heart of the estate. This is particularly problematic on Sunday mornings, when parishioners of St Giles’ — most of whom live to the north of the lake — have to walk around the centre as there is no direct route to the church”

View north across the strategy area, taken from London Wall, with the Barbican lake seen in the centre

“It is really quite painful to go from Lakeside Terrace to St Giles’ church. A bridge across the lake would do wonders for being able to get through the Barbican area”

K E Y F I N DI N GS

8 HERITAGE VALUE OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT Demonstrating London’s layered history, from Roman origins to present day WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS Much of the area is listed for its special architectural and historic

interest, including both the Golden Lane estate (Grade II and Grade

II*) and the Barbican complex (Grade II), with the Barbican landscape also designated Grade I Registered Landscape in 2003. Designed by

architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, both estates are established 20th-century architectural icons, with a variety of architectural tours taking place several times a week.

This unique urban environment is the result of the redevelopment of

the area following extensive bomb damage in 1940. A few of the area’s buildings survived the Blitz and remain today, including the Grade I listed St Giles’ Cripplegate church and the buildings in the Brewery Conservation Area to the northeast.

The City of London has a rich history that goes back to Roman times, and the Roman and medieval city wall still has a strong presence in the area today. Its remains are a Scheduled Ancient Monument and

can be traced along Noble Street, across the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden and through the Barbican estate to St Alphage Gardens.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS There is great pride, affection and appreciation for the design and

architecture of the Barbican and Golden Lane estates. Unsurprisingly, this was particularly evident in responses from those living in the

area, but also by non-resident respondents to the questionnaire and

cultural visitor questionnaires, organised by the Barbican Centre and the Museum of London, suggesting that many of those who visit the area enjoy and value its 20th-century architecture, and some visit because of it.

Stakeholder workshops and interviews highlighted the frequency

of both organised and informal architecture tours and visits, with

a number of participants suggesting that the Barbican and Golden

Lane estates should be embraced and celebrated as destination cultural attractions in their own right.

It must be noted that the estates’ architecture and design are not

universally admired, and it was cited that the Barbican, in particular, divides opinion. One respondent commented: “you either love it or you hate it”.

Comments on the significance of the built environment were not

limited to its listed estates; the remains of the London Wall, St Giles’ church, and the layering of the London’s history in this part of the city — manifested through its monuments and buildings — all

featured in responses relating to the area’s value and character.

L I S T INGS A N D CONSERVAT ION A RE A S

“The Barbican and Golden Lane estates should be celebrated as the best examples of post-war, 20th-century residential architecture in Europe” “A breathtaking showpiece. I’m so happy living in Golden Lane and love showing it off to visitors”

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

Golden Lane estate listing extent: Grade II* Golden Lane estate listing extent: Grade II Barbican estate listing extent: Grade II Barbican registed landscape: Grade II* Listed buildings Conservation area Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

“From AD43 on, every manifestation of London’s physical development is here from Roman architecture to sixties visionary thinking, medieval street layouts to financial skyscrapers. A topography unique in London”

The remains of the medieval and Roman city wall on Noble Street, looking north to the Barbican estate beyond

K E Y F I N DI N GS

9 WORLD-CL ASS CULTURAL OFFER INADEQUATELY REPRESENTED IN THE PUBLIC REALM

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS The Barbican and Golden Lane area includes extraordinary cultural

variety, with a cluster of internationally renowned institutions in close proximity. However, the pedestrian environment around and leading to their entrances does little to celebrate the quality of their cultural programmes, with entrances generally having little presence in the

public realm. The main entrance to the GSMD, for example, is set back from Silk Street and accessed via a ramp that is also used by service

vehicles. The entrance to Milton Court is more visible on Silk Street, but is not suitably signposted from nearby streets and stations. A number

Many respondents used words like ‘confusion’, ‘frustration’ and

‘difficult’ to describe the visitor arrival experience and locating entrance points, sometimes hidden from view. Other cited examples of unhelpful or obsolete signage and confusing unused entrances, or recounted

examples of ‘the first time’ they tried to find the museum or arts centre. This was particularly the case in responses that detailed an attempt to find the Museum of London’s podium-level entrance or an attempt to approach the Barbican Centre from Barbican station at podium level.

Residents also commented on frequently encountering lost visitors and tourists.

of entrances are located at podium level and cannot be seen from

The Barbican Centre’s many venues and multiple entrances, coupled

Museum of London, which has its only public-access point at podium

difficulty in accessing them. This is particularly problematic for

surrounding streets. This is particularly problematic in the case of the level. Furthermore, access routes to the museum from the street are counter-intuitive, convoluted and lack visibility.

Many of what were once entrances to cultural venues are unused,

having been closed over time. In most cases, signage to these closed

with visitors’ limited knowledge of their locations, compound the

visitors needing to access venues quickly for timed performances. The

conservatory and the new Barbican Cinemas, which both have entrances outside the main arts centre complex, were cited as particularly hard to locate.

entrances remains, resulting in frustrating journeys for unknowing

Several responses to the audience surveys conducted by the Museum

the western entrances to the Barbican Art Gallery and Barbican Library,

setting of these institutions with other destinations, including the South

visitors. This is true for the northern entrances to the conservatory, for and the unused exhibition hall entrance on Ben Jonson Place known

as the ‘Yellow Shed’, which also obstructs visibility and permeability across the podium.

Similarly, some of the Barbican’s podium spaces are not programmed

by cultural institutions in the way intended by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon. Frobisher Court, also known as the Sculpture Court, has, despite

of London and the Barbican Centre, compare the current entrances and Bank and Exhibition Road, where grander entrances and associated

public space are key part of the visitor experience. Some participants suggested that the Lakeside Terrace could be reinstated as the arts

centre’s primary entrance; and others that the space within the museum rotunda could provide the opportunity to re-imagine its setting and access.

its evocative informal name, no physical or programmatic connection to

Some respondents expressed an appetite for better programming links

many of the buildings, there are few instances of art within the public

include the Museum of London with the remains of the Roman and

the adjacent Barbican Art Gallery. Considering the cultural function of

realm. This is compounded by the regulation of outdoor advertisements in the area (including those announcing cultural events), resulting

in streets and spaces that are broadly disassociated from the cultural

between cultural institutions and neighbouring public spaces. Examples medieval city wall in the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden, and the Barbican Art Gallery with Frobisher Court.

buildings they support.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS The wealth of cultural facilities within the strategy area is valued by its users, and across engagement strands, respondents commented on the

opportunities for cultural activity afforded by local cultural institutions, large and small.

Cultural provision was cited by many respondents as a key contributor to the area’s character and its value. The Barbican Centre, its venues

and associate companies, the Museum of London, Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the new GSMD concert hall, Milton Court, were all highlighted by respondents as key attractions, and the collective

cultural offer, its quality and its international reputation, by many, as

what they liked best about the area. Responses demonstrated that the Barbican Centre and its facilities are particularly associated with the area’s identity, with some visitors considering the Barbican and the Barbican Centre as one and the same.

Despite incredibly positive perceptions of the area’s cultural offer,

it was broadly acknowledged, across engagement strands and user

groups, that the setting, approach and arrival experience to key local

institutions, most particularly the Museum of London and the Barbican

Centre, are problematic, do not meet the needs or expectations of today’s cultural audiences and are hampered by their surrounding public realm.

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

“I would be very disappointed as a tourist, either reaching Barbican tube and having to walk through that hell-hole of a covered street to get to the Barbican Centre or right down to the London museum, which has to be one of the most non-descript walks to the place of interest from a tube station. Bland is an understatement!!” “The whole area needs rethinking. The entrance to the Barbican and the Museum are both difficult to find. Two huge buildings with peculiar entrances. I like proud buildings with grand entrances – a more confident approach”

“The approach to the rotunda feels like you are going to be shot at with arrows rather than welcomed with open arms”

The entrance to the Museum of London is invisible from St Martin’s le Grand

“The whole entrance to the Barbican on the west side is a disaster. The grand entrance isn’t used. People walk up the stairs and find there’s no way in”

The Barbican Centre’s western entrance is closed

K E Y F I N DI N GS

10 INCONSISTENCY IN CONDITION AND UPKEEP OF HARD SPACES WITHIN THE ESTATES

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS While great care from residents and cultural institutions is evident in both

the Barbican and Golden Lane estates, some of the hard spaces within are in

poor condition and in need of maintenance or repair. This is the case in both Golden Lane and, to a lesser extent, in the Barbican estate.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS Although there is great pride and affection for both estates, engagement responses, notably those from residents, made clear that some spaces

within each are considered poorly maintained. It was felt that this is out of keeping with each estate’s listing and of detriment to their heritage value, particularly so with Golden Lane.

Within the Barbican estate, locations highlighted included Defoe Place, Lauderdale Place and Frobisher Court.

Within Golden Lane, responses were split between comments regarding

maintenance and suggestions for specific spaces, including the forecourt of Great Arthur House, the sunken children’s play area and the street

The forecourt of Great Arthur House, Golden Lane estate

environment of Goswell Road alongside Crescent House. The level of

maintenance was negatively compared with other City of London spaces, or with the Barbican estate.

The analysis of questionnaire responses, undertaken by Consultation Plus, states that ‘residents from Golden Lane estate feel that they are sometimes neglected in favour of those living in the Barbican’. This was particularly apparent in resident responses relating to the upkeep of the public realm.

“Golden Lane is a publicly accessible estate, yet the quality of many of the public spaces is way below that of other City locations. The Grade II listing is often used as an argument for not improving the landscape but there is lots of room for creativity, including better planting, more seating, better dustbins and more subtle lighting”

“I wish the City of London could be as proud of Golden Lane as I am”

View to Bowater House, Golden Lane estate, from Fann Street

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

Defoe Place within the Barbican estate

The open space at the base of Great Arthur House (to the east) was designed as a pedestrian space but is used as a car park

â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192; K E Y F I N DI N GS

11 BEECH STREET A hostile and polluted pedestrian environment

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS Beech Street is the only direct east–west street-level route through the

strategy area. This is a very well used pedestrian route linking Barbican station to the Barbican Centre and GSMD facilities. Pedestrian counts

carried out by Space Syntax identified Beech Street as the area’s principal

east–west pedestrian link, with an average weekday flow of 707 people per

hour walking along the street (see p.27 of Appendix C for further details). It is likely to carry even more pedestrians when the planned Farringdon East Crossrail exit opens on Long Lane in 2018/2019.

Designed for vehicles rather than people, Beech Street offers a poor

pedestrian environment that is at odds with the City of London’s aspirations for its public realm.

The covered street is frequently congested with vehicles and suffers from

high air pollution levels, making this a particularly poor location for a bus

stop. Pedestrian volumes on the narrow pavements are so high during peak

times that people walk in the carriageway, at times stepping into the path of

Narrow pavements and little room for pedestrians and cyclists

oncoming cyclists.

This hostile setting is not improved by wayfinding aids. City of London signposts are difficult to read in the dark environment, while Barbican

Centre signage offers no distinction between vehicular and pedestrian

directions. Moreover, the Yellow Line painted on the northern pavement,

intended to aid wayfinding for visitors to the arts centre, is inconsistent in its quality and easily lost among surrounding road markings.

Despite the successful refurbishment of one of the Barbican exhibition

hall spaces as a cinema with active frontages, most of Beech Street is lined by blank frontages, vehicular spaces and car park entrances, resulting

in a route with very little activity or visual interest. Glimpses through

Lauderdale Place and along Golden Lane provide the only moments of respite, with long views to green spaces and to the City beyond.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS Beech Street emerged as a significant issue for users, with many citing it as

the worst, or most problematic, part of the entire area, and the most in need

Surprising long view from Beech Street through Lauderdale Place to the Barbican residents’ gardens and the City beyond

of change or improvement. In conversations with stakeholders, Beech Street was often the first issue raised and it featured prominently in responses to the questionnaire, in online comments and in the Barbican Centre’s

audience survey. It is clear that addressing Beech Street is a primary concern for the majority of engagement respondents.

Responses show that Beech Street is considered an unpleasant, and in some cases dangerous, pedestrian environment, that provides a poor

welcome to the Barbican estate and Barbican Centre. Words used to describe its condition included “dirty”, “ugly” and “dark”. Particular problems

cited included its narrow pavements, poor state of cleanliness and repair and high levels of air pollution. Many referenced conflict between cars, pedestrians and cyclists.

While highlighting its problems, respondents also suggested ways that

Beech Street could change in the future. These included introducing retail

uses along its length, better lighting, removal or part-removal of its roof to allow in daylight, and public art to animate the route and aid wayfinding.

The development of the Barbican Cinema in Exhibition Hall 1, at the eastern end of Beech Street, was considered a very positive addition to the area.

“Beech Street tunnel — the Barbican’s walk of shame. This must be one of the ugliest streets in the whole of Europe. As the main entrance route from Barbican station to the arts centre, this is both an embarrassment and a health hazard. Pedestrians and traffic do not mix in this enclosed space. It’s high time Beech Street was closed to through-traffic and the tunnel smartened up in some creative and welcoming way” “It’s filthy, dusty, polluted, difficult to cross with a pram. The south-side pavement is too narrow”

Some participants also suggested potential new uses for Exhibition Hall 2, on the corner of Beech Street and Golden Lane.

Other comments referenced the positive effect of the street’s temporary

It must be noted that the temporary closure of Beech Street was not considered

the creation of a pedestrian and cyclist street with vehicles restricted to car-

Barbican estate’s car parks. In stakeholder conversations, the implications of

closure to traffic during the summer of 2014, suggesting pedestrianisation or park access only. Many cited that this would improve the environment and address the issues of pollution.

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

a universal positive; some responses highlighted the problems of accessing

east–west traffic flow through the City and the dependent relationship between Beech Street and London Wall were also discussed.

BEECH STREE T

S R

Active frontage Entrance (in use) Vehicular entrance Stair/ramp to podium level Stair to podium level (closed)

S R

“Even for the able bodied it’s difficult to physically navigate...narrow pavements and either standing queues of polluting traffic, or tunnel racers thundering down at well over 20mph at weekends. Nasty, nasty, nasty”

Barbican Centre patrons walk towards Barbican station along Beech Street (during the period of its closure to traffic) after the end of a performance

K E Y F I N DI N GS

12 A MULTITUDE OF CAR PARKS AND SUBTERRANEAN SPACES THAT AFFECT THE PUBLIC REALM

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS Please note, a comprehensive survey of car park spaces in the area does not exist, and limited information is available on their use.

There are numerous car parks and service areas associated with the Barbican and Golden Lane area.

These often create a perimeter of blank frontages — often on

multiple levels that include subterranean, street and first-floor areas. The abundance of car parks and associated vehicular entrances has a detrimental effect on the public realm, resulting in streets with limited active uses and where vehicle infrastructure dominates

the setting of cultural institutions and residential spaces. This is

particularly the case on Beech Street, Silk Street, Moor Lane and along parts of Fann Street.

There is a vast amount of fragmented subterranean space in the

area, some of which is particularly problematic. As an example, the

subterranean space on London Wall contains remains of the Roman

and medieval city wall that are lost among parked cars and invisible to the general public. The car park’s steep access ramp forces

pedestrians to walk in the carriageway, particularly those walking to the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS

Vehicular spaces and entrances

A number of comments referred to the effect of car parks on

the public realm, and the unpleasant or monotonous ground-

level pedestrian experience of certain streets and thoroughfares

(including Aldersgate Street, Silk Street and Beech Street), where screened, ground-level car parks, form a great part of the street frontage.

Some suggestions for improvements to Beech Street proposed the introduction of ground-level retail where car park and servicing façades currently exist.

Stakeholder workshop discussions included the amount of underutilised underground, or ground-level car park spaces, and the opportunity to appropriate, adapt and enliven some of these

spaces, particularly where they form a street frontage. The car park

underneath London Wall was cited as an opportunity to consider, in light of the Museum of London’s wider plans for redevelopment.

Vehicular entrance on Beech Street

“I think there is an opportunity for shops in Beech Street, it is a very busy route and there are many places along it that look like shops could be incorporated” “The route into the museum from the underground car park...it’s all very concrete and ugly, but cool things like the old ruins by the car park entrance are hidden”

Vehicular entrance on Moor Lane. Car parks around the Barbican’s edges gain even more prominence in the evening when they are lit

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

The Barber-Surgeons’ Garden and remains of the Roman and medieval city wall are accessed via a car park ramp

“Silk Street: the major pedestrian path from Moorgate to the Barbican Centre entrance is soulless. The south side of the street, while architecturally interesting, is wasted as a screen to the parking garage”

View east along Silk Street

K E Y F I N DI N GS

13 LONDON WALL AND ALDERSGATE STREET A vehicle-centric environment no longer fit for purpose WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS London Wall was built in 1959 — before the Barbican estate — as part of a wider gyratory system. The dual carriageway was designed for

fast-moving traffic, while pedestrians were expected to use the proposed

network of highwalks or pedways. Aldersgate Street, though a much older thoroughfare, was adapted at its southern end to incorporate the junction

with London Wall at the Museum of London rotunda. Its eastern side was

subject to major rebuilding as part of the construction of the Barbican and Golden Lane estates.

The nature in which London Wall, Aldersgate Street and other City streets are used has changed dramatically, and on the 20th July 2014 a 20mph

speed limit was implemented across almost all of the City of London as

part of a Road Danger Reduction Plan. The result is that both London Wall

and Aldersgate Street, roads that continue to prioritise vehicles rather than

cyclists and pedestrians, are no longer fit for purpose. Pedestrian counts by

Space Syntax show that both streets are very well used by pedestrians, with particularly high movement levels recorded at peak times on weekdays (see p.25 of Appendix C for further details).

London Wall has pockets of greenery along its length. However, the road creates a severance between these spaces and also interrupts the line of

the Roman and medieval city wall. The connection to the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden is particularly difficult; pedestrians have to walk down a steep

vehicular ramp to access what, on sunny days, is a popular green space. The Barber-Surgeons’ Hall and Monkwell Square, hidden behind commercial premises, are also hard to access from London Wall.

Aldersgate Street, lined by the walls of the Barbican estate on one side, and large office blocks on the other, is an unwelcoming pedestrian route with little to punctuate the monotony of walls or building façades. The street connects poorly to both the Barbican and Golden Lane area to its east,

and St Bartholomew’s to the west, and creates a distinct line of severance

between these two districts. At its southern end in particular, there are few

opportunities to connect to either neighbourhood. The street also provides a poor entrance setting to the Ironmongers’ Hall, located on the eastern edge of the Barbican estate.

A City of London project to explore the introduction of two-way traffic to the St Paul’s gyratory system is underway, alongside a traffic impact

Museum of London rotunda

assessment of the wider street network. This will consider the one-way

system currently in place between St Paul’s and the Museum of London

rotunda, in addition to Aldersgate Street and London Wall which meet it to

the north and east. The traffic impact assessment also includes Beech Street, which provides the alternative east–west route to London Wall.

Other public realm improvements for London Wall, including new open spaces and improved, ground-level, north–south access are planned as

part of the development of London Wall Place, at the street’s eastern end.

Currently under construction, this building scheme will replace the former

St Alphage Highwalk and St Alphage Gardens, and incorporate the remains of the Roman and medieval city wall.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS Engagement responses highlighted that London Wall and Aldersgate

Street are considered hostile pedestrian environments, unappealing and

uncomfortable to traverse. A number of comments suggested that footways

“The Museum of London roundabout: dark and oppressive even on a sunny day. Noisy and soulless, existing almost entirely for road traffic with no thought to pedestrians” “London Wall is an east–west barrier to north–south movements in this part of the City. There is clearly no longer any need for this remnant of a failed Modernist idea to exist in its present form. It needs a complete rethink”

should be improved and widened. Others stated that better provision for cyclists and dedicated cycle lanes are needed. Many commented on the

poor approach to the Museum of London (particularly respondents to its

between the Barbican area and the streets around St Bartholomew’s to the

particularly problematic. A few also highlighted the difficult access to the

districts as being in different parts of the City.

own visitor questionnaire) with many responses citing the rotunda as Barber-Surgeons’ Garden.

Some participants suggested that the design of London Wall creates a

barrier to locations to the south, including the Guildhall and Cheapside. Others highlighted that Aldersgate Street creates a similar disconnect

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

east. Though neither area is geographically distant, some perceived these A few Barbican resident interviewees and workshop participants noted

that the former highwalk bridge across London Wall was a useful, direct

pedestrian route south, and its planned reinstatement as part of the London Wall Place development will be welcomed by area users.

LONDON WALL

S E R L

Remains of the Roman and medieval city wall London Wall Place (under construction) Active frontage Entrance (in use) Vehicular entrance Stair/escalator/ramp/lift to podium level

“The separation between cars and pedestrians near the Museum of London is at an unhelpful extreme. Access at pavement level with an announcement of arrival would be brilliant”

View east along London Wall

K E Y F I N DI N GS

14 COMPROMISED CONNECTIONS TO SURROUNDING AREAS AND NEIGHBOURHOODS

WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS Although the Barbican estate’s perimeter streets connect to a wider

network of longer routes beyond, the area remains relatively disconnected from surrounding neighbourhoods, despite their proximity (see adjacent urban form analysis, City-wide accessibility diagram by Space Syntax,

and see p.44 of Appendix C for further details). Pedestrian connections to neighbouring areas are compromised, particularly by London Wall,

Aldersgate Street and Beech Street, all wide routes designed for vehicle priority.

London Wall creates a north–south divide, separating the different

sections of Wood Street and cutting across the line of the Roman wall, disconnecting Noble Street from the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden to the

north. The St Paul’s gyratory system and the Museum of London rotunda are detrimental to the pedestrian environment and obstruct a direct but

underused route to St Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium Bridge and Bankside beyond. Similarly, Aldersgate Street and its blank façades hinder

permeability to St Bartholomew’s and Clerkenwell. To the east, the area is directly connected to Liverpool Street station via Ropemaker Street and

Sun Street, but the western end of the route ends abruptly at the back of

Milton Court, with no visual connection to the Barbican Centre beyond. The arrival of Crossrail to the east and west of the area in 2018/2019 has

the potential to transform the way these longer routes are perceived, and to increase their use and visibility.

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS

W IDER PEDES T R I A N ROU T ES

Strategy boundary Borough boundary

Those familiar with the area recognise its value as a well-connected place, within easy walking distance of many central London neighbourhoods. Pedestrian routes into the wider city are used and valued, particularly

by residents. The Golden Lane estate is considered well integrated with bordering Islington areas. Nevertheless, discussions and responses

revealed a prevailing perception from other user groups that the area,

and particularly the Barbican estate, is difficult to access, and cut off from neighbouring places.

There was a desire, notably from cultural, business and property

stakeholders, to change perceptions about the Barbican area, and to

“Create a daytime tourist route from St Paul’s, via the Museum of London to the Barbican. Make a better evening link to Clerkenwell, so people can combine a Barbican visit with dinner at a nice restaurant”

better integrate it within the network of City, riverside and east London neighbourhoods. Articulating clearer pedestrian links to Clerkenwell

to the west, Old Street to the north, Liverpool Street and Shoreditch to the east and St Paul’s, the river and the South Bank to the south, were mentioned as desirable.

“Tate — river — Millennium Bridge — St Paul’s — Museum of London — Barbican. Simple”

The north–south connection was discussed as an opportunity to create a cultural spine through the area, linking LSO St Luke’s at Old Street, the Barbican Centre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Museum of London, St Paul’s, the river and the South Bank.

Commercial occupiers saw particular opportunity in optimising

connections with Shoreditch, Tech City and Clerkenwell, and developing the Barbican and Golden Lane area’s role as a critical link between the City and City fringe.

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

“The make-up of the City is changing. People want the street life and diversity that City fringe locations offer, Old Street, Clerkenwell; we’re right next to them here”

SPACE SYN TA X Urban form analysis Spatial layout attraction City-wide accessibility

View south, taken from the south side of London Wall. St Paul’s Cathedral, the river and Tate Modern can be seen

View south from the Museum of London along St Martin’s le Grand, a direct route to St Paul’s Cathedral

K E Y F I N DI N GS

15 RAPIDLY CHANGING SURROUNDINGS The impact of Crossrail and other planned development WIDER AREA SURVEY FINDINGS

ENGAGEMENT FINDINGS

In recent years the area around the Barbican and Golden Lane estates has

While comments on new buildings and development did not feature

its edges, particularly to the east and south. New residential developments

anticipated development and the change occurring around the area’s

seen phenomenal change, with developments reshaping the character at

at Roman House (under construction) and the Heron (completed in 2013)

have replaced offices, while cultural projects have transformed one of the Barbican’s exhibition halls into a cinema with a café and restaurant, and

created the GSMD’s Milton Court building, a world-class performing-arts venue.

The arrival of Crossrail in 2018/2019 is expected to transform the

surroundings of the new station exits and is already prompting further

development and regeneration, not least with its associated Over Station Developments (OSDs).

Crossrail will also exacerbate some of the existing challenges faced by

prominently within the public consultation, conversations regarding

boundaries were a common discussion topic in stakeholder workshops and meetings. Particularly discussed was the effect developments might have on the strategy area, whether this would be positive or negative and how change might afford opportunities.

The arrival of Crossrail at Moorgate and Farringdon was recognised as a key opportunity for the area’s cultural institutions and commercial

occupiers. Participants noted that the streets, spaces and key routes from these new stations into the strategy area would need to be improved to

accommodate growth in user numbers, and that this should occur prior to the opening of Crossrail in 2018/2019.

the area’s streets and spaces. The public realm around Barbican station is

The redevelopment of London Wall Place was also generally viewed

the increase in pedestrian numbers (estimated exit figures TBC) walking

links; to Guildhall and Cheapside to the south, and Bunhill and Old Street

already congested, an issue that, unless tackled, is likely to worsen with towards Aldersgate Street and Beech Street.

Similarly, the Crossrail exit at Moorfields will include a new escalator to

positively as a catalyst for a re-imagined London Wall and better pedestrian to the north via a new ground-level link between London Wall and Moor Lane.

the podium. Although this is already a popular route with commuters, the

Also discussed by some were the changing attitudes and expectations of

and, unless improved, is likely to create confusion among new visitors.

towards a more diverse occupier mix. It was felt that the strategy area’s

current pedestrian experience upon arrival from Moorgate station is poor Currently, upon arrival at the podium, there is little visual connection

westward from Moorfields Highwalk. This is aggravated by the vaulted

City occupiers, no longer the monoculture of financial services, and moving existing mix of commercial, residential, social and cultural uses renders it well placed to capitalise on this trend.

perspex roof over Brandon Mews (introduced in the 1980s as a solution to

An important discussion topic was the cultural hub, its future aims, and

the Barbican lake that could aid orientation and wayfinding.

the Museum of London and the Barbican Centre’s aspirations for creating

leaks in the original roof). This structure obstructs an important view across The proposed removal of St Paul’s gyratory in 2019 will unlock the potential of London Wall and Aldersgate Street and create a better-connected, pedestrian-friendly environment. Furthermore, the construction of

commercial offices at London Wall Place (completion expected in 2016) will see new gardens introduced at street level on London Wall. To the north,

further cultural and educational uses will complement the neighbourhood, including the London Film School’s move to Exhibition Hall 1 in 2017 and the new independent primary school and housing planned for the former Richard Cloudesley School site on Golden Lane.

The City’s aspirations to develop a cultural hub in the area, endorsed by its Local Plan (2015) and cultural and visitor strategies, will also have a major impact on development and change. The area’s major cultural institutions

(Barbican Centre, Museum of London, GSMD and LSO) all have ambitions to expand and improve their services, and the development of a cultural hub will prompt further improvements to the public realm.

how these might influence the area strategy. This was discussed alongside improved visitor experiences. However, it must be noted that, with regards

to the cultural hub, some friction exists between the residential and cultural communities. Some residents were concerned that the development of the area’s cultural profile, and any rise in visitor numbers, could negatively

impact on the quiet interior of the estate. That said, it was generally agreed that with continued open dialogue, the needs of the two groups can be

successfully balanced; close consideration should be given to keeping visitor approaches and new activity at ground level and on the area’s bounding streets.

Although many responses to the public consultation did not refer to

the future development of particular places or buildings, a number of

comments suggested that any developments leading to a considerable

increase in visitor numbers would change the character of the area and compromise residents’ ability to have quiet enjoyment of their homes. Light pollution from recently completed commercial premises and

disturbance caused by construction were also raised as increasingly problematic and of detriment to residents.

“Crossrail is the catalyst that will drive change. What that means for this area, nobody’s quite sure”

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

“Farringdon is going to become the new centre of London. There’s so much opportunity with Crossrail...and whatever happens at Smithfield”

View along Beech Street to Long Lane and Smithfield Market beyond, a direct link to the Farringdon East Crossrail station exit

View south along Moor Lane to London Wall Place, under construction

â&#x20AC;&#x192;â&#x20AC;&#x192; K E Y F I N DI N GS

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY

BARBICAN & GOLDEN L ANE AREA STRATEGY: EV IDENCE BA SE 4 • ENGAGEMENT 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7

Introduction Overview of engagement and consultation strands Public consultation Stakeholder workshops Stakeholder walks Plenary session One-to-one interviews

44 46 48 52 54 56 58

The following chapter of this document sets out a record of the processes of engagement and consultation initiated by the City of London in 2014, in relation to the Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy. This is the first stage of engagement undertaken for the project. A second-round of consultation was undertaken following the publication of the draft area strategy in Spring 2015.

A PPEN DI X D: C U LT U R A L H U B WO RK S H O P REP O RT S

2.1 ENGAGEMENT Introduction Between June and November 2014, The City of London facilitated a

multi-faceted engagement and consultation programme to inform the

focus and priorities of the Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy. The

programme of was carried out in order to draw together a full picture of

the way in which the Barbican and Golden Lane area currently works for its numerous users. The process examined the perceived assets and existing problems, to reveal opinions about the area, as well as suggestions for its future. It was designed to elicit views from the widest possible range of

ENGAGING AREA USERS Area users were informed of the processes and timescales of engagement by the City of London in several ways: through consulted stakeholders who were encouraged to spread the word to their wider networks;

through posters and postcards distributed throughout the area; and via a questionnaire-drop to all households in the Barbican and Golden Lane estates.

users, occupiers and stakeholders. The aim was to engage those living,

It is useful to note that although the City made a considerable effort to

district’s cultural attractions.

responses than initially anticipated were received from those working in

studying, working and conducting business locally, as well as visitors to the

ENGAGEMENT MECHANISMS AND RESPONSE NUMBERS Several methods of consultation and engagement were instigated by the

City of London’s Department of the Built Environment to encourage broad user participation:

• Stakeholder engagement exercises, including workshops and walks

with invited stakeholders were undertaken by the City with support from Publica.

• A public consultation programme was commissioned by the City from external consultants, Consultation Plus. This comprised an online and paper questionnaire, a consultation website with a forum for online

comments, and a visitor survey. The City additionally supported this

public consultation programme by distributing consultation postcards, facilitating a series of public drop-in sessions and responding to consultation emails sent directly to the City’s project team.

• Publica was commissioned by the City to conduct one-to-one interviews with wider users of the area and additional meetings with stakeholders.

To complement these processes, the Barbican Centre and the Museum of London conducted additional questionnaires of their own audiences.

Collectively the City of London’s engagement mechanisms received over 1,300 responses. Together with those collected by the Barbican Centre

and the Museum of London, responses total over 4,300. Of these, at least

3,900 can be reasonably assumed to provide the thoughts and opinions of individual participants or groups.*

A breakdown of the strands of engagement undertaken, numbers of

involve wide audiences, some groups remain under-represented. Fewer

the area, from students, young people and children. This may be because the public consultation programme was primarily undertaken during

August and early September when educational institutions are closed and people go on holiday.

ENGAGEMENT ME THODOLOGY Public consultation questionnaires and postcards, stakeholder workshops and one-to-one interviews broadly asked participants to consider:

• Assets and values of the Barbican and Golden Lane area • Barriers and impediments of the Barbican and Golden Lane area • Thoughts on opportunities and future change in the Barbican and Golden Lane area

In both the visitor survey undertaken by Consultation Plus for the City, and in the Museum of London and Barbican Centre’s own audience questionnaires, questions focused on:

• Place and mode of arrival • Opinions on the visitor experience The processes of engagement and consultation were undertaken in parallel with Publica’s wider area survey, spatial analysis of the area, and research

into its historic, policy and development contexts. This deliberate alignment has ensured the responses and outcomes from across the engagement have

informed and shaped the development of Publica’s work, and are embedded in this strategy’s 15 key findings. (See chapter 1 Key Findings).

participants and responses received can be found in the table on the facing

*This figure takes into account individuals/groups who are likely to have

set out on the two following pages. The full report of the public consultation

where participants are likely to have also completed the questionnaire, are not

page. An overview of the timescales and a description of the scope of each is programme, written and compiled for the City of London by Consultation Plus, can be found in Appendix B of this document.

contributed through more than one mechanism – for example, online comments, included; scoping interviews and the plenary session, where invitees are likely to have also attended a stakeholder workshop, are similarly discounted. NB. It does not account for those who may have responded through both the public consultation and one or both of the audience questionnaires.

TOTA L N U M B ER OF RESPONSES FROM CI T Y OF LON DON ENGAGEM EN T S T R A N DS:

13 47

TOTA L N U M B ER OF RESPONSES ACROS S A LL ENGAGEM EN T U N DERTA K EN:

4 335

N U M B ER OF IN DI V IDUA L PA RT ICIPA N TS OR GROU PS: OVER 3900*

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

2.1 ENGAGEMENT Introduction ME T HOD OF ENGAGEMEN T OR CONSULTAT ION

DAT ES UNDERTA K EN

TOTA L NUMBER OF SES SIONS (IF A PPL IC A BLE)

TOTA L NUMBER OF RESPONSES/ PA RT ICIPA N TS

BRE A K DOWN

S TA K EHOLDER ENGAGEMEN T Scoping Interviews

Mid to late June 2014

Barbican Association, Chair and Planning Committee Chair Barbican Association, Accessibility, Streets and Walkways

Museum of London, Director and Director of Transformation Barbican Centre, Director City of London, City Surveyor's department City of London, heritage specialist City of London, transport specialist Make Architecture, architects, London Wall Place Schroders, future occupiers, London Wall Place Stakeholder Walks

Mid to late July 2014

Exact numbers not recorded by CoL

Stakeholder Workshops

Throughout July 2014

City of London Members City of London Officers Business leaders Property developers Cultural institutions Estates and resident representatives Transport specialists Heritage specialists

Plenary Session

18th September 2014

Attendees from across stakeholder workshops

Stakeholder Meetings

September to November 2014

Guildhall School of Music & Drama Golden Lane Estate Office Barbican Estate Office Golden Lane Residents' Association City of London School for Girls Barbers' Company

PUBL IC CONSULTAT ION Public Drop-in Sessions

August 2014

Exact numbers not recorded by CoL

Questionnaire: Paper

August and September 2014

276

Questionnaire: Online

August and September 2014

235

Online Comments

August and September 2014

333

Postcards

August and September 2014

Direct Emails

August and September 2014

Visitor Survey

21st and 22nd September 2014

331

IN T ERV IE WS One-to-One Interviews With Local Users and Occupiers

September to November 2014

Long-standing residents, Speed House, Barbican estate President, Guildhall School of Music & Drama Student Union Headteacher, Prep School, City of London School for Girls Pupil at City of London School for Girls Parent of pupil attending City of London School for Girls CEO, Ashby Capital, owners of 200 Aldersgate Street Owner, City Hardware, Crescent House, Golden Lane estate Owner, Geranium shop, Barbican estate Chair, Fann Street Wildlife Garden Manager, Golden Lane Sport and Fitness Rector, St Giles’ Cripplegate church Family, residents of Cromwell Tower, Barbican estate

CULT UR A L INS T I T U T ION QUES T IONN A IRES Barbican Centre Visitor Questionnaire

September 2014

1583

Museum of London Visitor Questionnaire

September 2014

1405

TOTAL NUMBER OF RESPONSES:

4335

4 2 • EN GAGEM EN T

2.2 ENGAGEMENT Overview of engagement and consultation strands

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGYâ&#x20AC;&#x192; E V I D EN CE B A S E

2.2 ENGAGEMENT Overview of engagement and consultation strands SCOPING INTERVIEWS

PUBLIC DROP-IN SESSIONS

Nine scoping interviews were conducted by Publica and the City of London

Twelve public drop-in sessions were undertaken as part of the public

of the area’s key issues and opportunities as understood by a variety of

website and took place in the foyer of the Barbican Centre at lunchtimes

in June 2014. These meetings were undertaken to ascertain a broad overview user groups, and to inform the content and design of the July stakeholder workshops.

STAKEHOLDER WALK S Three guided walks of the Barbican and Golden Lane neighbourhood, led by City of London officers and Publica staff, were undertaken in mid to

late July 2014. These walks were for invitees to the stakeholder workshops and were designed to provide a broad area overview in advance of the stakeholder workshops.

STAKEHOLDER WORK SHOPS Local stakeholders, organisations and individuals were invited to one of

a series of eight consultation workshops that took place in July 2014. Each

group was presented with an overview of the area, and asked to contribute their thoughts on its current positives, negatives and ideas for future

opportunities or improvements. The workshops were led by the City of

London and facilitated by Publica. 71 participants attended across the eight

consultation on the area. These were advertised through the consultation and in the early evenings, over a three-week period between 31st July and

19th August 2014. The drop-in sessions were led by City of London Officers.

Their purpose was to allow local users of the area to find out more about the aims and scope of the consultation process. Attendees were encouraged to complete a consultation questionnaire or postcard.

POSTCARDS Barbican and Golden Lane area consultation postcards were devised and

distributed by the City of London at key locations within the area, including schools, community centres, local shops and cultural attractions. The

postcards asked respondents why they were in the area, and to give their

opinions on what they felt worked well, worked poorly and an idea for one big change or improvement. Postcard questions mirrored key questions

from the longer questionnaire. Respondents could return postcards to the City of London freepost. 25 replies were received.

VISI TOR SURVEY

workshops undertaken. Each comprised participants from a particular

An onsite survey, gathering views from visitors to the Museum of London

previous page.

of the 21st and 22nd September 2014. The survey involved nine questions,

stakeholder interest group. These are detailed in the table on the

PLENARY SESSION A concluding plenary workshop was undertaken to bring together the

findings from across the eight stakeholder workshops, and for stakeholders

and Barbican Centre, was undertaken by Consultation Plus on the weekend including where participants were visiting from, transport modes used, and their experience of arrival. 331 survey interviews were conducted.

STAKEHOLDER MEE T INGS

from different interest groups to further discuss those topics where there

Six additional meetings were conducted with stakeholder institutions or

September 2014. It was led and facilitated by Publica and attended by

meetings were facilitated and undertaken by Publica between September

was wide-ranging opinion. The plenary session took place on the 18th 39 participants.

QUEST IONNA IRE A dedicated website, barbicanarea.co.uk, was set up by Consultaation Plus as a forum for consultation feedback. It was open for responses in August

individuals who were unable to attend the stakeholder workshops. These and November 2014. They included meetings with key organisations

including the City of London School for Girls, the Golden Lane Estate Office and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

ONE-TO-ONE INTERVIEWS

and September 2014. Through the website, participants could complete a

Publica conducted 12 one-on-one interviews with users of the Barbican and

235 questionnaires were completed. Additionally, a paper questionnaire

participated in other consultation or engagement mechanisms. Interviewees

13 question questionnaire. The website was open to all users of the area.

was sent out to all households across the Barbican and Golden Lane estates and distributed locally. The paper questionnaire mirrored the format of

the online version and could be returned to the City of London freepost.

276 paper questionnaires were received. In total, 518 questionnaires were completed by users of the Barbican and Golden Lane area.

ONLINE COMMENTS The consultation website, barbicanarea.co.uk, included an interactive map of the area, through which participants could submit online comments, photos or videos, linked to locations of their choosing. 333 comments

were submitted. They could be viewed on the map by all visitors to the consultation website.

DIRECT EMA ILS The consultation website provided users and stakeholders with the option to email the City of London directly with thoughts or comments. Eight emails were received from groups including the Barbican Association, Living Streets, the Barbican Centre and the Museum of London.

Golden Lane area in order to gather views of those who might not have

included the Barbican estate’s longest-standing residents, a City of London School pupil, the President of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Student Union and local independent retailers. These interviews followed a broadly set pattern with each lasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

Interviewees were encouraged to discuss their use of and thoughts about the area’s streets, spaces and amenity. Where participants agreed, these interviews were recorded or filmed. The interviews took place between

September and November 2014. The edited interview transcripts are can be found in Appendix A of this document.

BARBICAN CENTRE (BAC) AND MUSEUM OF LONDON (MOL) QUEST IONNA IRES To complement the public consultation and stakeholder engagement

instigated by the City of London, the Barbican Centre and the Museum of London each undertook online questionnaires of their own audiences, to ascertain visitors’ opinions about the area. Both surveys were conducted in September 2014. Participants were asked about their primary place of

arrival into the area, mode of transport used and thoughts on the arrival

experience. In total 2,988 responses were received. 1,583 responded to the Barbican Centre’s questionnaire and 1,405 to the Museum of London’s.

2 • EN GAGEM EN T

2.3 ENGAGEMENT Public consultation: Undertaken by Consultation Plus INTRODUCT ION The City of London appointed specialists Consultation Plus to

facilitate a public consultation programme, undertaken to help inform the Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy, its priorities and focus. The following pages contain the key findings directly taken from

their analysis report, which covers responses received through the following mechanisms:

• • • • •

Paper and online questionnaires

Comments posted on the barbicanarea.co.uk website Direct emails Postcards

Visitor survey participants

Consultation Plus’s full findings report is appended can be found in

RESPONDENT BY USER TYPE What is your relationship to the area? A Live in the area

309 (70%)

B Work in the area

75 (17%)

C Learn in the area

7 (2%)

D Passing through

33 (7%)

E Other

13 (3%)

F No response

7 (2%)

Appendix B of this document.

OVERVIEW OF KEY THEMES The majority of responses to the main consultation exercise

– the questionnaire – were from residents of the Barbican and Golden Lane estates.

The key themes that appear from the responses can be summarised as follows:

• There is an underlying sense of pride, safety and community spirit from residents and, although there are concerns and

criticisms, it is clear that overall there is a strong feeling of connection with and pride in both estates.

• Residents appreciate the cultural facilities that are on their doorstep, and many would like signage to be improved to

help visitors; there did not appear to be any major antipathy to increasing numbers of visitors as these seem not to affect the

estates directly because the venues are sited on the perimeters of the residential areas.

• Linked to this sense of ownership and belonging there is a desire

RESPONDENT BY AGE In which of these age brackets are you? A 0–17

1 (0%)

B 18–24

4 (1%)

C 25–34

52 (10%)

D 35–44

84 (16%)

E 45–54

95 (18%)

F 55–64

97 (19%)

G 65+

139 (27%)

H Unknown

46 (9%)

to keep things as they are and not to let too much progress

intrude into the classic forms of the two estates which are, in the main, appreciated for their architectural strength and vision.

• The highwalks of the Barbican and the greenery of both estates are much appreciated and there is a real sense of an ‘oasis’

within a bustling city. Many respondents would like to see more greenery and landscaping within the estates.

• Residents from Golden Lane estate do feel that they are sometimes neglected in favour of those living in the Barbican and hence there can be a feeling of ‘second-class citizenship’.

• Among the key concerns are the current dilapidated and poorly

decorated state of the Beech Street tunnel and the entrance from Barbican underground. These are both physical issues and also ones of pride, in that this area is seen as the gateway to the

Barbican and, as such, should present a much more positive face to visitors and residents alike. There were also quite a number of adverse comments relating to the Moorgate entrance to the Barbican estate.

• Other concerns include: noise and air pollution; increasing levels of heavy traffic; general maintenance of estates; lack of green

spaces; incessant building works; light pollution from offices.

• Many of the concerns are seemingly concerned with maintenance and a sense that the estates are becoming tired and neglected.

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

REASON FOR VISIT When you visit, what activities do your chosen destinations fit? A I live here

68 (13%)

B Recreation/culture

180 (35%)

C Retail/shopping

119 (23%)

D Work/to meet clients 97 (19%) E To visit friends or family at home

65 (13%)

F Educational

41 (8%)

G Dropping off family 10 (2%)

2.3 ENGAGEMENT Public consultation: Undertaken by Consultation Plus

Map of online comments made by public consultation participants. Respondents were encouraged to post thoughts and comments tagged to geographic locations within the strategy area and its environs. The map formed part of the barbicanarea.co.uk website, from which the above screengrab has been taken. Some example comments are displayed below.

“Could the new development of the YMCA include a community centre for joint use of Golden Lane and Barbican residents? At the moment, Barbican residents have nowhere to organise events and gatherings, and it would be nice to be able to meet more residents from both estates” “Beech Street tunnel: a total eyesore and must give a dreadful impression to visitors to the Barbican Centre” “The unused yellow walkway (‘Yellow Shed’) is a major contributor to the difficulty of negotiating the Barbican at podium level in that it artificially divided the ‘piazza’ into two seemingly unconnected parts”

2 • EN GAGEM EN T

2.3 ENGAGEMENT Public consultation: Undertaken by Consultation Plus QUEST IONNA IRE RESPONSES Key Area Positives

Key Area Negatives

• Real affection and support for the Barbican area as a residential

• Beech Street tunnel seen as a major ‘blot on the landscape’ and one that

environment, referred to as an ‘urban village’

• Strong sense of community from local residents and enjoyment of a

secret ‘gem’ and oasis of calm in the city, which works for both residents and visitors

• Unique architecture seen as a positive • Residents like the sense of privacy they enjoy and do not want it invaded by an excessive number of visitors

creates pollution and noise

• Barbican underground entrance to Barbican estate needs serious attention

• The two issues above combine to downgrade the entrance or gateway to the Barbican estate and hence reduce the overall appeal of what should be seen as a great architectural achievement

• Roadworks are a real disturbance to residents

• Highwalks praised as a way of avoiding traffic and noise

• Barbican station crossing highlighted as needing attention

• Green spaces and lakes much appreciated, especially residents’ gardens

• Skateboarders and cyclists cited as a nuisance

• Place for professionals and residents

• Light pollution is a challenge at night

• Arts and culture centres recognised and much appreciated

• Air and noise pollution also seen as a major issue

• Barbican recognised as an architectural icon with unique architecture

• Signage is poor and difficult for visitors

that should be kept

• Area is well maintained, with no or little litter

• Area seen as scruffy and tired by many • Residents dislike the intrusion of local nightlife from Smithfield

“It sounds like a cliché, but it really is a wonderful urban village”

“I do enjoy visiting the area but it is very much a concrete jungle, rather hidden away and not very accessible”

Resident Online questionnaire response

Non-resident Online questionnaire response

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

2.3 ENGAGEMENT Public consultation: Undertaken by Consultation Plus VISI TOR SURVEY RESPONSES Key Themes

• Overall, visitors were happy with their

MODE OF TRANSPORT USED What mode of transport did you use to get here today (all in route)?

experience of the Museum of London and the Barbican Centre

A B C D E F G

• The overwhelming concern with visitors was about the poor signage to get there. Many

commented that there was little signage and

much of the signage wasn’t at street level. Many residents also commented that while there

were initial signs at key arrival points, such as

Bus Train London Underground Car Bicycle Walking Other

57 (14%) 76 (18%) 165 (39%) 31 (7%) 5 (1%) 73 (17%) 14 (3%)

tube stations, as they got closer the signs were less frequent and, at times, confusing

• Other comments were minor. One visitor said

the buildings and area looked tired and dirty. Others commented on the lack of escalators,

and that the attractions were too warm. A few

respondents felt that there was too much traffic

PLACE OF RESIDENCE Where do you live? A B C D E

In CoL In London (but not CoL) In the UK (outside London) Outside the UK Other comments

18 (27%) 122 (5%) 107 (37%) 79 (33%) 2 (1%)

OTHER ATTRACTIONS Do you plan to visit other attractions in the City of London today/on your visit? A Yes 169 (53%) B No 150 (47%)

2 • EN GAGEM EN T

2.4 ENGAGEMENT Stakeholder workshops The City of London organised a series of workshops with eight stakeholder interest groups. The City asked Publica to facilitate these workshops and

bring together the findings at a plenary session, to which attendees from all workshops were invited. The following pages provide a summary of the workshop findings on the assets, barriers and

opportunities in the Barbican and Golden Lane

area, presented at the 18th September 2014 plenary. Attendees were asked to discuss the Barbican and

Golden Lane areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assets and values, and barriers and impediments and future opportunities for

change. The infographic illustrates the themes that emerged through these discussions. The largest

words represent topics that were raised in six or

more of the eight workshop sessions; the mediumsized words were raised in three or four of the workshops and the smallest words in one or two workshops.

The largest words and phrases shown in these

A SSE TS AND VALUES

diagrams therefore provide an overview of the main priorities of workshop attendees.

BARRIERS AND IMPEDIMENTS

OPPORTUNI T IES AND CHANGE

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2.4 ENGAGEMENT Stakeholder workshops

Each attendee was asked to place a sticker on an area map to mark the place, space, building or organisation they considered to be of most value , most problematic , and offer greatest opportunity . The map above shows a consolidation of the locations chosen by attendees.

Clear patterns emerge through the map. As valued spaces or area assets, the majority of attendees chose locations within the interior of the Barbican and Golden Lane estates. The places considered most problematic were primarily located on perimeter streets. Key sites of opportunity were highlighted across the strategy area. Notable is the overlap between places regarded as problematic and those chosen as sites of opportunity. In particular, the exits of Barbican and Moorgate stations, the Museum of London rotunda, Beech Street and the ‘Yellow Shed’ exhibition hall access on Ben Jonson Place.

2 • EN GAGEM EN T

2.5 ENGAGEMENT Stakeholder walks

S TA K EHOLDER WA LK S: ROU T E A N D S TOPPING POIN TS Podium level Street level

The City of London organised a series of three guided walks of the Barbican and Golden Lane neighbourhood, in advance of the stakeholder workshops. These were undertaken in order to help provide an overview of the strategy area to invitees. The walks took place on the 14th, 21st and 28th July 2014, with invitees from across workshops invited to participate. Publica helped facilitate each of the walks and devised the guided route.

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The route was designed to provide attendees with a broad understanding of the strategy area, the current condition and function of its public realm and an overview of planned, future changes. It included streets and spaces within the Barbican and Golden Lane estates, in addition to the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main perimeter and bounding streets, and key approaches from Barbican and Moorgate stations. The planned route is shown above, and the alternative accessible route to the right.

2.5 ENGAGEMENT Stakeholder walks

S TA K EHOLDER WA LK S: S T EP FREE ROU T E A N D S TOPPING POIN TS Podium level Street level

2 â&#x20AC;¢ EN GAGEM EN T

2.6 ENGAGEMENT Plenary session The City of London organised a plenary session to draw the stakeholder

Beech Street is clearly well used, but consultation feedback highlighted

stakeholder groups. This session was facilitated by Publica on behalf of the

change?

workshops to a close, and bring together the findings from across

City. At its culmination, attendees formed groups to discuss three of ten

questions shown below. These were devised to reflect the emerging themes

from the engagement and consultation exercises, and to help ascertain ways forward where workshops had revealed considerable differences in opinion between the stakeholder groups.

it was an unpleasant environment. In what way should Beech Street

“Close it to all but local traffic and create more space for pedestrians. Chiswell Street is single lane – why not narrow Beech Street?”

“Separate the pedestrian needs and the traffic needs” “Generally, Beech Street needs to be made into a more pleasant and welcoming environment”

1. Beech Street is clearly well used, but consultation feedback

highlighted it was an unpleasant environment. In what way should

Beech Street change?

2. Would a new, ground-level north–south connection through the Barbican be positive or negative?

3. How can the aspirations of the cultural hub and the needs of the residential community positively coexist?

4. Should the public continue to be encouraged to use the highwalks? 5. Should under-used ground and underground spaces be used for other things?

6. Should the Barbican and Golden Lane estates be better connected?

7. Should the area have more retail provision? If so, where? 8. Should edges be opened up? 9. To what extent should changes honour the original design intent of Chamberlin, Powell and Bon?

10. Where should cultural activity be located?

Of the ten question options, three groups chose to answer questions one, two and three, and one group to answer questions one, two and four.

The following quotations are a selection from the feedback summary given after each group’s discussion, arranged by question.

“As it is, there are actually very few east–west links through the City. If Beech Street was permanently closed it’s not like there are lots of other options for traffic to navigate east–west…”

“Lots of things can be done between the two polar opposite options of closing it to traffic completely, and leaving it as it is. Things like making it single lane, widening the footway, improving the lighting to make it more inviting…”

“Many of the blank frontages on Beech Street have empty space behind them. They could be knocked through to create a retail offer along the street, which would do an awful lot to animate it, though only if this was done alongside

making it a nicer environment generally to attract people to those shops!”

“Beech Street’s horrible, and in an affluent City the streetscape around the arts

institutions looks rather sad and downtrodden and doesn’t send out a very good message”

“Maybe the arts centre should have its major entrance on Beech Street with signage at the ends of the tunnel highlighting it?”

“The street could be open to retail and cafés down the tunnel” “There are things that can be done around the edges of the estate without destroying the architectural integrity”

“We all thought it should change. There seemed to be a lot of support for having shops, possibly even exhibition spaces there”

“It would be key not to have Beech Street as just another high street but to create atmosphere through an unusual mix of shops — an authentic experience”

“It would be attractive if it was pedestrians, plus bicycles, plus access but with no through vehicle traffic. That could be a very attractive entrance to the area and the arts centre”

Would a new, ground-level north–south connection through the Barbican be positive or negative?

“A north–south route through the Barbican would be a great positive. When the arts centre is closed there is no natural route through the heart of the estate.

Visitors, the public and pedestrians in general have to go around the boundaries. This is particularly problematic on Sunday mornings, when parishioners of St

Giles’ church, most of whom live to the north of the lake, have to walk around the centre as there is no direct route to the church”

“The vista of the lake is currently uninterrupted – a path across would cut through this and change the character…”

“If there was more pedestrian access at ground level, then the role of the highwalks would become much reduced and devalued and that could conflict with the desire

to maintain footfall at podium-level”

“Theoretically, yes of course it would! But it’s hard to know without more detailed analysis what that would mean or entail. If it meant you were walking through a

tunnel for the entire route, then I would say probably not…”

“Most of us were negative on this, fearing it would conflict with the estate’s

listing and the vista along the main lake under Gilbert House. Also fearing it

would create more noise than the existing highwalk route — Gilbert Bridge and

the highwalk routes seem to be very well liked”

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2.6 ENGAGEMENT Plenary session “It would threaten some of the oases that members of the public use” “It may be that this fabled north–south route could use some underground space…?”

How can the aspirations of the cultural hub and the needs of the residential community positively coexist?

“It’s about maintaining dialogue, making sure there’s a chance to discuss and consult on issues of mutual interest”

“The Barbican Centre has a good relationship with the residents groups but

Should the public continue to be encouraged to use the highwalks? “Regular users seem to like the highwalks, non-regular users loathe them!” “Yes ideally, ground-level routes are far better because they don’t involve the level change, but we’re not starting from scratch here, we’re starting with what we’ve

got!”

“People need a choice of routes. If the public were discouraged from using the

highwalks we could get into a situation where they became deserted and there

might be safety implications of this…or rather a fear of crime and anti-social behaviour”

shouldn’t the Golden Lane estate also be included in the dialogue with the arts

centre and arts organisations?”

“How can we know if they can positively coexist, if we don’t yet know what the

aspirations of the cultural hub are? [...] Well then, all the more need for improved

communications, to share aspirations and find mutually agreed solutions!”

“The Museum of London is already extremely successful, despite being difficult to get to, so I suppose the question is, how much more successful could it be if it is easy to get to?”

“Residents are not against more footfall on the highwalks but it’s about where people go, at what time of day they go there, and what exactly they do”

“Residents certainly don’t want to end up living in the South Bank, which is sort of crowded, noisy and smelly”

“It is a residential area so the activity needs to respect that. The tone of that

doesn’t quite match some of the cultural things that go on inside the cultural institutions”

“With some careful thought about times of day, protection for people’s residential amenity, quiet evening etc, they probably can coexist”

“The problems for the arts centre are that audiences find it hard to access the building, Beech Street’s horrible and there isn’t much visibility”

“The aspirations of the cultural hub are a total mystery! Therefore it’s important to have a thorough process for developing these that reflects the fact that the

cultural hub exists within a residential area”

“If you look 20 years ahead…younger audiences like going to venues where there’s something to do afterwards, or you can mingle…lots of arts venues have a sort of

social spaces around them – and that would be potentially disruptive to residents.

It really depends how you mange it. Perhaps if the arts institutions looked

outwards and the associated vibrancy happened outside of the edges rather than

inside? ...and of course Beech Street may also be an opportunity for corralling some of that”

“There’s a big distinction between outside events, which could be very disturbing

to residents, and inside events which get a lot of resident support and which both the Barbican Centre and the Museum of London are very successful at running”

“The greater footfall that the cultural hub will presumably lead to implies some careful planning of routes…which route you take makes a big difference to whether you cause a lot or almost no disturbance”

2 • EN GAGEM EN T

2.7 ENGAGEMENT One-to-one interviews As part of the engagement programme, the City of London commissioned

Publica to undertake a series of one-to-one interviews with local users and

stakeholders, in order to build a more extensive picture of the Barbican and Golden Lane area. Twelve interviews were conducted between September and November 2014. These were undertaken to help better understand

the range of local needs and perceptions, identify what in the area is used

BARBICAN AND GOLDEN LANE AREA INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ALEX TOSTDEV INE, PRESIDENT GSMD STUDENTS’ UNION

and valued, gaps in local provision, areas of weakness or deficiency, and

to pinpoint opportunities for improvements, particularly to local streets, spaces and routes.

Interviewees were asked to contribute thoughts about the area’s positives and negatives, its general character, opinions on spaces, amenities and routes, what might improve the area in the long-term and views about wider changes in development, including the arrival of Crossrail and

the City’s desire to develop the area’s cultural profile into a cultural hub. Participants were additionally asked specific questions relating to their

job or community role, particular knowledge or relationship to the area,

and associated to this, the wider needs and priorities of their colleagues, contemporaries or general user group.

Potential interviewees were identified as Publica’s survey work and

knowledge of the area developed, or via introductions made by atendees of the stakeholder workshops and meetings. All interviews were undertaken

on the understanding that the information gathered would be used to help the City of London in the development of the Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy, and in setting the focus and priorities of this document.

The interview sample group was curated to ensure a balance of different user types, reflective of the range of people who use the Barbican and

Golden Lane area. Interviewees were chosen to represent a wide range of

user and occupier views, but particularly those groups who might not have contributed through other consultation mechanisms. The majority of those interviewed were individuals who spent a great deal of time within the

strategy area, and could therefore provide knowledge about the day-to-day experience. Some had a long-standing knowledge of the neighbourhood;

others a more recent knowledge, specific to certain aspects. The ages of the interviewees ranged from nine to 94.

Interviews, each lasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes, were conducted by one or two members of Publica staff. If possible, and with the interviewee’s agreement, conversations were recorded or in some cases filmed. As one

would expect, opinions expressed were complex and varied, in some cases reflecting both personal and organisational views. Additionally, each

respondent provided a wealth of information that was specific to individual circumstances.

The format of each interview followed a consistent structure, agreed in advance with the City of London, although questions were tailored to

respond to each interviewee’s particular relationship to the area. As an

example, to the right are the questions that Publica asked Alex Tostdevine, President of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama Student Union.

A list of the 12 interviewees can be found in the table on page 11. The edited transcripts of each interview can be found in Appendix A.

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SECT ION 1: STUDENTS’ V IEWS, NEEDS AND PRIORI T IES • What do you think GSMD students feel are the advantages and disadvantages of studying in this location? • What do you think are students’ main priorities, issues and concerns? • Are there other locations in London you think might be preferable? Why/why not? • What local amenities do students regularly use? Shops/services etc and at what times of day? • What public spaces do students regularly use? • Where do the majority of students live? How do they get to GSMD? • Are students often in the area at the weekend? Does the area feel different, and in what way? • What do you think could be improved to make this a better location for students? • Do you think students know about the idea to augment the cultural profile of this location — and develop a cultural hub? • Do students mix much with other uses of the area? Residents, office workers, visitors etc? SECT ION 2: REL AT IONSHIP TO THE ARE A • State your name and tell us about your relationship to the area • What does your role as President of the Student Union entail? • How long have you studied here? • What changes have you noticed over that time? (positive or negative) • Could you briefly describe a typical daily routine? What you might do, where you would go and whom you might encounter SECT ION 3: A S SE TS, BARRIERS AND OPPORTUNI T IES • What is the best thing about the area? • And the worst? • If you could make one change to improve the area, what would it be? SECT ION 4: PL ACES, SPACES AND CHAR ACTER • In three words could you describe the character of the Barbican and Golden Lane area? • What do you think makes this area unique or special? • What are your favourite and least favourite places in the area? Could you describe why you like/dislike them and the experience of spending time there? • What place in the area do you: value most; consider most problematic; think presents the biggest opportunity? (Please mark on the map)

2 â&#x20AC;¢ EN GAGEM EN T

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY

BARBICAN & GOLDEN L ANE AREA STRATEGY: EV IDENCE BA SE 3 • WIDER AREA SURVEY 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17

Location Historical context Policy context Development context The impact of Crossrail Transport links Use Neighbourhood amenity Cultural uses Public realm and open spaces Green spaces and biodiversity Air quality Sound Pedestrian routes and connections Wayfinding Edges and frontages Lighting

62 64 70 76 78 82 88 98 102 1 12 13 4 137 138 142 156 16 4 172

This section comprises Publica’s wider area survey of the Barbican and Golden Lane area. It is the result of research and analysis into the area’s character, patterns of use, function, historic, cultural, policy and development contexts. The wider area survey examines the urban conditions of the strategy area in order to identify issues and opportunities relating to the public realm. The maps and drawings included are the outcome of field-work and desk-based analysis carried out between June and December 2014. These drawings are detailed, but do not claim to be entirely comprehensive.

A PPEN DI X D: C U LT U R A L H U B WO RK S H O P REP O RT S

3.1 LOCATION

The Barbican and Golden Lane strategy area is located at the northern edge of the City of London, neighbouring the London Borough of Islington.

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LOCAT ION

Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3.1 LOCATION

The strategy area covers the Barbican and Golden Lane estates and their adjoining streets. The edge of the strategy area coincides with the London

Borough of Islington boundary along Baltic Street

West, Golden Lane and Chiswell Street. Elsewhere, the strategy area is bound by London Wall to the

south, Aldersgate Street to the west, and Moor Lane to the east.

LOCAT ION

Station entrance Private green space Public green space Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

HIGHWALK S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Bassishaw Highwalk Bastion Highwalk Alban Highwalk Wallside The Postern Andrewes Highwalk Willoughby Highwalk Moorfields Highwalk Gilbert Bridge

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

Speed Highwalk Defoe Place Cromwell Highwalk Ben Jonson Place Beech Gardens Frobisher Court Thomas More Highwalk Seddon Highwalk

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3.2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT From Roman settlement to post-war planning

‘Civitas Londinium’, one of the earliest maps of London, produced in the late sixteenth century

The Barbican and Golden Lane area occupies one of London’s earliest

inhabited sites. The first recorded settlers were the Romans, who established a town here in approximately 50 AD. They developed a grid of streets across the area that is now the City of London, focused on a river crossing near

today’s London Bridge. In the early third century, the Romans erected a wall around their town, remnants of which are still visible today. Gates in the

wall allowed passage in and out, and many areas of the City still bear the

title ‘gate’ in their names in commemoration of these access points: Aldgate, Bishopsgate, Newgate, Ludgate, Cripplegate and Aldersgate.

The origin of the name ‘Barbican’ is likely to have been inspired by the

existence of a medieval watch-tower (known as ‘a barbican’) on the site, which guarded a new city founded by King Alfred in 886. Established

around multiple landing points on the River Thames (at Queenhithe and

Billingsgate), the city became a thriving trading port, with a tight network of streets and markets.

By the sixteenth century, London was a major trading centre for Europe and the wider world. As the city flourished, its population density increased,

particularly in the areas surrounding its bustling ports. The Barbican area contained a multitude of streets and alleyways, shops, houses and the

Fortune Theatre which opened in 1600 between today’s Golden Lane and Whitecross Street.

In 1665 and 1666 the Great Plague and then the Great Fire of London

decimated first the population, and then many of the buildings in the

City. The fire destroyed 13,200 houses, St Paul’s Cathedral, 87 churches, six chapels, the Guildhall, the Royal Exchange, Custom House, three gates, and four stone bridges in the City. Following the plague and fire, many

wealthier households elected to move out of the City, relocating to other areas in London rather than rebuilding their original homes.

Despite the production of several radical plans to rebuild the City —

including one by Christopher Wren, proposing the creation of a series of

wide boulevards and open piazzas — reconstruction following the Great

Fire generally followed the previous medieval street plan. Some streets were widened and building styles were standardised, however the reconstruction

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effort was driven by a strong desire to rebuild the City quickly rather than any attempt at reimagining the area.

By the 1750s the area was filled with smaller houses, and the face of the

landscape had changed to accommodate commerce on a larger scale. Streets were filled with trade halls, breweries and even George Seddon’s famed furniture emporium.

In the nineteenth century, land owners seized the opportunity to profit from the expansion of rail transport — selling off land in the City to

developers extending lines through London. A large number of warehouses sprung up around these new developments. These changes in the City’s

land use decreased the resident population, but established a daily influx of workers which is still a recognisable feature of the area today.

One night in 1940, during World War II, all the warehouses, homes,

yards and commercial spaces in the Barbican and Golden Lane area were destroyed by a bombing raid. Once more the area’s surface was razed,

presenting the City with a unique chance to redevelop the area; “Never

since 1666 has there been such an opportunity to replan parts of the City”,

remarked an officer from the Ministry of Town and Country Planning, in a report to the City Engineer in 1943.

A variety of plans for London were drawn up after the war, each

responding to different levels of damage across the city. One plan which

achieved prominence was the Greater London Plan drawn up in 1944 by Sir Patrick Abercrombie. Within this plan the Barbican and Golden Lane area

was earmarked for commercial use. At a smaller scale, F.J. Forty developed

a plan for the reconstruction of the City. A draft of this report was released

in 1944, to widespread criticism for its overly cautious, traditional approach. The plan was rejected and Charles Holden and William Holford were

appointed to revisit the plans for the City. The Holden and Holford plan was approved in 1947, with praise for its imaginative approach to redevelopment and its recognition of the social realities in the City of London.

3.2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Grain and scale

1936 land use map showing pre-war grain, scale and street layout. Before the war the area was filled with warehouses, rail yards, commerical spaces and homes. The medieval street pattern had been reinstated after the Fire of London, despite the proposals of Christopher Wren

3 • W I D ER A RE A S U RV E Y

3.2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Barbican and Golden Lane area 1936–2014

1936

WIDER AREA

T own Planning Survey 1936 compiled, showing land use in the City of London

GOLDEN LANE ESTATE

1940

1962

BARBICAN ESTATE

I n a single night, bombs destroy the streets and warehouses that once stood on the Barbican site

Building work of residential facilities in the Barbican begins Second and final phase of construction of Golden Lane estate is finished, including the shops, pub, tennis courts, swimming pool, Hatfield House, Cullum Welch House and Crescent House

1944

Abercrombie’s Greater London Plan earmarks the Barbican area for commercial use

1947

Holden and Holford produce their City of London Plan

1965 The Museum of London Act amalgamates the Guildhall Museum and the London Museum, to create the Museum of London

1952

T he competition is announced to design the Golden Lane housing estate

1953

1966

F irst phase of construction at Golden Lane estate begins

1959 Designs by architects Chamberlin, Powell and Bon are accepted to develop the Barbican area as a residential neighbourhood, to include new premises for the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and an arts centre featuring a concert hall and theatre

1971 Construction begins on the Barbican Centre The Postern, Willoughby House, Wallside, and Mountjoy House are completed

1958 Second phase of construction at Golden Lane estate begins

1969

1957 he Resolution to the Court of T Common Council of the Corporation of London proposes that a “genuine neighbourhood” should be created in the Barbican area irst phase of construction at Golden F Lane estate is completed, including Stanley Cohen House, Basterfield House, Bayer House, Bowater House, Cuthbert Harrowing House, Great Arthur House, and the community centre he original Roman House office T building is completed

1954 K adleigh, Whitfield & Horsburgh (KWH) propose their largely commercial plan for the Barbican site

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City of London School for Girls, Speed House, Gilbert House, Andrewes House and Brandon Mews are completed

1968 The first flats are completed in the Barbican Proposals for the arts centre are submitted

68 19

62 19

59 19

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54 19

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44 19

40 19

The first Barbican building – Milton Court – is finished

3.2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Barbican and Golden Lane area 1936–2014

1972 J ohn Trundle Court, Breton House and Bunyan Court are completed

1973 Thomas More House, Defoe House, Cromwell Tower, Bryer Court, Ben Jonson House and the YMCA and commercial areas within the Barbican estate are completed

2001 Barbican estate declared grade II listed B arbican Hall undergoes a £7m acoustic and aesthetic refurbishment

1974

2002

Lambert Jones Mews, Seddon House and Lauderdale Tower are completed

The Barbican celebrates its 20th birthday. 27 million people had visited the centre since its opening

1976 The new Museum of London opens

2006

Shakespeare Tower is completed

Redesign of the Barbican Centre’s entrance, foyer and art gallery is completed (including the redesign of the Silk Street entrance)

1982 F robisher Crescent, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Barbican Centre (inc. the library) are completed

2008

13 20

08 20

06 20

97 19

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94 19

88 19

Milton Court is demolished

82 19

74 19

73 19

T he Barbican Centre is formally opened by the Queen

1997 Golden Lane estate declared grade II listed (and Crescent House grade II*)

1995

2014

Pentagram completes its redesign of the Barbican’s entrance and interiors

New Milton Court is opened within the Guildhall School of Music & Drama

1994

Construction of London Wall Place commences

Boundary changes transfer the Golden Lane estate from Islington to the City of London

1988

2013

L ondon’s only Roman amphitheatre is discovered under the new Guildhall Art Gallery building site

Demolition of St Alphage House begins London Film School announces it will move to the Barbican Centre in 2017

2012 The Barbican celebrates its 30th birthday Cinemas 2 and 3 open in the Barbican Centre’s exhibition halls

3 • W I D ER A RE A S U RV E Y

3.2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT A vision for a pedestrian walkway network in the City B. Cherry, and N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: London 1 The City of London, 2002, Yale University Press The City-wide network of elevated pedestrian walkways, proposed in 1963 A 30-mile network of walkways — referred to as the ‘City of London Pedway Scheme’ — was originally planned. Much of the network was never realised, however.

As the number of cars rose sharply during the 1920s, cities struggled to

safely accommodate both vehicular traffic and pedestrians on their streets. The segregation of pedestrians and vehicles was proposed as a solution, either through horizontal measures such as vehicle-free precincts, or

via vertical segregation, and the elevation of either roads or pedestrian walkways.

In the City of London, during the post-war reconstruction period, early

plans to redevelop the Barbican and Golden Lane area were rejected both for their conservatism, and for their intention to rebuild the City almost

identically to its previous form. The opportunity to explore new forms of

transport planning was something that the City was keen to embrace. When Holden and Holford’s plan was approved in 1947, it incorporated proposals for horizontal segregation of vehicles and pedestrians, through a series of vehicle-free precincts.

The City was interested in developing vertical segregation as well, drawing inspiration from plans to relieve street congestion proposed for New York

City in 1931, and also from transport planner Colin Buchanan’s promotion of multi-level development. From the 1950s, new development in the area

REALISED HIGHWALK S OF THE BARBICAN AND GOLDEN L ANE AREA 1970s Chamberlin, Powell and Bon’s 1959 designs for the Barbican estate incorporated a series of elevated pedestrian walkways – called ‘highwalks’. These were intended to slot into the City-wide network planned, and initiated, by earlier office developments. The network of highwalks around the Barbican and Golden Lane area were established and developed at various stages through the 1960s and 1970s, reaching their greatest extent in the late 1970s when the Barbican estate was completed.

was encouraged to incorporate ‘highwalks’ — walkways connecting spaces

above ground level. The first elements of the new walkway network — often referred to as the ‘City of London Pedway Scheme’ — was installed with a new office complex on London Wall. The complex had its main entrances above ground level, as well as multiple towers connected by walkway bridges.

Chamberlin, Powell and Bon’s subsequent development plans for the

Barbican estate aimed to extend these elevated pedestrian walkways. The architects drew inspiration from the bridges of Venice, the old Adelphi

buildings in Westminster, Carlton House Terrace on St James’s Park, and

the Hötorget District in central Stockholm. By the time the Barbican estate was completed, its highwalks constituted the heart of the new walkway network.

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3.2 HISTORICAL CONTEXT Realising the highwalks and the pedway network B. Cherry, and N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: London 1 The City of London, 2002, Yale University Press The elements of the original ‘pedway’ network realised by 1992 The area of walkways shown on this map around St Paul’s Cathedral was removed during the 2003 redevelopment of Paternoster Square The concentration of highwalks around the Barbican and Golden Lane area represents the majority of the remaining network in the City

In 1959 the segregation of pedestrians and vehicles was considered a

matter of general policy by the Court of Common Council. However, the

responsibility for the execution of this policy was never clearly established.

The City of London Various Powers Bill of 1961 made walkways a condition of planning consent. The Bill also formalised these walkways as public

rights of way. Developers in the City had to provide first-floor access linking to the walkway network in order to have planning permission granted.

Often this stipulation led to the creation of dead ends, as different spaces in the area were developed at different times. Many walkways had nothing to connect to, thus were used as storage or additional office space, awaiting a time when they could link up to neighbouring developments.

By 1965 a 30-mile network of walkways had been drawn up, but no map of the network was made public until 1976. The popularity of the walkways

had declined during the 1970s. There were concerns about their policing and maintenance, as well as questions about access in the event of emergencies. The existing walkways were not well used. Pedestrian desire lines rarely involved ascending and descending stairs, and mechanical access to the

highwalks was not permitted until later. Many of the walkways still didn’t

EXIST ING AND PROPOSED HIGHWALK S IN THE BARBICAN AND GOLDEN L ANE AREA Today The highwalks represent the concentrated core of the elevated walkway network in the City. Some elements of the network have been lost; for example, with the demolition of the original Milton Court building. However, new highwalk extensions are also being added to the network, as a result of developments at London Wall Place and 21 Moorfields.

lead anywhere, and users did not feel they had legitimate access via the walkways.

In the early 1970s — even before the network map had been publicly released — government support for the pedway system had been

significantly reduced. The new residents of the Barbican estate called for the original grain and heritage of the area to be preserved. Newer office

buildings modelled themselves on an American model, with large, covered

plazas at ground level. The IRA attacks of the 1990s, which made use of cars and vans, forced a transport planning shift from segregating pedestrians and traffic to a controlling of vehicular movement in and out of the City.

Today, the highwalks around the Barbican estate and London Wall are all

that remain of this ‘abstract concept from the days when planners were all architects’.

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3.3 POLICY CONTEXT National and London-wide NATIONAL

LONDON-WIDE

STATUTORY DEVELOPMENT CONTEX T

GREATER LONDON AUTHORI T Y (GL A)

The policies proposed in this Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy are

The London Plan: July 2011, GLA

consistent with, and complement, those included in the National Planning Policy Framework (2012), the GLA’s London Plan (2011) and the City of

London Local Plan (2015). In addition these policies add detail to the targets outlined in the Delivery Strategy chapter of the Local Plan that relates to Key City Places, specifically: Policy CS5 The North of the City.

The main documents that have been referred to in preparation of this report are listed below. The starting point for this exercise has been a thorough analysis of the existing Barbican Area Strategy, adopted in 2008.

CENTRAL GOVERNMENT National Planning Policy Framework: March 2012, DCLG The NPPF sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these are to be applied. It is accompanied by Planning Practice Guidance

documents. Key guidance documents consulted in the preparation of this report include:

• • • • • • •

Air quality

Climate change

Conserving and enhancing the historic environment Design

Light pollution Noise

Open space, sports and recreation facilities, public rights of way and local green space

• Transport evidence bases in plan-making • Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas

Encompasses the strategic plan for London, setting out the economic,

environmental, transport and social framework for the next 20 years. The City of London is located within the GLA’s Central Activities Zone. The

London Plan is accompanied by the following documents which have been considered in preparing this report:

The Mayor’s Transport Strategy: May 2010, GLA

Sets out the transport vision for London and details how it will be delivered between now and 2031.

Supplementary Planning Guidance, including the following:

• Shaping Neighbourhoods: Character and Context, which states that:

Juxtaposition of different settlements and communities is one of the strands that contribute to the rich sense of place and identity in London, as does

the imprint left by various cultural, political, economic, social and ethnic influences. It is a multi-layered city of organic evolution, with numerous

fragments from its different periods of development, none completely erased, some still very redolent of the era in which they were developed and others often not fully cohesive or uniform.

• All London Green Grid

The All London Green Grid aims to:

• Increase access to open space • Conserve landscapes and the natural environment and increase access to nature

• Adapt the city to the impacts of climate change • Make sustainable travel connections and promote cycling and • • • •

walking

Encourage healthy living

Promote sustainable food growing

Enhance visitor destinations and boost the visitor economy

Promote green skills and sustainable approaches to design, management and maintenance

• Shaping Neighbourhoods: Play and Informal Recreation Which requires that:

… where space is increasingly at a premium, planners, developers

and designers must take account of the ways that adults, children and

young people will actually use places, whether together or separately, at

different times of the day. It will usually be best to allow for flexible and multifunctional use of spaces so that many different user groups can

enjoy them. Planners, developers, designers and architects should promote

approaches accommodating the presence of children in the built environment (such as shared public and communal space), and encouraging playable

spaces where appropriate. In this way, London can be made a child friendly city.

• Accessible London: Achieving an Inclusive Environment

One of the Mayor’s aims for London is that everyone, whether resident, visitor or worker, is able to participate and enjoy all that the city has to offer. The London Plan includes a number of policies which promote an inclusive environment to help ensure that all of London’s diverse

communities can contribute to London’s growing economy and enjoy a high quality of life.

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3.3 POLICY CONTEXT City of London CIT Y OF LONDON City of London, Local Plan, 2015 Development in the City of London is governed by its Local Plan which sets out the City’s vision and key policies. It was adopted in January 2015.

In addition the City has adopted eight Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) as well as 12 Conservation Area Character Summaries. The

Barbican Listed Building Management Guidelines now include Volume IV:

Landscaping, which was adopted as an SPD in January 2015. This document was key to the preparation of this report.

The Local Plan delineates the spatial strategy for the City, outlining a vision for the future citing five themes:

• A world financial and business centre • Key city places • City culture and heritage • Environmental sustainability • City communities While each of these themes relates to the Barbican Area, the City highlights five Key City Places that face particular challenges over the next 20 years. The Barbican Area falls within the Key City Place known as The North of

the City. The Local Plan identifies the challenge and vision for this area as follows:

The Challenge…

The north of the City contains a mix of areas and uses, including the strategic

cultural quarter centred on the Barbican, and residential areas at the Barbican and Golden Lane, each with its own distinctive character. The construction of

Crossrail will bring significant change and increased pedestrian flows. Careful planning is essential to retain the character and amenity of individual areas, whilst managing growth. The Vision…

Passengers will emerge from new Crossrail stations to find a lively variety

of restaurants and shops with attractive streetscapes and vistas. Attractive

pedestrian routes will link pockets of well designed open space. Progressive

building designs and sensitive refurbishments will mean residents, workers

and visitors remain in a comfortable and safe environment that has adapted to

climate change. The Barbican will form part of a wider strategic cultural quarter.

The City aims to ensure that the challenges facing the Key City Places are met, complementing the core business function of the City, contributing to its unique character and distinguishing it from other global financial districts.

Its strategy in relation to the Barbican area in the North of the City is outlined in its Policy CS5 which states its determination:

To ensure that the City benefits from the substantial public transport

improvements planned in the north of the City, realising the potential for rejuvenation and “eco design” to complement the sustainable transport infrastructure, by:

• Ensuring that disruption to the City is minimised during construction of

Crossrail and requiring the restoration of worksites to deliver enhancement of biodiversity, heritage assets and the public realm, open space provision and integration with other transport modes.

• Requiring improvements to pedestrian and cycle routes to maintain safe, effective and efficient pedestrian and cycle flows, including for disabled people, within and through the north of the City.

• Ensuring the retention and improvement of pedestrian permeability and connectivity, at ground and high walk level through large sites such as

Smithfield Market, Barbican, Golden Lane and Broadgate, whilst preserving privacy, security and noise abatement for residents and businesses.

• Identifying and meeting residents’ needs in the north of the City, including protection of residential amenity, community facilities and open space.

• Safeguarding the Citigen combined cooling heating and power (CCHP)

network and ensuring that, where feasible, all new development is designed to enable connection to the CCHP network.

• Requiring the incorporation of sustainable drainage solutions (SuDS), such as green roofs, into development.

• Requiring developers to make use of innovative design solutions to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, particularly addressing the

challenges posed by heritage assets whilst respecting their architectural and historic significance.

• Promoting the further improvement of the Barbican area as a cultural quarter of London-wide, national and international significance.

Evening and night time activity will be well managed.

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3.3 POLICY CONTEXT City of London

Spatial Strategy, Figure B: Key Diagram, page 17 Local Plan (2015)

Figure E: The North of the City, page 62 Local Plan (2015)

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3.3 POLICY CONTEXT City of London

CI T Y OF LONDON STRATEGIES The City of London has adopted a number of

strategies, guides and advice notes to develop and

encourage best practice. Those that have informed this report include:

• The Road Danger Reduction Plan, 2013 • The City of London Cultural Strategy 2012–17 • The Biodiversity Action Plan, 2010–15 • The City of London Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, 2010 update

• The City of London Air Quality Strategy, 2011–15

• The City of London Noise Strategy, 2012–16 • Visitor Strategy 2013–17 • City Street Scene Manual, 2005

City of London Area Enhancement Strategies (provided by the City of London)

ANCIENT MONUMENTS (CI T Y OF LONDON)

LIST INGS AND CONSERVAT ION AREA S

Scheduled ancient monument (English Heritage) Visible remains of ancient monument Visible remains of ancient monument below ground Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3 • W I D ER A RE A S U RV E Y

3.3 POLICY CONTEXT 2008 Barbican Area Strategy This report builds on the Barbican Area Strategy published by the City

of London in 2008. It is important to note that unlike this report, the 2008

strategy area excluded the Barbican and Golden Lane estates, with the study focusing only on the streets around them.

The adopted strategy, developed by Townshend Landscape Architects,

sought to provide a framework for environmental improvements within the area. Proposals for the public realm focused primarily on increasing access to greenery and enhancing the quality of public space. Individual projects were prioritised based on responses from a public consultation exercise.

The enhancement projects identified as high priority in 2008 have all been initiated. Significant projects include:

• Silk Street and Beech Street/Silk Street junction (footway widening, tree planting and improvements to ease pedestrian movement)

• Moor Lane (creation of linear open space and associated enhancements) • Milton Court (repaving works associated with development of Milton Court)

The Barbican and Golden Lane area has undergone significant change since the strategy was adopted in 2008, and a number of important issues for

consideration have arisen since. Recently completed developments have

changed the character and patterns of use of several streets in the area, and new developments and important infrastructural changes are expected to bring further change and increased pressure on the public realm.

The arrival of Crossrail services to the area in 2018/2019 will have a notable impact, with station exits located at Moorfields and Long Lane.

Additionally, large developments such as London Wall Place, currently

under construction, are expected to further increase pedestrian numbers in the area.

Since the publication of the 2008 Barbican Area Strategy, the City has

adopted a number of significant policy documents. This review of the

Barbican and Golden Lane Area Strategy will ensure alignment with the

Local Plan, adopted in January 2015, as well as the Cultural Strategy 2012–17 and Visitor Strategy 2013–18. These documents endorse the City of London’s aspiration to develop a cultural hub in the area. The area’s major cultural

institutions (Barbican Centre, Museum of London, GSMD and LSO) all have ambitions to expand and improve their services, an important factor in the

consideration of streets and spaces. The current review of the Barbican and

Golden Lane Area Strategy therefore encompasses a broader scope than that of the document published in 2008.

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Extent of 2008 Barbican Area Strategy study area – the Barbican and Golden Lane estates are excluded

3.3 POLICY CONTEXT 2008 Barbican Area Strategy 2008 BARBICAN AREA STRATEGY PROJECTS

Beech Street (TBC) Silk Street (Q2 2014 - Q1 2015) Fore Street (Q1 - Q2 2014) Moor Lane (Q2 2014 - Q1 2015) Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

Projects being implemented as part of the 2008 Barbican Area Strategy (provided by the City of London)

Proposal for Moor Lane (2008)

Proposal for Silk Street (2008)

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3.4 DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT Recent and planned developments

In recent years, the area around the Barbican and Golden Lane estates has seen phenomenal change, with developments reshaping the character of

the strategy area’s edges, particularly to the east and south. New residential developments at Roman House and the Heron have replaced offices, while new cultural projects have transformed one of the Barbican’s exhibition

halls into a prominent cinema and redeveloped Milton Court into a worldclass performing arts venue. New offices are planned to the southeast, at

Moorgate Exchange, and new offices at London Wall Place (with completion expected in 2016) will see new gardens introduced at street level on London Wall.

The arrival of Crossrail in 2018/2019 will transform the surroundings of

the new station exits at Moorfields and Lindsey Street and prompt further development, not least with its associated Over Station Developments (OSDs). At Moorgate, Crossrail and development partners Aviva have

obtained planning permission for a new office building with ground-floor

retail uses. Adjacent, at 21 Moorfields, proposals for the long derelict site are being developed by owner Land Securities.

There are a number of other noteworthy sites in early development

stages that have the potential to further change the character of the area, with a particular focus on cultural, educational and residential uses.

The London Film School has confirmed its move in 2017 to the Barbican

Centre’s Exhibition Hall One on Beech Street. The Museum of London has

announced an ambition to redesign its building. A masterplan study of the site is underway.

To the north, the City of London is in the early stages of planning a new school at the site of the former Richard Cloudesley School and adjacent

adult education centre on Golden Lane. This is a joint City of London and

London Borough of Islington project. The site will include a new one-form

entry primary school as well as affordable housing. Nearby, on Fann Street, proposals to refurbish the former YMCA building into 74 apartments have been submitted to the City of London.

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DEVELOPMENT CONTEX T

Recently completed (since 2009) Under construction Planning permission granted Crossrail development sites Route of Crossrail tunnels Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3.4 DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT Public realm improvements

Significant public realm improvements are planned in the City of London. The junction of Aldersgate Street and London Wall was identified by the

TfL Road Modernisation Plan (2014) as one of 33 London junctions requiring improvements to make them safer and more attractive for vulnerable road

users. A City of London project exploring the removal of St Paul’s gyratory

is in its early stages. This is also being explored as part of the Cheapside and Guildhall Area Strategy.

The removal of the gyratory system would unlock the potential of London Wall and Aldersgate Street, improving the connectivity to surrounding

CI T Y OF LONDON PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS

Barbican Area Strategy (2008) West Smithfield Area Enhancement Strategy (2013) Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy (2013) Cheapside & Guildhall Area Enhancement Strategy (draft October 2014) Bank Area Enhancement Strategy (2013) St Paul’s gyratory Public realm improvements associated with Crossrail station exits Crossrail station entrance/exit Strategy boundary Borough boundary

neighbourhoods and creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment.

There are also planned streetscene upgrade projects associated with the

City of London’s ongoing area enhancement strategies. These vary in scope and size, and include greening, repaving and decluttering streets and spaces.

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3.5 THE IMPACT OF CROSSRAIL

The arrival of Crossrail to the area in 2018/2019 will have a significant

impact on the public realm around the new station exits. Farringdon and

Liverpool Street stations will have exits at Moorfields (Liverpool Street west)

FARRINGDON AND LIVERPOOL STREE T CROSSRA IL STAT IONS

and Long Lane (Farringdon east), having a notable effect on the Barbican and Golden Lane area. According to Crossrail estimates, the western

entrance to Liverpool Street station, on Moorfields, is expected to be one of

the busiest on the Crossrail route. Projected exit figures are being reviewed and updated. These are likely to bring a significant uplift in pedestrian numbers in the area.

The City of London is developing proposals for the design of the public realm at these station exits. Proposals will be based on detailed design

briefs that represent consensus between the City of London and Crossrail on the scope, considerations and direction of each project.

Both stations will be programmed as part of the Culture Line, Crossrailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

arts programme, designed to provide art works across eight central London stations. The Culture Line is a partnership between Crossrail, the Mayor of London, the Department for Transport and the City of London.

Each station will be curated by a partner gallery, which will assist in

commissioning artists to deliver site-specific art interventions embedded

into the design of each station. The confirmed gallery partners are Victoria Miro for Liverpool Street station, and Sadie Coles HQ for Farringdon station.

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Street-level pedestrian routes Podium-level pedestrian routes Crossrail station entrance/exit Escalator to podium level Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3.5 THE IMPACT OF CROSSRAIL

New Union Street, although lined by service entrances and blank frontages, provides a useful cut-through for pedestrians heading west from Moorgate station

There are frequent conflicts between vehicles and pedestrians crossing Aldersgate Street

The view west from Moorfields Highwalk is obstructed by the vaulted perspex roof structure introduced in the 1980s on Brandon Mews

The public realm around Barbican station, very close to the proposed Crossrail exit on Long Lane, is already congested at peak times

CHALLENGES The expected uplift in pedestrian numbers brought about by the arrival

structure over Brandon Mews (introduced as a solution to leaks in the

area’s streets and spaces.

This view, if opened, could aid orientation and wayfinding. The exit at

of Crossrail will exacerbate some of the challenges currently faced by the From Moorgate station there are no direct or visible routes westward to the

Barbican and Golden Lane area. Unless improved, this will create confusion among new visitors arriving at the exit on Moorfields.

At street level, large blocks create an impermeable environment for those moving west from Moorfields. Although there are cut-throughs into

CityPoint and New Union Street (a private vehicular street), neither are easily identified upon exit at the station.

From Moorgate station, an escalator provides a connection to the podium. Upon arrival at the podium, neighbouring buildings obstruct views to

destinations and landmarks, and there is little visual connection westward

original roof), which obstructs an important view across the Barbican lake. Moorfields will include a new escalator to the podium, and in consequence will mean a probable increase in pedestrian numbers arriving at the Moorfields Highwalk.

The public realm around Barbican station is already congested, with

peak-time pedestrian flows overwhelming the pavements around the

station and along Beech Street. The junction of Beech Street and Aldersgate Street is dominated by vehicles, causing frequent conflict between road

users. Unless tackled, these issues will be exacerbated with the anticipated

increase in pedestrian numbers walking from the Crossrail Farringdon east exit on Long Lane towards Aldersgate Street and Beech Street.

from Moorfields Highwalk. This is worsened by the vaulted perspex

3 • W I D ER A RE A S U RV E Y

3.5 THE IMPACT OF CROSSRAIL Liverpool Street West/Moorfields

Diagrams showing two design options: the proposed closure of Moor Place to through traffic (left) and an alternative reopening of Moor Place to traffic (right). Drawings by Gross Max, Steer Davies Gleave and DPA

Crossrail estimates suggest that the western entrance of Liverpool Street

The proposals include two options for Moorfields: one where Moor Place

urban integration of the public realm around the Moorfields exit are being

where Moor Place is open to through traffic. In both cases, the southern end

station will be one of the busiest on the Crossrail route. Proposals for the

developed by Gross Max landscape architects in collaboration with Steer Davies Gleave and DPA lighting. These proposals, commissioned by the

City of London, respond to a design brief that is based on the principles, proposals and recommendations set out in the Liverpool Street Area Enhancement Strategy (2013).

At present, Moorfields is a quiet street lined by the backs of shops and

handsome buildings. The Liverpool Street Area Strategy recommends that Moorfields should provide a pleasant, safe and beautiful City of London street. Given the anticipated increase in retail fronts on Moorfields, the

strategy also highlights opportunities to provide outdoor seating and trees.

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(to the south of Moorfields) is closed to through traffic, and an alternative of the street will be a pedestrian-priority space with bicycles permitted. A new escalator to the podium will be provided as part of the Crossrail

station development. Addressing the arrival experience and wayfinding will be paramount both at street and podium level, particularly for the routes to the west.

3.5 THE IMPACT OF CROSSRAIL Farringdon East/Lindsey Street

West Smithfield Area Strategy (2013)

Farringdon’s eastern exit will have entrances at the Long Lane end of the station, on Lindsey Street and Hayne Street. A partner developer for an

OSD has not yet been established, but indicative proposals suggest retail uses along Carthusian Street to the north.

A design brief for the station exit’s public realm is being developed by the City of London. Detailed design proposals will be based on proposals set

out by Crossrail in 2011 and will respond to the principles set out in the City of London’s West Smithfield Area Enhancement Strategy (2013). The design brief will require safe pedestrian crossings, widened footways and raised tables, with parking and loading bays integrated into the footway design. Farringdon’s eastern exit will provide a direct link to important cultural

destinations to the east along Beech Street, including the Barbican Centre and GSMD. In its current state, Beech Street is an unwelcome route for this purpose, with high levels of air pollution and a poor pedestrian

environment. Resolution of these problems will require care and attention.

Indicative design proposal for Farringdon East, developed by Crossrail

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3.6 TRANSPORT LINKS

The Barbican and Golden Lane area is primarily served by Barbican and Moorgate underground stations, while St Paul’s, Farringdon, Old Street

and Liverpool Street stations are all within walking distance. Bus stops are

mostly located on perimeter streets, with only one bus running through the area, along Beech Street. Cycle hire stations are distributed throughout the area.

As illustrated in the adjacent urban form analysis map by Space Syntax,

which shows walking distances from stations, the majority of the strategy

area is within a five-minute walk of a station exit. Nevertheless, a number of highwalk routes and some spaces to the south of the Barbican lake are more than five minutes’ walking distance from a public transport stop, with St Giles’ Terrace being the furthest from one (for further details see p.108 of Appendix C).

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TRANSPORT LINK S

Cycle Hire docking station London Underground station Central line Northern line Hammersmith & City line Circle line Metropolitan line Waterloo & City line Crossrail station (2018/2019) British Rail station Bus stop Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3.6 TRANSPORT LINKS Road network hierarchy

ROAD NE T WORK (LONDON-WIDE)

Transport for London Road Network (TfL) A Roads Strategy boundary Borough boundary

HIGHWAY HIERARCHY (CI T Y OF LONDON)

Local Distributor Road (Local Plan 2015) Borough Distributor Road (Local Plan 2015) London Distributor Road (Local Plan 2015) Strategy boundary Borough boundary

There are few vehicular streets in the strategy area. Aldersgate Street

Other vehicular thoroughfares in the area include Silk Street, Golden Lane

Distributor Road. The dual carriageway was designed in the late 1950s for

carries heavy traffic through the Barbican and Golden Lane area. The City of

and London Wall are part of a gyratory system designated as a Borough

fast-moving traffic, while pedestrians were expected to use a network of

highwalks. The way in which London Wall and other City streets are used

and Fann Street. Beech Street, although not a designated distributor road, London is undertaking a traffic impact assessment of Beech Street.

has changed dramatically since, and on the 20th July 2014 a 20mph speed limit was introduced across the City of London as part of a Road Danger Reduction Plan.

S PAC E S Y N TA X Urban form analysis Public transport attraction Walking distance from station exits

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3.6 TRANSPORT LINKS Bus routes

The Barbican and Golden Lane area is well served by buses, although only the route 153 passes through the area. Moorgate is particularly busy, with six north–south routes travelling along it.

Although there are good east–west services along Old Street, the southern part of the strategy area is not as well served, with only the route 100 travelling along London Wall.

TfL is reviewing the bus routes through Bank junction as part of a wider review. The potential re-routing along London Wall would benefit the southern part of the strategy area.

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BUS ROUTES

Bus stop Diverted bus routes Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3.6 TRANSPORT LINKS Bus stops in the area

The map above shows usage for a number of bus stops in and around the

BUS STOP USAGE

strategy area, supplied by TfL. Since the data was collected, the eastbound

stop on Beech Street and the westbound stop on Chiswell Street have been removed. It is also worth noting that the 153 route has been on diversion

along Chiswell Street and Finsbury Square for a number of years. Prior to this diversion, the route included Silk Street.

A number of key patterns can be drawn from the data:

Route 153 (TfL survey 2012) Route 4 (TfL survey 2013) Route 100 (TfL survey 2011) Route 56 (TfL survey 2013) Number of passengers boarding (darker) and alighting (lighter) Strategy boundary Borough boundary

• The use of the two bus stops on Beech Street is significantly lower than that of other bus stops in the area

• The largest concentration of use in the area is by Barbican station,

probably as people change between underground and bus services

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3.6 TRANSPORT LINKS Cycling

Cycle lanes on Beech Street

Cyclists on Fann Street, a well-used route

CYCLE INFRA STRUCTURE

EXIST ING LONDON CYCLE NE T WORK

Cycle Hire docking station Cycle racks (within strategy boundary) Marked cycle paths Cycle contraflow Strategy boundary Borough boundary

Cycle Hire docking station Signed or marked routes (TfL cycle map 2012/2013) Quieter routes recommended by other cyclists (TfL cycle map 2012/2013) Strategy boundary Borough boundary

Within the strategy area, there are cycle lanes along Beech Street, Chiswell

A cyclist movement study was carried out by Space Syntax in late 2013.

southbound along the central stretch of Aldersgate. There are also a number

Lane (moving west) as the streets with the highest rates of cycle movement.

Street, along London Wall (between Moorgate and Wood Street) and

The study identified Moorgate (in both directions) and Beech Street/Long

of cycle contraflows on Fann Street, Viscount Street and Moor Lane.

Lower but significant levels of movement were observed on the streets

Beech Street is a particularly popular route for cyclists despite the poor air

around the eastern perimeter of the Barbican.

quality and lack of space. Cycle lanes are often invaded by pedestrians at

Overall cyclist flows observed across the strategy area over the day and

There is another well used eastâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;west cycle route along Fann Street, Fortune

9am, and an evening peak between 6pm and 7pm. Cyclist movement flows

Street for cyclists.

and 4pm. Evening movement showed flows that steadily decreased in both

The map above illustrates the network of routes in the area published by

see map and diagram adjacent and p.93 of Appendix C.

peak times, particularly at its southern end where pavements are narrower.

evening highlighted a strong weekday morning peak between 8am and

Street and Dufferin Street. This route provides a quieter alternative to Beech

were much lower at the weekend, with an afternoon peak between 3pm

TfL as a guide to recommended routes for cyclists. Some routes are signed

or marked, others are recommended as quieter routes. The published guide does not include a number of cycle lanes that exist within the strategy area.

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cases. For further details on the cycling studies carried out by Space Syntax

3.6 TRANSPORT LINKS London Cycle Grid PROPOSED LONDON CYCLE GRID Quietway Grid to be developed by City of London Quietway to be developed by neighbouring authority Proposed (TfL) Cycle Superhighway Strategy boundary Borough boundary

The map on the left shows the proposed Cycle Grid of quietways and Cycle Superhighways in and

around the strategy area

(please note: this proposal is

under development and subject to change). The proposed

grid includes Beech Street

(currently well used by cyclists despite its poor environment) as an east–west quietway. Proposed north–south

quietways in the area include Moor Lane and Wood Street

SPACE SYN TA X Urban function Cyclist distribution across the day and evening

SPACE SYN TA X Urban function Daytime cyclist movement Weekday all-day average

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3.7 USE Land use: Street level

NB. Land uses shown are indicative only and may not be the use as defined within the Town & Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as amended

The Barbican and Golden Lane area has a mix of uses that is unusual in the City of London. As well as residential uses, the Golden Lane estate includes sports facilities, a community centre and shops. The Barbican

USE CL A SSES A1 Shops

estate includes cultural and educational facilities such as the City of

London School for Girls, the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Barbican Centre, as well as dwellings. Other uses in the area include the Museum of London, two churches, livery companies, a hotel, a number

of shops and several commercial office premises. This variety results in a neighbourhood with activity and life throughout the day and week.

A2 Financial and professional services A3 Restaurants and cafĂŠs A4 Drinking establishments A5 Hot food take-away B1 Business C1 Hotel C3 Dwelling houses D1 Non-residential institution D2 Assembly and leisure Sui-generis Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.7 USE Land use: Podium level

NB. Land uses shown are indicative only and may not be the use as defined within the Town & Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 as amended

Uses at podium level include cultural facilities including the Guildhall

School of Music & Drama, City of London School for Girls, Barbican Centre and Museum of London – a number of these also have associated cafés,

USE CL A SSES A1 Shops

restaurants and shops. Other notable uses include shops and offices above London Wall. Most of the Barbican estate’s dwellings have podium-level access.

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3.7 USE Use over time

DAY T IME, EVENING AND NIGHT-T IME USE The area’s mix of educational, arts and residential uses

means that this is one of the few places in the City that has life and activity throughout the day, and into the evening. There is a great deal of activity during the daytime, with

cultural institutions, the City of London School for Girls, St Giles’ Cripplegate church, sports and leisure centres,

commercial offices and shops all bringing life to the area. Activity is somewhat reduced in the evening and at night, but the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music &

Drama remain open, as do a number of local shops, sports and leisure centres, pubs and restaurants.

Residential activity is constant throughout.

USE Active Residential/hotel Daytime: inactive/vacant Evening: inactive/vacant Night time: inactive/vacant Pavement Construction site

DAY T IME Podium level

“We could hire out the tennis courts ten times over I think, same with the badminton courts…they’re open 8am in the morning to 8pm in the evening…they’re super popular!”

“Saturday mornings we get a lot of families (at Golden Lane Sport and Fitness). In the week it’s Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons. Tuesday we have after-school tennis lessons and Thursdays it’s swimming”

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DAY T IME Street level

3.7 USE Use over time

E VENING Podium level

NIGHT T IME Podium level

E VENING Street level

NIGHT T IME Street level

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3.7 USE Use over time: daytime, evening, night time DAY T IME USE

A morning yoga class in the Golden Lane community centre

Whitecross Street market at lunchtime

Workers enjoy lunch in the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden

A range of users of all ages enjoy the Lakeside Terrace

People working, studying and relaxing in the Barbican Centre’s foyer

Early afternoon coffee break by St Anne and St Agnes church on Noble Street

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3.7 USE Use over time: daytime, evening, night time EVENING AND NIGHT-T IME USE

EVENING AND NIGHT-T IME USE

Summer evening on the Lakeside Terrace

Many GSMD students live in Sundial Court on Chiswell Street. GSMD practice rooms are used well into the evenings

Pedestrians cross Gilbert Bridge in the evening rush hour

Pedestrians walk along Beech Street in the evening rush hour

Milton Court is busy in the evenings, particularly around performance times

The restaurants, bars and cafés facing the Lakeside Terrace are open into the night

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3.7 USE Use over time: weekend use DAY T IME USE The area’s mix of uses means this is one of the few areas in the City with activity at the weekend. The Museum of London, GSMD, Barbican Centre and Barbican

Conservatory (currently only open on Sundays) are

important weekend destinations, and the area’s churches draw local residents to Sunday services.

This island of weekend activity is disconnected from

Liverpool Street and weekend markets to the east, and

from St Paul’s Cathedral and the Southbank to the south. The arrival of Crossrail in 2018/2019 will lead to an

increase in activity around the station exits, and has the potential to connect the weekend activity of Liverpool Street with that of the Barbican. The Local Plan (2015)

highlights the link between St Paul’s and the Museum of London as a priority for improved connections.

USE (WEEKEND) Active Residential/hotel Inactive/vacant Pavement Construction site

SUNDAY DAY T IME Podium level

“The City always used to shut at about 7pm and at the weekend it was dead. Now that’s changed and it’s much busier…the arts centre at the weekend is packed”

“It’s great on a Sunday morning when people just spill out of (St Giles’) church. You see children quite at home playing in the graveyard area, and their parents lingering”

SUNDAY DAY T IME Street level

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3.7 USE Use over time: weekend use

ARE A S OF WEEKEND AC T I V I T Y

“Why not improve pedestrian routes east–west? Smithfield and Liverpool Street are already vibrant areas” Spatial Strategy (Figure B: Key Diagram), Local Plan (2015)

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3.7 USE Use over time: weekend WEEKEND USE

A resident returns home with a Sunday paper and some shopping

Parishioners leave St Gilesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Cripplegate church after Sunday service

Visitors exit the Barbican Conservatory, open only on Sundays

Weekend activity in the Barbican Centre

A group of students looking for the Museum of London consults a map on London Wall

Audiences leave Milton Court after a Sunday concert

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3.7 USE Use over time: seasons

Spring blossoms on St Giles’ Terrace

Early summer on the Lakeside Terrace

The autumn colours of the reeds transform the character of the lake

A sunny winter afternoon on St Giles’ Terrace

Seasonal changes are particularly noticeable in the area due to the abundance of greenery and wildlife. The colour and character of the area’s spaces change dramatically over time, particularly in the Barbican estate. Many of the area’s hard spaces, notably on the podium, can be harsh and windy during the winter months.

“Peaceful, a place to be at one with nature, see things changing across the seasons, and to escape being in the city”

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3.8 NEIGHBOURHOOD AMENIT Y

The Barbican and Golden Lane area is a residential neighbourhood served by a wealth of local facilities, which are illustrated in the adjacent map.

There are several educational institutions in the area, ranging from nurseries

and primary schools, to secondary schools and institutes of higher education.

Some of the facilities associated with these educational uses, such as the City of

London School for Girls’ football pitches, are used by local workers and residents outside of school hours. There are sports facilities available to local residents, including the tennis courts, swimming pool, and the gym and fitness classes

at Golden Lane Sport and Fitness. Local health services include GP surgeries, dental centres and physiotherapy practices. Although there are a number of

small shops within the Barbican estate, the only concentration of shops within

the strategy area can be found in Crescent House on Goswell Road, part of the Golden Lane estate. Retail uses include hair salons, newsagents, dry cleaners

and cafés. Residents enjoy an unusually high number of cultural facilities, with internationally renowned institutions, arts centres, theatres and museums at

Fortune Street Park is well used during the week and at weekends

their doorstep.

Open spaces are an important part of the neighbourhood. Fortune Street Park,

in the London Borough of Islington, is well used by the area’s residents and local

workers. The Barbican’s lakeside spaces are also popular with local families. Both the Barbican and Golden Lane estates have private gardens with dedicated play areas. To the south, Postman’s Park provides a peaceful oasis.

Other neighbourhood amenity includes libraries and community centres. There are several hobby groups in the area including a music appreciation society,

reading groups and book clubs, an art society, wildlife and horticultural groups, and chess, bridge, table tennis and tennis clubs. These groups meet in a range

of spaces including the Barbican Library, Golden Lane Community Centre and Golden Lane Sport and Fitness.

Although the Golden Lane estate has a well-used community centre, the

Barbican estate does not. Barbican resident groups use the Lilac Room in the

Run by a Barbican resident, Geranium (located at the base of Lauderdale Tower) is a shop that caters to local residents

Barbican Estate Office, but the Barbican Residents Association has voiced concerns that this room does not adequately fulfil the needs of resident

groups. Residents have expressed a desire to find a more suitable space for community use.

There is a concentration of wider neighbourhood amenity located outside the

strategy area, in many cases outside the City of London. In particular, there are clusters of shops, cafés and restaurants around Whitecross Street to the north, and Moorgate to the south.

“Excellent mix of residential and cultural. Urban living at its finest. Real sense of community. Well maintained. Love the leisure centre! Love the shops below Crescent House!”

The Golden Lane Sport and Fitness’s pool can be seen from surrounding spaces

“I would welcome the creation of a pleasant, accessible, multi-use central space (in the Barbican), similar to that available to Golden Lane residents, where we can hold community events, have a place to meet fellow residents, and keep a permanent collection of information on local services” Local residents on Whitecross Street

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NEIGHBOURHOOD AMENI T Y Nursery school/primary school Preparatory/specialist/further education Higher/adult education Museum/gallery/theatre/cinema Library Hospital Health service Police station

Retail: independent Retail: high street Retail: market

Food and drink: bar Food and drink: restaurant Food and drink: café/takeaway

Community centre Religious building Outdoor sports court

Health club/gym

Allotments Play space Private green space Public green space

Station entrance Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.8 NEIGHBOURHOOD AMENIT Y Play The adjacent map shows the location of play spaces in and around the strategy area. Publicly accessible playgrounds in the area are few. The playground in Fortune Street Park is well used, particularly in the

afternoons after the adjacent school closes and opens its entrance doors into the park. Fortune Street Park is also busy at lunchtime when local workers

sit in the park with food often purchased from Whitecross Street market or Waitrose nearby.

The play facilities in the Golden Lane estate comprise a sunken play space for young children and a recently improved ball games area. The estate’s play provision is different to that conceived by Chamberlin, Powell and

Bon. The estate originally included a playground for older children. This

was replaced by a paddling pool, which was later filled in and grassed over.

Original designs also included a play space for younger children on the roof terrace of Great Arthur House, now closed.

Girls play on St Giles’ Terrace

Although the Barbican and Golden Lane estates each have playgrounds,

the play equipment in both is unremarkable. The Barbican Listed Building

Management Guidelines Volume IV: Landscaping note that the playground at the west end of Thomas More Garden has ‘no particular relationship to

the essential character of the Barbican, but is not detrimental provided that

the area is screened by the hedge line extending from Lambert Jones Mews’. Nevertheless, the Barbican and Golden Lane area offers a range of exciting spaces and play opportunities. The extraordinary landscape of the area,

which includes archaeological remains, greenery and dramatic views, as well as the Barbican lake and its associated wildlife, provides a unique topography for learning and exploration.

Additionally, the highwalks provide a safe environment for play that is free from traffic. Young residents and visitors can often be seen playing in these expansive podium spaces, while pupils at the City of London School for Girls use them to practise cross-country running.

A young girl rides a scooter on Cromwell Highwalk

“We like the highwalks, you can see the traffic passing below, and we can ride scooters or go on rollerblades”

Children play in Speed Garden, within the Barbican estate

Children climb a cherry tree in Fortune Street Park

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After school, Fortune Street Park

PL AY SPACES

Public play space Private play space Nursery school /primary school Private space Pedestrian public space Private green space Public green space Station entrance Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.9 CULTURAL USES Overview Cultural uses are integral to the identity of the Barbican and Golden Lane area. The Barbican Centre, Museum of London and Guildhall School of

Music & Drama are widely recognised to be vital cultural centres, not only

for the area but City and London-wide. The City’s Local Plan (2015) seeks to

promote a high-quality public realm to support the development of the City as a cultural destination. Its policies support and protect cultural facilities, encouraging, promoting and raising awareness of the City’s wealth of cultural and heritage assets.

The City’s Cultural Strategy 2012–17 expands on this ambition by endorsing the aspiration to develop a cultural hub in the area. The City’s Visitor

Strategy 2013–18 highlights the ambition to connect local cultural assets to those further afield including Tate Modern and the South Bank.

Opened in 1982, the Barbican Centre is a global arts venue, the artistic home to a wide range of creators and performers. The centre is visited by 1.8

million people each year, and delivers a diverse programme of dance, film, theatre, music and visual arts events and exhibitions.

Milton Court, part of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama

The Museum of London is the central historical repository for the City

of London. Its collections contain over two million objects, including the largest archaeological archive in Europe. Located in the area since 1976,

400,000 people per year visit the museum to learn about London and the people who have lived in the city since its Roman origins.

The Guildhall School of Music & Drama is one of the world’s leading higher education facilities for performance and stage professionals. Established

in 1880, the school moved to its current site in 1977 and trains more than

800 international students each year in music, acting, and stage and theatre management.

Other cultural buildings in the area include St Giles’ Cripplegate church and the Jewin Welsh church, as well as three livery companies (Salters,

Ironmongers and Barbers). The heritage value of the built environment is celebrated through architectural tours of the estates.

Additional cultural uses are expected to arrive in the area and its vicinity

in forthcoming years, including the Charterhouse, which is set to open as a museum in 2016, the London Film School, which has announced a move to

Children play in the foyer of the Barbican Centre

the Barbican Centre’s Exhibition Hall One in 2017, and Crossrail’s Culture

Line in 2018/2019, which will see Farringdon and Liverpool Street stations programmed with art.

“We’re very lucky. There’s an exceptional density of cultural organisations with an international reputation”

Children arrive at the Museum of London on a school visit

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CULTURAL USES Library Religious building Museum/gallery/theatre/cinema Livery company Private green space Public green space Station entrance Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.9 CULTURAL USES Public art Considering the number of cultural institutions in the area and their

internationally recognised programmes, there are relatively few instances of art in the area’s public realm. This has been improved in recent years with the relocation of Dorothy Annan’s nine ceramic murals from Farringdon

Street to Speed Highwalk in 2013 and with the installation of Martin Creed’s neon light piece Work No. 1637: FEELINGS (2013), commissioned by the

Guildhall School of Music & Drama and developed in collaboration with the Barbican Art Gallery.

Temporary installations on the Museum of London’s rotunda change to

reflect the museum’s programme of exhibitions. Advertisements for cultural events are rare in the public realm, as outdoor advertising is regulated within the City of London.

The number of installations and sculptures in the area is expected to grow over time. The City of London’s Local Plan (2015) and Cultural Strategy 2012–17 both promote the incorporation of public art in the City.

Farringdon and Liverpool Street stations will both be programmed as part of the Culture Line, Crossrail’s art programme, when the line opens in 2018/2019.

“Install significant pieces of modern art around the Barbican Centre and they will become ‘landmarks’ which then come to define the area/zone in which they are located”

Artist Dorothy Annan’s nine Grade II listed ceramic murals were commissioned by the Ministry of Works in 1960 for Fleet House on Farringdon Street. In 2014, when Fleet House was demolished, the murals were relocated to the highwalk that links the Barbican Centre with Speed Highwalk

Martin Creed’s FEELINGS, installed in 2013, is suspended in the foyer of Milton Court, and is visible from Silk Street, Milton Street and Speed Highwalk

“Why is there not more public art? the Dorothy Annan murals are fantastic and have really animated what was a narrow, dark, corridor space” During early 2014 two temporary, enlarged depictions of a salamander jewel brooch were installed on the Museum of London’s rotunda. The installations referenced the Museum of London’s temporary display ‘The Cheapside Hoard: London’s Lost Jewels’

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PUBLIC ART

Public art Private green space Public green space Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.9 CULTURAL USES Wider area In order to examine the City’s ambition to develop a cultural hub in

the area, the City’s cultural offer has been considered more widely. The

adjacent map seeks to represent the cultural assets in the wider area. As well as cultural institutions, museums and performing arts venues, the

map includes galleries, religious buildings, markets, community centres, educational uses, trusts and funds, archives and livery companies. The

City’s phenomenal built heritage and lived or informal cultural activity are also important to consider.

Some key patterns can be drawn from the mapped assets:

• Galleries clustered in Shoreditch, Brick Lane and Clerkenwell • A wealth of educational uses in the area (mapped within the dotted

rectangle only), including primary and secondary schools, university

buildings and adult education centres. Specialist and higher education

facilities are closely related to performing arts, including the GSMD and Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts

The London College of Fashion, on Golden Lane

• An abundance of churches and livery companies in the City • Buildings such as the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall provide a range of different cultural functions

• There is a significant absence of cultural provision in the area linking the Barbican and Liverpool Street

• The link between the Museum of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Tate

Modern (highlighted as a priority in the City’s Local Plan) is direct, but aside from St Botolph-without-Aldersgate church there are few other cultural attractions along the northern section of the route

“It’s unique in that you’ve got students along with professional musicians, actors, arts workers and residents… having the arts centre as a place to meet and exchange, and just being in the environment of a world class arts institution, really aided the feeling of being part of a creative community”

Whitecross Street market

The Guildhall

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CULTURAL USES Museums and galleries Performing arts Community centres Libraries and archives Livery companies Religious buildings Trusts, charities and foundations Markets

EDUCAT IONAL USES (M A PPED W I T HIN DOT T ED REC TA NGLE)

Nursery school/primary school Preparatory/specialist/further education Higher/adult education

Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.9 CULTURAL USES Festivals, events and walks A number of events, festivals and installations take place in the area. These

events occur throughout the calendar year, and continue to grow in size and programme. The adjacent map shows major events that have taken place in 2013 and 2014.

Some, like Open House Weekend, the London Design Festival, the London Festival of Architecture and Dance Umbrella Festival, are London-wide

events. Others relate to particular clusters or districts, such as Clerkenwell Design Week, Sculpture in the City and Totally Thames Festival. Walks, trails and celebrated routes include the Lord Mayor’s Show, the City Gardens Trust Walk and this year’s Year of the Bus trail.

The map also serves to illustrate the abundance of cultural partnerships that exists in the area. A number of buildings are particularly widely used and

shared for events: the Barbican Centre, Guildhall and Rich Mix all feature as venues for numerous festivals.

The 2014 Lord Mayor’s Show, passing through Aldersgate Street before the start of the parade

High Wind IV, by Lynn Chadwick, installed at 30 St Mary Axe as part of Sculpture in the City 2014

The Tiny Travelling Theatre in Clerkenwell Green, part of Clerkenwell Design Week 2013

Parallel Field, by Antony Gormley, installed at St Mary Axe as part of Sculpture in the City 2014

Time here becomes space, Space here becomes time by Cerith Wyn Evans, installed in Leadenhall Market as part of Sculpture in the City 2014

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EVENTS AND FEST IVALS (2013–2014) London Festival of Architecture (1st–30th June 2014) London International Arts Festival (26th October 2014) EFG London Jazz Festival (14th–23rd November 2014) London International Animation Festival (24th October– 2nd November 2014) Totally Thames Festival (1st–30th September 2014) London Design Festival (13th–21st September 2014) Clerkenwell Design Week (19th–21st May 2014) City of London Festival (22nd June–17th July 2014) BFI London Film Festival (8th–19th October 2014) Dance Umbrella Festival (14th–31st October 2014) Ice Rinks (17th November 2014–25th February 2015) Open House (20th–21st September 2014) Art at the Bridge Philanthropy: the City Story (24th November 2013–10th January 2014)

Framed Film Festival (22nd–23rd November 2014) Listen to the World Spitalfields Music Winter Festival (5th–6th December 2014) Armistice Day Events (November 2014) City of London Guides Sculpture in the City Paddington Bear Picnic Weekend & Sculpture Trail The Year of the Bus Trail Wild in Art City Trail Christmas Events (November–December 2014) Lord Mayor’s Show (8th November 2014) The London Wall Walk City Gardens Trust Walk

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3.9 CULTURAL USES Creative industries The City of London has traditionally been recognised for its financial

services industries. However, the City fringe area is now recognised as

a focus for creative industries. London is recognised internationally for the productivity and strength of its creative sector. Within the city, this sector provides one in six jobs, and makes an economic contribution of

£21.4 billion (Mayor’s Cultural Strategy for London, 2014). Particular areas of London are recognised as being home to concentrations of creative

industries: ‘‘those activities which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation

through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property” (DCMS, 1998). Examples include Soho, with its film, media and

post-production music businesses, and the West End, known for its theatre and entertainment industries.

A 2005 report by TBR Economics estimated that the City fringe was home

Map showing technology businesses in East London (Source of data: techcitymap.com)

to more than eight percent of London’s creative sector, employing around 39,000 people in its creative industries. Creative firms continue to locate

along the north and eastern boundaries of the City, as well as in hotspots in the areas of Clerkenwell, Shoreditch and East London.

Particular industries concentrated in the wider area include fashion,

jewellery and crafts, as well as digital media, furniture, and cultural

tourism. The majority of firms are located in agglomerations, supporting particular industries; for example, the jewellery businesses of Hatton

Garden, and the fashion studios around Brick Lane and Bethnal Green

Road. Firms focussed on technology and digital media have developed

clusters, including the one surrounding the Old Street roundabout, often referred to as ‘Tech City’ or ‘Silicon Roundabout’.

In 2005, 83 percent of creative firms in the fringe had nine or fewer

employees. If these figures are still valid it makes this area significant for

its high numbers of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Since the

1970s, the City fringe has contained various not-for-profit studios, designed

to provide co-located studio spaces to individuals or small businesses in the creative industries. Both the fringe and the City itself have also witnessed a growth in co-working spaces, established to support new start-ups and

freelancers, such as the Innovation Warehouse on top of Smithfield Market and the Google Campus in Shoreditch.

Alongside the more formal co-working spaces in the City, individuals

Many use the Barbican Centre’s interior spaces to work, meet or study

also seek out informal work spaces to answer emails, work on tasks and have meetings. Cafés are often used as informal work spaces, as is the

Barbican Centre. Equipped with chairs, tables, plug sockets and free wifi,

the Barbican foyer and library provide a variety of spaces for co-working, meetings and research.

“People want the street life and diversity that City fringe locations offer, Old Street, Clerkenwell, we’re right next to them here. The City needs to open up its boundaries and think about the opportunities of better links” Innovation Warehouse, a co-working space and creative hub in Smithfield Market

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3.9 CULTURAL USES Creative industries

Locations of creative sector firms (top) and creative sector employment (above) in the City fringe, from ‘Analysing the creative sector in the City fringe’ (2005), by TBR Economics. The strategy boundary has been added for clarity. The creative sector clusters at Clerkenwell and Old Street/Shoreditch can be clearly distinguished

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Overview The Barbican and Golden Lane area’s unusual layout, with

few vehicular streets and a network of highwalks, results in

the largest quantity of pedestrian space in the City of London.

The City of London’s Open Spaces Audit (2013), which outlines the distribution and size of open spaces in the City, highlights

that 51 percent of the City’s open spaces are located within the North of the City.

The area’s public realm is a complex landscape distributed across several levels. The lower podium is approximately

three metres above street level, while the upper podium is

approximately six metres above street level. The Barbican’s

highwalks often feel much higher, as areas such as the Lakeside Terrace and residential gardens are several metres lower than surrounding streets. The Golden Lane estate contains sunken

spaces that correspond to the basement levels of the buildings bombed during the Blitz.

The following section explores the area’s public realm in more detail. The complexity of its levels is graphically simplified in subsequent pages.

GROUND LEVEL (including open spaces below street level)

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LOWER PODIUM LEVEL

UPPER PODIUM LEVEL

(approximately 3m above street level)

(approximately 6m above street level)

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Overview

CI T Y OF LONDON

A Civic space primary (7.6 ha) B Civic space secondary (9.1 ha) C Parks and gardens (5.1 ha) D Cemeteries and churchyards (4.3 ha) E Amenity green space (2.9 ha) F Natural and semi-natural green spaces (1.2 ha) G Local green corridors (0.4 ha) H Provision for children and young people (0.8 ha) I Outdoor sports facilities (0.6 ha)

G I

E F

Source: Open Spaces Audit (2013), City of London

F STRATEGY AREA A Civic space primary (1.3 ha) B Civic space secondary (2.4 ha) C Parks and gardens (0.5 ha) D Cemeteries and churchyards (0.8 ha) E Amenity green space (1.8 ha) F Natural and semi-natural green spaces (1.2 ha) G Local green corridors (0.0 ha) H Provision for children and young people (0.1 ha) I Outdoor sports facilities (0.5 ha) Source: Open Spaces Audit (2013), City of London

A D

B E

C I

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Ground level For the purposes of this study, the complex levels of the area’s streets and sunken spaces have been simplified and represented in the adjacent ground-level map.

The area is bounded by streets including Beech Street, Aldersgate Street

and London Wall. However, there is a wealth of ground-level pedestrian

open space within the area’s interior, much within the Barbican and Golden Lane estates. Notable open spaces at street level within the Barbican estate include the Lakeside Terrace 1 and St Giles’ Terrace 2 ,

as well as the private gardens. The Barbican’s distinctive brick pavers

provide a recognisable quality, albeit in ranging degrees of upkeep. To the south of the Barbican estate, the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden 3 provides a

rare expanse of greenery that is accessible to the public. Another well used

green space is Fortune Street Park 4 , in the London Borough of Islington to the northeast of the strategy area.

The residential character of both estates is evident in the area’s streets

The Lakeside Terrace 1

and spaces. Residents’ planters can be seen from surrounding streets, for example on Fann Street 5 and Golden Lane. While the care and

custodianship from residents of both the Barbican and Golden Lane estates

is noticeable, some of the hard spaces within Golden Lane in particular and, to a lesser extent in the Barbican estate, are in poor condition and in need of maintenance and repair.

Bowater House (Golden Lane estate) seen from Fann Street 5

“Golden Lane is a publicly accessible estate yet the quality of the public spaces is way below that of other City locations. The Grade II listing is often used as an argument for not improving the landscape but there is lots of room for creativity including better planting, more seating, better dustbins and more subtle lighting”

View from Great Arthur House 6

“They’ve just introduced a strip of non-slip paving (in Lauderdale Place) because it was super-slippery before that. People falling over all the time. These tiles are horrendous when they’re wet” View to Beech Street from Bridgewater Street 7

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Ground level

4 6

GROUND LEVEL PUBLIC REALM

S R E L

Public open space/highwalk Private open space Public green space Private green space Tree* Building Internal space, Barbican Centre Wall/fence/level change Building/highwalk above Stair/ramp/escalator/lift up to level above Entrance in use Strategy boundary Borough boundary

* Detailed data sourced from: Barbican Listed Building Management Guidelines Volume IV: Landscaping

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Lower podium The lower podium includes many well used highwalk routes, offering

dramatic views across the interior of the Barbican estate and outwards from its edges. Parts of the lower podium are complicated and disorienting. The highwalk route connecting the Museum of London to Barbican station 1 features many changes in direction. It overlooks the Barbican’s interior

green spaces and the Ironmongers’ Garden, but walls block views out to

Aldersgate Street, which can be disorienting. Similarly, the route east from Moorgate station via Moorfields Highwalk 2 is convoluted and enclosed. The lower podium can be approximated to a complete circuit, with few highwalk spaces leading to dead ends. The now demolished highwalk

linking Andrewes Highwalk to Alban Highwalk and Bassishaw Highwalk

across London Wall (temporarily a dead end) 3 will be reinstated as part of the development at London Wall Place. The lower podium ‘loop’ is severed at its northwestern section, where a ramp leads to the upper podium 4 .

This makes the route to the Barbican Centre from the western end of the

Two workers enjoy a break on Andrewes Highwalk 5

podium convoluted.

The lower podium features well-used benches and a range of planters,

including resident allotments. The inconsistent design of these planters is highlighted in the Barbican Listed Building Management Guidelines

Volume IV: Landscaping. The guidelines include an audit of the Barbican

estate’s street furniture, and recommendations for appropriate specification. Additionally, some of the hard surfaces are in need of repair and maintenance.

View to the west from The Postern 6

“I love the intricate, surprising, suspended alleyways, suddenly opening towards the views of greenery and the water gardens behind the Barbican Centre”

Planters, allotments and benches on Speed Highwalk 7

Defoe Place 8

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Lower podium

2 5 3

LOWER PODIU M LE VEL PU B L IC RE A LM

Public open space/highwalk Private open space Public green space Private green space Building Internal space, Barbican Centre Wall/fence/level change Building/Highwalk above S R E L Stair/ramp/escalator/lift up to level above S R E L Stair/ramp/escalator/lift down to level below Gate managed by Barbican Centre Entrance in use Entrance not in use Strategy Boundary Borough Boundary

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Upper podium In contrast to the lower podium’s slender walkways, the upper podium is characterised by large expanses of open space, in many cases empty and

unused. Where benches are provided, people tend to use them, while many also use the upper podium as a route to Moorgate station. Additionally, many Barbican residents access their flats from this level.

At its western and northern end, a number of connections link directly

to surrounding streets. A stair leads from Barbican station to the upper

podium 1 , a route used by those familiar with the area to arrive at the

Barbican Centre or Museum of London. White Lyon Court 2 , the ramped connection between Ben Jonson Place and Fann Street, is visible, direct

and has activity along its length. It is a well used, successful way up to the podium.

However, the upper podium suffers from many problems. Its spaces have little relation to the Barbican Centre and its conservatory, both of which

have a number of closed access points at this level. These spaces lack a clear

A wall blocks the view east from Cromwell Highwalk 5

identity.

The closed entrance to the Barbican Centre’s exhibition halls, known as the

‘Yellow Shed’ 3 , obstructs long views and pedestrian movement along Ben Jonson Place. Its large signs misguide unknowing visitors.

Frobisher Court 4 is difficult to find; no entrance to this space is visible when approached from Barbican station. Similarly, a wall at Cromwell

Highwalk 5 blocks a view to Beech Street and Chiswell Street that would aid orientation if unobstructed.

The enclosed nature of Ben Jonson Place, surrounded by buildings, vents

and columns, prevents views to the City beyond, resulting in a space that

many find disorientating. The spaces north of these columns are secluded and used mostly by residents accessing their entrances.

Beech Gardens 6 and Ben Johnson Highwalk are undergoing

waterproofing works and improvements to the landscaping. Many other

hard spaces are in need of attention; the paving in Frobisher Court is in a

Large open space on Cromwell Highwalk. Subtle paving details demarcate routes 7

particularly poor condition.

A worker practises tai chi in Frobisher Court. The paving is in poor condition 4

“Who is all the space for?”

Frobisher Court is invisible from Cromwell Highwalk 7

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Upper podium

3 2

6 1

S R E L

U PPER PODIU M LE VEL PU B L IC RE A LM

Public open space/highwalk Private open space Public green space Private green space Building Internal space, Barbican Centre Wall/fence/level change Building/highwalk above Stair/ramp/escalator/lift down to level below Gate managed by Barbican Centre Entrance in use Entrance not in use Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Podium access points There are many access points to the podium including stairs, ramps, lifts

and escalators, with no consistent design or system. This lack of coherence makes for a confusing pedestrian environment.

Some vertical circulation is successful, particularly when well integrated into the surrounding built fabric. White Lyon Court 1 , the generous

ramp from Fann Street, is particularly successful, being both visually

and physically integrated with the Barbican estate and Fann Street. Some connections are playful and elegant, such as the ‘Turret’ 2 (the enclosed

staircase on Aldersgate Street) and the concrete spiral stair at Lauderdale Place 3 .

However, many access points are convoluted and uninviting or simply

invisible, particularly those which are outside the limits of the Barbican

estate. The lift and escalators from St Martin’s le Grand to the podium 4 –

the main access point to the Museum of London – are difficult to see from a

distance, and are frequently out of order. Similarly, the access to The Postern

The spiral stair at Lauderdale Place 3

and Gilbert Bridge from St Giles’ Terrace 5 is hidden when approached from Wood Street, exacerbating the invisibility of north–south routes through the Barbican area.

Residents with disabilities, who know which routes to take, benefit from

generous and level routes as well as direct access to the car park. It is harder for visitors to identify fully accessible routes, with movement limited by elements such as surface treatments, lack of handrails, unclear signage

and differences in levels. Beech Street, despite its poor air quality, uneven

surfaces and narrow pavements, is signed as the principal accessible route from Barbican station to the Barbican Centre.

White Lyon Court provides a direct visual and physical link to Fann Street 1

“[Some] spaces might be fine if you’re able-bodied and can stride across the vast expanses, but are more difficult if you’re frail or less mobile”

The stair connecting St Giles’ Terrace to The Postern is invisible when approached from Wood Street 5

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This long stair connects Bastion Highwalk to a car park ramp. Those wanting to access London Wall have to walk up the steep ramp 6

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“I really believe it’s one of the most accessible places in Europe. As a wheelchair user, it’s great to live here”

The stair from Moor Lane to Moorfields Highwalk 7 is rarely used by pedestrians, while the stair from Moor Lane to Speed Highwalk 8 provides a well used connection to Speed Highwalk

3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Podium access points

3 8

7 5

S E R L

ACCES S Stair/escalator Ramp/lift Public open space/highwalk Private open space Public green space Private green space Wall/fence/level change Building/highwalk above Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces

Open spaces in the Barbican and Golden Lane area have characters, patterns of use and qualities that vary greatly. Aside from private

residential spaces, these include lush gardens such as the Barber-Surgeons’

Garden, St Alphage Gardens, the nearby Fortune Street Park and Postman’s Park (both outside the strategy area), waterside spaces such as the Lakeside Terrace and St Giles’ Terrace, and hard spaces like Ben Jonson Place on the

podium. Certain spaces are harder to see and used less, such as Monkwell Square and Ironmongers’ Garden.

A number of the strategy area’s principal open spaces have been explored in detail in order to understand their particular character, use and issues.

Pedestrian activity (including walking, stopping and sitting) was recorded and mapped simultaneously across several of the area’s spaces over a tenminute period on a sunny weekday lunchtime in November 2014. The following pages illustrate these individual spaces and their characteristics.

LUNCHT IME PEDESTRI AN ACT I V I T Y: Walking, stopping, sitting (key public open spaces)

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces

A O S

C G

D F Q

H R I

PUBL IC OPEN SPACES A

PRI VATE OPEN SPACES Monkwell Square

Thomas More Garden

St Alphage Gardens

Speed Garden

Ironmongers’ Garden

Fann Street Wildlife Garden

Fortune Street Park

Museum of London Garden

Basterfield Lawn

Golden Lane estate

Ben Jonson Place

Cromwell Highwalk

Defoe Place

Beech Gardens

Bernard Morgan House garden

Lauderdale Place

Postman’s Park

Frobisher Court

Lakeside Terrace

St Giles’ Terrace

Barber-Surgeons’ Garden

B C D E

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Golden Lane estate

The Golden Lane estate is well integrated with surrounding streets, and

The space at the base of Great Arthur House, to the east, was originally

permeable east edge of the estate was designed to create links to the

centre of two pedestrian areas. This space is now used for car parking, an

pedestrians often walk through its open spaces on longer journeys. The

Peabody housing to the east. On its western edge, the shops in Crescent

House once had entrances to both the estate and Goswell Road. All but one have closed their access from the estate.

designed as a pedestrian ‘piazza’, with the community centre at the

alteration that is highlighted as problematic in the Golden Lane estate Listed Building Management Guidelines. The estate’s hard surfaces are in poor condition and in need of maintenance and improvement.

A number of community uses animate the estate’s open spaces and

There is little connection between the estate and the Fann Street Wildlife

sports courts add to the life of the area throughout the day and evening.

ramp. The Fann Street Garden Group have voiced aspirations to move the

surrounding streets. Views to the swimming pool, fitness studios and

Additionally, the custodianship of spaces by residents has a positive impact, particularly on Fann Street. Recent upgrades and new tree planting to Fann Street have greatly improved its quality.

Garden, which has its entrance on its western edge, adjacent to a vehicular entrance to Fann Street, which would improve this connection. Although

only accessible to Barbican residents, the garden has the potential to provide visual amenity to Fann Street and the Golden Lane estate.

Signs announce the estate’s condition as a private area, but its open spaces are nevertheless used by the public, particularly at lunchtime. The estate

has relatively few open green spaces, but Fortune Street Park is close by and is well used by Golden Lane residents. Play provision in the Golden Lane

estate is limited, with a small sunken play pit for young children and a ballgames area.

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“I wish the City of London could be as proud of Golden Lane as I am”

3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Golden Lane estate

3 1

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Golden Lane Sport and Fitness

Golden Lane community centre

Play spaces

Areas of interest and activity Entrance (in use) Ramp to podium level

LUNCHT IME PEDESTRI AN ACT I V I T Y Lunchtime activity was observed simultaneously in spaces across the strategy area over a ten-minute period on a sunny weekday in November 2014. Lines denote walking routes observed, while dots represent stopping places chosen by pedestrians. The Golden Lane estate’s open spaces were found to be well used, particularly by local workers resting and eating their lunch. The estate is well connected to surrounding streets, and a high number of pedestrians were observed walking across its interior, particularly those moving between Aldersgate Street to the west and Golden Lane and Fortune Street to the east.

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Lakeside Terrace

Despite being invisible from the street, the Lakeside Terrace is one of the

area’s most successful public spaces. The terrace has a strong relationship with the Barbican Centre, its café and the lake, and provides a variety

of both intimate and communal spaces. People of all ages use the space throughout the day and evening, during the week and at the weekend. The Lakeside Terrace does not provide a through-route but rather a

pedestrian destination, and despite often bustling with activity it is a

space characterised by a leisurely pace. This is a place where life can be

observed, with GSMD students playing instruments in the more secluded parts of the terrace, children playing by the water, workers sunbathing during lunchtime breaks and strangers comfortably sharing a table or a bench.

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“Sitting by the waterside with a view of St Giles’ church: it’s such a contrast to the concrete, and gives you a taste of history and nature too”

3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Lakeside Terrace

4 6

Barbican Centre

Barbican Foodhall

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

City of London School for Girls

St Giles’ Cripplegate church

Gilbert Bridge

S L

Active frontages Entrance (in use) Stair/lift to podium level

provided and also on the edges of the lake. A large number of people were observed

walking between the Barbican Centre and Defoe Place via the terrace’s staircase, and

several students walked towards the GSMD terrace. Nevertheless, these routes did not cross the spaces closest to the lake, which remained relatively static.

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: St Giles’ Terrace

There is no direct access between the Lakeside Terrace and St Giles’ Terrace across the water, and the two spaces are different in character. St Giles’

Terrace is surrounded by the Barbican’s residential buildings, the City of

London School for Girls and St Giles’ Cripplegate church. These uses give

the space a distinctive calm quality and pace, enhanced by water, greenery and views to the Roman wall.

The terrace is not on a public through-route, and the space to the south of the church is particularly secluded. People are often seen enjoying time

alone here: sleeping, reading, eating and resting. This is a place that allows workers and schoolchildren to comfortably share space, with private space subtly separated from the terrace by water.

This quiet nature means that the church is frequently used for music

recordings. It is worth noting that before the area was bombed, St Giles’ Cripplegate was located on a busy street.

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“St Giles’ Terrace is one of my favourite places to go, to get away from everyone and just enjoy some calm and quiet”

3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: St Giles’ Terrace

City of London School for Girls

St Giles’ Cripplegate church

3 Wallside S L

Areas of interest and activity Entrance (in use) Stair/lift to podium level

LUNCHT IME PEDESTRI AN ACT I V I T Y Lunchtime activity was observed simultaneously in spaces across the strategy area over a ten-minute period on a sunny weekday in November 2014. Lines denote walking routes observed, while dots represent stopping places chosen by pedestrians. The study focused on the northern side of St Giles’ Terrace, where lunchtime activity is concentrated. The space was well used by local workers enjoying their lunch breaks, with most of the seating occupied — particularly along the edge of the lake. St Giles’ Terrace does not provide any public through-routes, and as such pedestrian movement was limited to those walking to and from the space.

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Frobisher Court and Cromwell Highwalk

Frobisher Court, frequently referred to as the ‘Sculpture Court’, was designed to host installations associated with the Barbican Centre.

Although the court has been used to display temporary installations on a number of occasions, this vision was never fully realised.

Frobisher Court is gated (accessible during the day) and separated by walls from Ben Jonson Place and Cromwell Highwalk. The Barbican Art Gallery

has closed its doors to the court, with the only access point obscured from the main space. Entrances to the gallery from the west are also closed.

Despite being entered from Frobisher Court, the conservatory has a limited presence in the main open area, resulting in an enclosed space with little relation to adjacent cultural buildings.

Since 2013, the court has been filled with timber planters and benches

that have no relation to the original vision. The Barbican Listed Building

Management Guidelines Volume IV: Landscaping highlight these planters as ‘incongruous in the light of the historic asset’.

Nevertheless, the greenery and seating ensure Frobisher Court is well

used, particularly by workers at lunchtime. The space is sunny, and the

abundance of planters creates enclosed, intimate spaces that are used by

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people reading, eating, exercising and rehearsing. However, the paving in Frobisher Court is in poor condition and in need of improvement.

Cromwell Highwalk is cut off from Frobisher Court, with few connections between the two. Cromwell Highwalk is a busy pedestrian route, and the seating in this area is particularly well used at lunchtimes.

This end of the podium is enclosed by the ‘Yellow Shed’ (the closed entrance to the Barbican Centre’s exhibition halls), Frobisher Court’s blank walls,

columns to Ben Jonson House, and a wall to Beech Street. This obscures views to the City beyond, resulting in a space that can be disorienting.

Despite dramatic views into the Barbican Conservatory from Cromwell

Highwalk, the two have a poor relationship, and the two entrances to the conservatory at this end of the podium have been closed.

3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Frobisher Court and Cromwell Highwalk

Barbican Art Gallery

Barbican Conservatory

Frobisher Crescent

‘Yellow Shed’

Areas of interest and activity

Entrance (in use) Entrance (not in use) Stair/lift Stair/lift (closed)

S L S R

LUNCHT IME PEDESTRI AN ACT I V I T Y Lunchtime activity was observed simultaneously in spaces across the strategy area over a ten-minute period on a sunny weekday in November 2014. Lines denote walking routes observed, while dots represent stopping places chosen by pedestrians. The presence of the ‘Yellow Shed’ limited the visibility and scope of the study, but some clear patterns emerged nevertheless. Cromwell Highwalk, Frobisher Court and Ben Jonson Place were used as part of longer pedestrian routes. Additionally, Frobisher Court and Ben Jonson Place were busy stopping places, with many sitting on the benches provided.

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3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Barber-Surgeons’ Garden and Monkwell Square

The Barber-Surgeons’ Garden is a lush open space that includes a physic

Monkwell Square is adjacent to the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden, but the two

maintained by the Barber-Surgeons’ Hall, and visible remains of the

convoluted. This is despite the fact that the main entrance to the Barber-

garden, a Site for Borough Importance of Nature Conservation (SBINC)

Roman and medieval city wall. The garden is popular with local workers, particularly in the summer, but is difficult to access. From London Wall,

pedestrians have to walk along a car park ramp and tread uneven ground to enter the garden’s single public point of access (Barbican residents can

access the garden from St Giles’ Terrace through a set of gates and a bridge). Despite being adjacent to the Museum of London, the institution’s presence is not felt in the garden, which is lined by blank walls and car parks on its western edge. To the north, the garden is bounded by the Barbican lake and a gate for Barbican residents. There are no public routes through to St Giles’ Terrace.

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spaces have little relation to each other and the route between them is

Surgeons’ Hall (the historic custodians of the garden) is through the former. The paving treatment and materials of Monkwell Square give it a different character to other hard spaces in the area. Although the square has a

physical connection with the Barber-Surgeons’ livery company hall and is somewhat animated by the coming and going of residents from Wallside (one of the Barbican estate’s blocks), it is generally quiet and under-used. The raised pedestrian area in the centre of the square is often empty, and the space around it almost completely taken up by parked cars.

Additionally, the square is overshadowed by the tall office building at 125 London Wall.

3.10 PUBLIC REALM AND OPEN SPACES Open spaces: Barber-Surgeons’ Garden and Monkwell Square

3 5

Barber-Surgeons’ Hall

Wallside (Barbican estate)

125 London Wall

Physic garden

Roman wall remains

S R

Areas of interest and activity Entrance (in use) L Stair/lift/ E ramp/escalator to podium level

LUNCHT IME PEDESTRI AN ACT I V I T Y Lunchtime activity was observed simultaneously in spaces across the strategy area over a ten-minute period on a sunny weekday in November 2014. Lines denote walking routes observed, while dots represent stopping places chosen by pedestrians. The study focused on Monkwell Square, which was generally found to be very quiet. Only a few pedestrians were observed walking along the edges of the space, the majority of whom were on their way to surrounding office entrances. Those who were stationary were mostly smoking or speaking on mobile phones close to office entrances. Only one person was seen sitting in the central space, eating their lunch.

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3.11 GREEN SPACES AND BIODIVERSIT Y

The Barbican and Golden Lane area is the City of London’s greenest and most biodiverse. Four of the City’s five Sites of Borough Importance for Nature

Conservation (SBINC) are within the strategy area (source: CoL Open Space

Audit 2013). These include Fann Street Wildlife Garden, the Barbican estate’s lake, the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden and St Alphage Gardens. Additionally,

the Barbican estate is designated Grade II* in the English Heritage Register of

GREEN ERY A N D BIODI VERSI T Y Public green space Private green space (shared) Private green space Private allotments

School grounds

Historic Parks and Gardens for the special interest of its landscape.

Barbican Conservatory (open to public Sundays 11am– 5pm, Bank Holidays 12pm–5pm)

A number of policy documents safeguard and improve the City’s natural

Water

habitats. The Biodiversity Action Plan 2010–2015 aims to monitor, protect and enhance biodiversity in City spaces, while the City of London Tree Strategy

(2012) seeks to provide a coordinated approach to the management of trees in

the City of London. The City aims to increase its trees by five percent by 2019. The City’s Open Spaces Audit Report (2013) provides further details on the

characteristics of existing open spaces, while the Open Spaces Strategy (2008) sets the City’s vision for its open spaces.

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Registered landscape Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation (SBINC)

Construction site Station entrance Strategy boundary Borough boundary

PL A N T ING ( W I T HIN S T R AT EGY BOU N DA RY ) Tree* Planter*

Aquatic planting*

* Detailed data sourced from: Barbican Listed Building Management Guidelines Volume IV: Landscaping

3.11 GREEN SPACES AND BIODIVERSIT Y Public spaces

The Barbican’s natural landscape is an integral part of its character and heritage value. The lake is a Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation (SBINC), and provides a habitat for water fowl

The Barber-Surgeons’ Garden was planted in 1987 on a derelict bomb site, although it is estimated that a garden has existed in this location since 1555. As well as the remains of a bastion of the Roman fort (circa 300 AD), the garden includes the Barbers’ Company physic garden, a space dedicated to medicinal plants and herbs with 45 different plots. The garden is a designated Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation (SBINC)

St Alphage Gardens, currently surrounded by construction sites, is a designated Site of Borough Importance for Nature Conservation (SBINC) and features remains of the Roman wall

The Barbican Conservatory is only open to the public on Sundays and on public holidays. Its vast array of plants and wildlife attracts large crowds of visitors

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3.11 GREEN SPACES AND BIODIVERSIT Y Private spaces

The majority of the area’s green spaces are closed to the public. Thomas More Garden, Speed Garden and Fann Street Wildlife Garden are only accessible to Barbican residents and Basterfield House Lawn is only accessible to Golden Lane residents. Above, Thomas More Garden

These private gardens are visible from public spaces, streets or highwalks. Unexpected glimpses of greenery add interest and soften the character of surrounding public spaces. Above, a view of Thomas More Garden from Defoe Place (on the lower podium)

Fann Street Wildlife Garden, accessible only to Barbican estate residents, is the largest wildlife sanctuary in the City. The garden was established in 2004 and includes a wildflower meadow, bird boxes, a pond and an ‘insect hotel’. A heavily planted edge provides a habitat for birds. The Barbican Wildlife Group has voiced ambitions to relocate the entrance gate to Fann Street, which would give the entrance and the garden greater prominence and visibility

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The Guildhall School of Music & Drama has allotments on its roof that are open to staff, students and residents of the Barbican estate

3.12 AIR QUALIT Y

The City of London’s Air Quality Strategy 2011–2015 highlights that the City

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Air Quality Limit Values and government objectives for levels of nitrogen

350

been declared an Air Quality Management Area for these two pollutants.

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Bartholomew’s Hospital as areas of particular vulnerability to air pollution.

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The Air Quality Strategy 2011–2015 seeks to address these issues by setting

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14 P SE

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14 JU

14 N JU

14 PR

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In February 2013, as part of measures to address the serious air pollution

unlikely to be met in the City without action from the Mayor of London.

The strategy clearly states that limit values for the concerning pollutants are

impact of poor air quality on the health of workers, residents and visitors.

out actions to tackle pollution levels, raise public awareness and reduce the

The Local Plan (2015) highlights the City’s residential areas, schools and St

BEECH STREET AIR POLLUTION (HOURLY MEANS)

dioxide and particulate matter (PM10). As a result, the City of London has

has some of the worst air quality in the UK, and fails to meet the European

levels affecting London, the Mayor’s Roads Task Force announced a

proposal for an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) in central London

requiring all vehicles travelling in the zone to meet specified exhaust emissions standards. The proposed ULEZ would cover the same

geographical extent as the central Congestion Charge Zone (which

includes the entirety of the City of London). The proposal is open to public consultation (as of December 2014).

Nitrogen dioxide (μg m-3) PM 10 particulates (reference equivalent) 1 Nitrogen dioxide, 1 hour average levels limit not to be

Road traffic is the main contributor to air pollution in the City, and roadside

exceeded more than 18 times a calendar year*

strategy area. These include a long-standing automated monitoring site

*City Of London Air Quality Strategy 2011–2015

air quality levels are being monitored at several locations within the

at Beech Street, and since 2013, a non-automatic monitoring site at Speed

House. Due to its enclosed nature and heavy traffic, the air quality of Beech Street, in particular, is a primary cause for concern for both visitors and

Source of plotted data: London Air Quality Network, londonair.org.uk

residents in the area.

Air quality monitoring data is available on the London Air Quality

Network, an online resource that provides air quality information across

London, run by the Environmental Research Group (ERG) – part of King’s

College London Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine. Additionally, annual air quality data reports are published by the City. The 2013 report shows that despite measures such as increased street washing on Beech Street, average pollutant levels generally continue to exceed limit values.

The chart was plotted using data from 2014 available on the London Air

Quality Network at londonair.org.uk, which includes Beech Street air quality data from as early as January 2003. The data shows particularly high

average levels of nitrogen dioxide, exceeding hourly average European limit values. The graph demonstrates a significant drop in air pollution during July and August 2014, particularly of nitrogen dioxide, to levels within

the limit values. This decrease coincides with the period Beech Street was closed to traffic while works were undertaken at Silk Street.

“The terrible air quality [in Beech Street] is a significant issue. The air is absolutely filthy. When I need to get to Barbican station I always use the podium level to avoid it”

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3.13 SOUND Overview The City of London Noise Strategy 2012–2016 brings together policies and programmes to manage and mitigate noise of concern in the City (mostly that arising from building works, street works, road traffic and some

commercial and leisure activities). One of the strategy’s aims is to identify, protect and enhance tranquil areas. The strategy includes findings from a

2009 noise monitoring survey and a 2010 noise attitude survey. The Barbican area is highlighted as a relatively quiet part of the City, with average noise

levels at the centre of the Barbican ranging from 53dB during a weekday to 50dB at night (compared to 74dB and 72dB at Bank junction). The strategy also highlights ‘iconic sounds’ that workers and residents like to be able

to hear. These include, for example, church bells and the general bustle of

activity. The health benefits of pleasant sounds, such as water fountains, are also mentioned.

SOUNDSCAPE STUDY: ME THODOLOGY An experiential survey of the area’s soundscape was carried out (on a

Thursday and Sunday in July 2014) in order to gain an understanding of

the aural experience around the Barbican and Golden Lane area at different

The columns running along the centre of the podium create a division between the different sound zones on either side. This results in a sharp contrast between the zones, with natural sounds from the lake and fountains on one side, and traffic and construction noise on the other

times of the day. Perceived sound levels in the public realm were recorded

and sources of identified sounds were annotated using hatching drawings and text. Additionally, spot measurements were taken using SPL Meter by

Audio Control, a sound-level meter smartphone application which provides approximate readings. The soundscape study is qualitative and is not

intended to provide a comprehensive quantitative record. The study did

not include sounds perceived from within buildings or private residential

spaces. The maps on subsequent pages compare the conditions at different times of the day and week.

Perceived sounds are illustrated through hatching (at locations

corresponding to points of experience) with colours categorised into three sound types:

• People Sounds considered to be directly associated with people and

human activity, eg children playing, human voices, domestic appliances

• Natural Sounds considered to come from natural sources eg water movement, wind though leaves, birdsong

• Mechanical Sounds considered unnatural, eg motor vehicles,

At the entrance to the Museum of London, a canopy exaggerates the sound of the traffic below, drowning out the chatter of visitors

construction machinery, ventilation fans

The study revealed that the spaces in the area are mostly characterised by

people and natural sounds. The interior of the Barbican estate is particularly peaceful due to the absence of traffic, and the estate’s natural landscape

brings with it a natural soundscape. The estates’ edges, including highwalks along these, were noisier due to their proximity to roads and traffic.

A number of residents expressed concerns over noise in dwellings arising

from the use of particular podium-level spaces. These issues are outwith the scope of this study, and require further investigation.

The following pages comprise the soundscape study maps for different times of the day and week.

Some areas are consistently quiet. The area to the south of St Giles’ church is sheltered from traffic noise and activity. Despite the presence of people in the space, the soundscape study recorded very little noise from human activity, with users respecting the calm nature of the space by speaking softly

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3.13 SOUND Soundscape study

THURSDAY DAY T IME 12PM-5PM

The weekday afternoon survey shows a clear intensity of mechanical sound, predominantly from traffic, around most of the perimeter of the strategy area. High levels of sound were also experienced around the Lakeside

Terrace, although these emerged from natural sources such as the fountains and from the buzz of human activity.

S OUNDS AND SOURCES People Natural Mechanical Construction site Station entrance Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.13 SOUND Soundscape study

THURSDAY EVENING 7PM-10PM

The evening survey shows a perceived increase in the intensity of traffic

noise around the edges of the area. Spaces around the Barbican lake were

characterised by ‘people’ sounds as cafés and pubs became busy, and sports activities could be heard in the area around the Golden Lane Sport and Fitness.

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S OUNDS AND SOURCES People Natural Mechanical Construction site Station entrance Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3.13 SOUND Soundscape study

SUNDAY DAY T IME 12PM-5PM

The weekend survey, conducted on a Sunday afternoon, shows natural

sounds prevailing in the areas around the Barbican lake. The level of traffic

noise was noticeably lower than weekdays. The quiet surroundings allowed sounds from residential spaces and buildings to become audible, enhancing the residential feel of the area.

S OUNDS AND SOURCES People Natural Mechanical Construction site Station entrance Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: overview and methodology Many of the area’s streets are not pedestrian friendly. London Wall,

Aldersgate Street and Beech Street carry heavy traffic and are lined by blank frontages, yet are well used by pedestrians. In 2013 the City of London

commissioned a study of pedestrian movement in the area’s streets and

highwalks. The study, undertaken by Space Syntax, reveals that the streets around the Barbican’s edges — such as Aldersgate Street, Beech Street and London Wall — carry the highest levels of weekday pedestrian traffic in

the area. Additionally, the pedestrian movement surveys demonstrate that movement is much higher at street level than at highwalk level (see below urban function daytime movement maps by Space Syntax, and see p.25 of Appendix C for further details).

Although not part of a wider network as originally envisaged, the

highwalks are an intrinsic feature of the Barbican area. They offer dramatic vistas across the estate’s open spaces and long views to the City beyond.

The highwalks provide a circuit of pedestrian routes above traffic that are mostly sheltered, offering a different pedestrian experience to that of the street. Although the streets are busier, the highwalks are popular with residents, City of London School for Girls students and commuters, all

typically familiar with the area. From Moorgate station during the morning peak, crowds of commuters can often be found walking along the upper

levels, particularly along Moorfields Highwalk and Andrewes Highwalk. For those who do not know the area, the highwalks can be difficult to

navigate. Their layout means they do not provide direct routes across the estate, making them hard to move around instinctively. Furthermore,

destinations are often visible but the routes to them are not, resulting in a

disorienting environment. North–south routes through the Barbican estate are particularly difficult to navigate, with only one direct route across the lake at podium level.

Publica undertook a qualitative study of pedestrian routes in the summer of

M E T HODOLOGY Pedestrian routes were observed and recorded at different times of the day and week during May, June and July 2014. This qualitative study was undertaken to better understand popular routes through the area and patterns in pedestrian use and navigation. Departure points were chosen to reflect activity at different times of the day, and included underground stations, cultural institutions and public open spaces. The map opposite illustrates all the pedestrian routes recorded in the study. Through the study on the following pages these are analysed in greater detail, categorised by time of day and week, and by origin. Pedestrian routes were observed and recorded at the following times: [1 6.05. 20 1 4 , 13.06. 20 1 4 A N D 17.06. 20 1 4] WEEK DAY RUSH HOU R (08:00-1 0:00) FROM: • • •

Barbican station Moorgate station St Paul’s station

[07.07. 20 1 4] SU N DAY MORNING (1 0:00-12:00), FROM: • Barbican station • Moorgate station • St Paul’s station [1 1 .06. 20 1 4 A N D 12.06. 20 1 4] WEEK DAY LU NCH T IM E (13:00-1 4:30), FROM: • Barber-Surgeons’ Garden • St Giles’ Terrace • Lakeside Terrace • Frobisher Court • Golden Lane estate [0 4 .07. 20 1 4] WEEK DAY E VENING (19:00-2 2:00), FROM: • Barbican Concert Hall • Barbican Art Gallery A total of 136 routes were observed and recorded as part of the study.

2014 (see methodology, adjacent). This study complements the quantitative

study undertaken by Space Syntax, which recorded overall movement levels in the area. The data collected by Space Syntax reflects clear commuting

patterns typical of areas with high numbers of office workers, with higher levels of movement on a weekday than at the weekend. As illustrated

in the adjacent urban function distribution chart by Space Syntax, three

SPACE SYN TA X Urban function Distribution across the day and evening 07:00–20:00 and 20:00–00:00

peaks were observed on weekdays, in the morning, at lunchtime and in the evening. The pedestrian movement study by Space Syntax can be found in full in Appendix C.

SPACE SYN TA X , Urban function, Daytime movement, Weekday

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SPACE SYN TA X , Urban function, Daytime movement, Weekend

3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: overview and methodology

OBSERVED PEDESTRI AN ROUTES Upper podium level Lower podium level Street level

Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

The map reveals popular pedestrian routes through the area and patterns of use and navigation

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: weekday rush hour The morning peak is generally characterised by the fast-paced, direct

routes of commuters. Local workers and students, travelling to and from an area on a regular basis, are likely to know where they are going and to have established a preferred or direct route.

FROM BARBICAN UNDERGROUND STATION, WEEKDAY 08:00–10:00

The study recorded pedestrian routes starting at the area’s three nearest underground stations between 8am and 10am on weekdays in May and June 2014. Station exits were selected in order to record the routes of pedestrians moving into or through the strategy area. The study reveals some of the principal commuter routes through the area, including Beech Street, St Martin’s le Grand and Andrewes Highwalk. The quantitative study undertaken by Space Syntax provides further evidence for the patterns of use of the morning rush hour. The below urban function daytime movement diagram by Space Syntax illustrates movement levels

recorded in the area in the morning peak of a weekday. The highest movement rates were recorded along Aldersgate Street, Moorgate and Bunhill Row, with

Chiswell Street and Beech Street also hosting high levels of movement (see p.28 of Appendix C for further details).

1 Many of those arriving in the area via Barbican station walked along

Beech Street to reach local destinations including the Barbican Centre, Milton Court and nearby offices; others crossed through the Golden

Lane estate to the London College of Fashion Golden Lane campus, and beyond towards Old Street. Many of those who chose routes along the

highwalks were on their way to buildings with podium level entrances, such as the Barbican Art Gallery and the Museum of London staff entrance.

OBSERVED PEDESTRI AN ROUTES SPACE SYN TA X Urban function, Daytime movement, Weekday morning peak 09:00–10:00

Pupils of the City of London School for Girls walk along Thomas More Highwalk towards the school’s podium level entrance

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Upper podium level Lower podium level Street level

Pedestrians on Beech Street, early morning rush

Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: weekday rush hour FROM MOORGATE UNDERGROUND STATION, WEEKDAY 08:00–10:00

FROM ST PAUL’S UNDERGROUND STATION, WEEKDAY 08:00–10:00

2 From Moorgate station, pedestrians walked westwards through the CityPoint complex or along New Union Street, a private street used

to service a large office block. The highwalks were used by students walking to the City of London School for Girls and by commuters

3 From St Paul’s station, pedestrians walked long distances northwards

walking to offices south of London Wall. At the time of the study,

along St Martin’s le Grand and Aldersgate Street. Many used the

street level.

continue their routes to destinations on the highwalk, including the

Crossrail works limited pedestrian access around Moorfields at

Commuters walk westwards from Moorgate station on Andrewes Highwalk

escalators at the northern end of St Martin’s le Grand in order to Museum of London and the City of London School for Girls.

Commuters walk northwards on St Martin’s le Grand

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: Sunday morning FROM BARBICAN UNDERGROUND STATION, SUNDAY 10:00–12:00

The weekend is characterised by a more relaxed pace, with routes that are less

direct and more leisurely. Most of those arriving in the area were on their way

to visit the area’s cultural institutions. The area is particularly popular with families at the weekend.

The study recorded pedestrian routes originating from the area’s three nearest underground stations between 10am and 12pm on a Sunday in July 2014.

Station exits were selected in order to record the routes of pedestrians moving into or through the strategy area.

The quantitative study undertaken by Space Syntax provides further evidence for weekend patterns of use. The below urban function daytime movement

diagram illustrates movement levels recorded in the area throughout the day on a weekend. Movement levels were lower than those recorded during the

week. The highest movement rates were recorded along St Martin’s le Grand towards the Museum of London, and along Silk Street towards the Barbican

Centre. Beech Street, Aldersgate, Moorgate and Bunhill Row also carried high pedestrian flows (see p.31 of Appendix C for further details).

1 Pedestrians arriving via Barbican station walked along Beech Street to the Barbican Centre’s Silk Street entrance, and along Aldersgate Street to the Museum of London. These streets were noticeably quieter than on weekdays. A number of people used the

podium-level route to the Museum of London, at times stopping to admire the view from the highwalks.

OBSERVED PEDESTRI AN ROUTES SPACE SYN TA X Urban function, Daytime movement, Weekday all-day average

Pedestrians cross a relatively traffic-free Long Lane after arriving at Barbican station

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Upper podium level Lower podium level Street level

Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

A family on their way to the Museum of London stops on Seddon Highwalk to admire the view of Thomas More Garden

3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: Sunday morning FROM MOORGATE UNDERGROUND STATION, SUNDAY 10:00–12:00

FROM ST PAUL’S UNDERGROUND STATION, SUNDAY 10:00–12:00

2 From Moorgate, pedestrians walked to the Barbican Centre both at

podium level, via Moorfields Highwalk, and via street level, through the CityPoint complex and Silk Street. A number of people walked along Andrewes Highwalk on their way to destinations south of the lake.

3 From St Paul’s station, pedestrians walked northwards along St

Martin’s le Grand and Aldersgate Street, with many walking as far as Beech Street, using this long, street-level route to reach the Barbican Centre’s Silk Street entrance. Those who were on their way to the Museum of London used the escalators at the northern end of St

Martin’s le Grand to reach the entrance. There is little traffic in the area on Sundays, and many pedestrians informally crossed wide vehicular streets.

Families walk along The Postern en route to the Museum of London from Moorgate station

The absence of heavy vehicular traffic on a Sunday results in frequent informal crossing around the Museum of London

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: Sunday morning The area’s open spaces are popular with local workers on their lunch breaks,

FROM GOLDEN LANE ESTATE, WEEKDAY 13:00–14:30

particularly in mild or fair weather.

The lunchtime study recorded pedestrian routes originating from selected

open spaces, where pedestrians had enjoyed their lunch, between 1pm and

2.30pm on a sunny weekday in June 2014. These open spaces include:

• The Golden Lane estate • The Lakeside Terrace • St Giles’ Terrace • The Barber-Surgeons’ Garden • Frobisher Court The quantitative study undertaken by Space Syntax provides further evidence for lunchtime patterns of use. The below urban function daytime movement

diagram illustrates movement levels recorded in the area during the lunchtime peak on a weekday. High movement rates were recorded on Whitecross Street, at many of the access points to the Barbican estate and along the highwalks.

This supports Publica’s observations that the open spaces within the Barbican estate are well used during lunch breaks (see p.29 of Appendix C for further details).

1 Those using the spaces in Golden Lane mostly walked to destinations in the northern part of the area. Some were students returning to the

London College of Fashion or Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. All the observed routes took place at street level.

OBSERVED PEDESTRI AN ROUTES SPACE SYN TA X Urban function, Daytime movement, Weekday lunchtime peak 13:00–14:00

The southern side of St Giles’ Terrace is a popular destination for those looking to spend time alone

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Upper podium level Lower podium level Street level

Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

Although signed as private, the open spaces in the Golden Lane estate are popular lunchtime destinations

3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: Sunday morning FROM LAKESIDE TERRACE, WEEKDAY 13:00–14:30

FROM ST GILES’ TERRACE, WEEKDAY 13:00–14:30

2 From the Lakeside Terrace, pedestrians walked long distances in a range of directions. Two local workers walked an extremely long and circuitous route after lunch to visit the book fair in St Giles’

Cripplegate, across the lake, before walking south along Wood Street.

Local workers enjoy lunch by the lake

3 Connections from St Giles’ Terrace to the west are difficult and

circuitous, so as expected, pedestrians leaving St Giles’ Terrace were

mostly heading east. A number of local workers used the highwalks to return to the Barbican Centre and Museum of London.

Local workers eat lunch on St Giles’ Terrace

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: weekday lunchtime FROM BARBER-SURGEONS’ GARDEN, WEEKDAY 13:00–14:30

FROM FROBISHER COURT, WEEKDAY 13:00–14:30

4 From the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden, pedestrian routes mostly

comprised short, local journeys. A high number returned to offices

adjacent or very close to the garden. Only one pedestrian walked up to podium level to access the podium entrance to Bastion House, which

5 From Frobisher Court, pedestrians walked in many directions using a range of ramps and stairs to return to street level. All walked to destinations north of the lake.

overlooks the garden. All pedestrians stayed south of the lake.

Pedestrians have to walk along a car park ramp to access the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden

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Pedestrians in Frobisher Court can be seen exercising, resting and eating lunch

3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Observed routes: evening The Barbican Centre, the GSMD and Milton Court are all evening destinations, with cultural events taking place throughout the week.

The evening study recorded pedestrian routes originating from the interior

FROM BARBICAN CENTRE WEEKDAY 19:00–22:00

of the Barbican Centre between 7pm and 10pm on a Thursday in July 2014.

These were split between those leaving the art gallery and, later in the evening, audiences leaving the main concert hall.

The quantitative study undertaken by Space Syntax provides further evidence for evening patterns of use. The below urban function evening movement diagram illustrates movement levels recorded in the area on a weekday

evening. Movement levels at this time revealed a significant contrast between the areas inside the Barbican estate and streets surrounding it. The highest levels of movement were observed on Aldersgate Street close to Barbican

station, and along Moorgate, with high levels of movement also observed around the Silk Street entrance of the Barbican Centre. Long Lane, Beech

Street and Chiswell Street provided the area’s main east–west link (see p.37 of Appendix C for further details).

1 Barbican Centre visitors walked to various destinations, with many

walking long distances (outside the map above). At the end of a concert, crowds were seen walking to Barbican station both via Beech Street

(closed to traffic at the time of survey) and via the Lakeside Terrace and Defoe Place.

OBSERVED PEDESTRI AN ROUTES SPACE SYN TA X Urban function, Evening movement, Weekday all-evening average

Pedestrians walk towards Barbican station along Beech Street (during the period of its closure to traffic) after the end of a performance in the Barbican Centre

Upper podium level Lower podium level Street level

Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

Barbican Centre visitors walk towards Barbican station via the Lakeside Terrace and Defoe Place after the end of a performance

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS North–south connection

WHITECROSS STREET MARKET

8 5 6 7

WOOD STREET

The roads that bound the Barbican’s perimeter form routes that continue beyond the strategy area and connect into the wider network of streets (see the below urban form analysis local

accessibility diagram by Space Syntax, and see p.45 of Appendix

C for further details). However, the estate’s lack of interior streets

and the impenetrable character of its edges result in a generally

impermeable environment, and very few street-level routes cross the strategy area. The Barbican lake restricts

north–south movement, with only one public podium-level

crossing via Gilbert Bridge. This route connects Silk Street to London Wall and is well used, although it is convoluted and varies greatly in quality along its length. 2

Whitecross Street market has become a popular lunchtime food destination, and this route is exceptionally busy during lunch hours when local workers walk from City locations south of

London Wall to Whitecross Street market and back. Counts by

Space Syntax identified that the peak pedestrian flow along this route takes place on a weekday lunchtime, with 828 people per hour on one side of Whitecross Street and 468 people per hour walking across Gilbert Bridge (see p.81 of Appendix C).

At its southern end, the route connects London Wall to the highwalk above via escalators, lifts and stairs 1 . From there,

a covered path marked by the Yellow Line leads northwards to Gilbert Bridge 2 , which offers dramatic views across the lake. 1

North–south route, Wood Street to Silk Street

Gate managed by Barbican Centre Route through Barbican Centre interior

3 Once across the bridge, signage welcomes pedestrians to the Barbican Centre, and the route takes a sharp turn, passing through some of the Barbican’s labyrinthine internal spaces to arrive at a poorly signed door to street level. 4 Through this door, a narrow staircase 5 descends directly into the Barbican offices’ main reception lobby. 6 The reception’s automatic doors lead to the Barbican’s Silk Street entrance, 7 a short walk from Whitecross Street. 8 The internal section of the route, through the Barbican Centre’s interior spaces, is only accessible when the centre is open. This

restricts residents late at night and parishioners of St Giles’ living north of the lake, who are forced to take less direct routes to attend church services on Sunday mornings.

“When the arts centre is closed there is no natural route through the heart of the estate. This is particularly problematic on Sunday mornings, when parishioners of St Giles’ – most of whom live to the north of the lake – have to walk around the centre as there is no direct route to the church” SPACE SYN TA X Urban form analysis, Spatial layout attraction, Local accessibility 800m

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS North–south connection

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3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Wider connections

View along Beech Street to Long Lane and Smithfield Market beyond, a direct link to Farringdon East Crossrail station

View along Milton Court and Ropemaker Street beyond, a direct route to Liverpool Street station

View south along Noble Street, a quiet and pedestrian-friendly alternative to St Martin’s le Grand that runs adjacent to the remains of the Roman wall

Although the Barbican estate’s perimeter streets connect to a wider network

it hinder permeability to St Bartholomew’s and Clerkenwell. To the east, the

surrounding neighbourhoods, despite their proximity (see the adjacent

and Sun Street, but the western end of the route ends abruptly at the back of

of longer routes beyond, the area remains relatively disconnected from urban form analysis City-wide accessibility diagram by Space Syntax,

and see p.44 of Appendix C for further details). Pedestrian connections to neighbouring areas are compromised, particularly by London Wall, Aldersgate Street and Beech Street, wide routes designed for vehicle priority.

London Wall creates a north–south divide, separating the different sections

of Wood Street and cutting across the line of the Roman wall, disconnecting Noble Street from the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden to the north. The gyratory system and rotunda at the Museum of London deter pedestrians and

obstruct a direct but little-used route to St Paul’s Cathedral, Millennium

Bridge and Bankside. Similarly, Aldersgate and the blank façades that line

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area is directly connected to Liverpool Street station via Ropemaker Street Milton Court, with no visual connection to the Barbican Centre.

The arrival of Crossrail on the eastern and western edges of the area in

2018/2019 has the potential to transform the way these longer routes are

perceived, and to increase their use and visibility. Similarly, the proposed removal of the St Paul’s gyratory in 2019 will allow London Wall and

Aldersgate Street to be more successfully connected to their surroundings.

3.14 PEDESTRIAN ROUTES AND CONNECTIONS Wider connections

SPACE SYNTA X Urban form analysis

Spatial layout attraction City-wide accessibility

WIDER PEDESTRI AN ROUTES

Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.15 WAYFINDING Approaching the cultural institutions: arrival The streets and spaces around Barbican and Moorgate stations provide a

FROM BARBICAN STAT ION

poor welcome to the area and to the cultural institutions within it. Upon

arrival at the area’s surrounding underground stations, visitors often appear disoriented. The Barbican Centre, Museum of London and GSMD all direct visitors to nearby underground stations. All three refer visitors to Barbican

and St Paul’s stations. The Barbican Centre and GSMD also direct visitors to Moorgate station.

FROM BARBICAN STAT ION Upon exiting Barbican station pedestrians are met by a busy junction and blank walls. Beech Street, although unpleasant, provides a direct route

to the east, becoming the default link between Barbican station and the Barbican Centre’s Silk Street entrance and cinemas, the GSMD and Milton Court.

View to Beech Street from Barbican station

FROM MOORGATE STAT ION From Moorgate station there is no direct or visible route westward to the Barbican and Golden Lane area. Large blocks force pedestrians to walk

north along Moorfields before cutting westwards through the CityPoint

complex or along New Union Street – a private service street. Alternatively, an escalator leads to the podium, where buildings and structures obstruct views to destinations.

FROM ST PAUL’S STAT ION From St Paul’s station, a direct route leads northwards to the Museum of

London along St Martin’s le Grand. Although vehicle-dominated, this street

provides an animated route alongside a variety of buildings including cafés and pubs, with glimpses of greenery. At peak times St Martin’s le Grand is well used by commuters.

View looking down Aldersgate Street to the Museum of London

FROM BARBICAN STAT ION TO BARBICAN CENTRE, MUSEUM OF LONDON AND GSMD

PEDESTRI AN ROUTES TO CULTURAL INST I TUT IONS

S L E

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Podium level Street level Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) Milton Court, GSMD Barbican Centre Museum of London Stair/lift/escalator

B A RBIC A N A N D G O L D EN L A N E A RE A S T R AT EGY E V I D EN CE B A S E

3.15 WAYFINDING Approaching the cultural institutions: arrival FROM MOORGATE STAT ION

FROM ST PAUL’S STAT ION

View west along CityPoint

View north along St Martin’s le Grand

View west along New Union Street

View along St Martin’s le Grand to the Museum of London

FROM MOORGATE STAT ION TO BARBICAN CENTRE, MUSEUM OF LONDON AND GSMD

FROM ST PAUL’S STAT ION TO BARBICAN CENTRE, MUSEUM OF LONDON AND GSMD

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3.15 WAYFINDING Approaching the cultural institutions: signage M A PS A N D SIGNS TO CU LT U R A L INS T I T U T IONS , BA RBIC A N CEN T RE A N D GSM D

TO BARBICAN CENTRE AND GSMD

M A PS City of London map Barbican area, City of London map London Underground (TfL) map SIGN AGE Barbican Centre branded signage Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) branded signage City of London signs to Barbican Centre City of London signs to GSMD Other signs to Barbican Centre

S E R

Barbican Centre Barbican Centre, exhibition halls and cinemas Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) Milton Court, GSMD Entrance to Barbican Centre venues Entrance to Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) venues Station entrance Stair/escalator/ramp/lift to podium level L Strategy boundary Borough boundary

Signs often point in counterintuitive directions. This signpost at Fore Street (directly south of the Barbican Centre) directs pedestrians looking for the Barbican Centre eastwards to Moor Lane

The area includes an extraordinary cultural offer, with a cluster of

internationally renowned institutions. However, routes to their entrances do not reflect the quality of their cultural programmes.

Clear signs at the exits of underground stations are critical for visitors

looking for cultural destinations. At Barbican station, although maps are prominent, the stair to the highwalks is not. This means that although

highwalk routes offer a traffic-free option, most visitors walk along the

unpleasant Beech Street to arrive at the Barbican Centre, and along the busy Aldersgate Street to arrive at the Museum of London. When approached

from St Paul’s station, the access points to the Museum of London are hard

for visitors to find, and signs to these from St Martin’s le Grand are invisible. Wall-mounted Barbican maps are generally appropriately positioned at

station exits and junctions in the area, but the complexity of the Barbican estate’s built form makes these difficult to understand.

There are two maps at the exit from Barbican station, but most signs direct pedestrians along street-level routes. The stair to the podium is not immediately noticeable at the station exit

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3.15 WAYFINDING Approaching the cultural institutions: signage

TO MUSEUM OF LONDON

M A PS A N D SIGNS TO CU LT U R A L INS T I T U T IONS , M USEU M OF LON DON M A PS City of London map Barbican area, City of London map London Underground (TfL) map SIGN AGE Museum of London branded signage City of London signs to Museum of London S E R L

Museum of London Entrance to Museum of London Station entrance Stair/escalator/ramp/lift to podium level Strategy boundary Borough boundary

There are many Barbican Centre signs located around the area. In some

cases, the abundance of these is a cause for confusion, particularly on Beech Street where visitor car park entrances are signed ‘Welcome to the Barbican Centre’. By contrast, Museum of London branded signs are located only in the vicinity of the building, limiting its presence in the public realm. The GSMD does not have branded signage but is included in City of London signposts. There are no signs to Milton Court (completed in 2013).

Street-level City of London signposts frequently offer both podium-level and street-level route alternatives to the cultural venues, but there is no

obvious hierarchy or clarity between options. As a result, signs to the same destination may point in opposite directions, which can be confusing to visitors.

Access points to the Museum of London’s podium-level entrance are invisible from a distance, despite large signs that announce their location

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3.15 WAYFINDING Approaching the cultural institutions: entrances The entrances to the cultural institutions have little visibility and presence. The main entrance to the GSMD, for example, is set back from Silk Street and accessed via a ramp that is also used by servicing vehicles. The

entrance to Milton Court is more visible on Silk Street, but is not signposted from nearby streets and stations.

A number of entrances are located at podium level and cannot be seen

from surrounding streets. This is particularly problematic in the case of the Museum of London, which has its only public access point at podium level. Access routes to the museum from the street lack visibility.

Many entrances to cultural venues are unused, having been closed over time. Nevertheless, signage to these closed entrances remains

visible, resulting in frustrating journeys. This is true for entrances to the conservatory from the north, for western entrances to the Barbican Art

Gallery and Library, and for the unused exhibition hall entrance on Ben

Jonson Place. This structure, known as the ‘Yellow Shed’, obstructs visibility and permeability across the upper podium.

ENTRANCES

Entrance (in use) Entrance (not in use) Guildhall School of Music & Drama (GSMD) Milton Court, GSMD Barbican Centre Museum of London S T REE T LE VEL

PRINCIPAL ENTRANCES TO THE CULTURAL INST I TUT IONS

The Barbican Centre’s Silk Street entrance, introduced as part of a significant refurbishment in 2006, is the centre’s only street-level entrance

The Museum of London’s entrance is at podium level

The GSMD shares its entrance with service vehicles. The entrance is almost invisible from Silk Street

The entrance to Milton Court on Silk Street

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3.15 WAYFINDING Approaching the cultural institutions: entrances

LOWER PODIU M LE VEL

U PPER PODIU M LE VEL

CLOSED AND UNUSED ENTRANCES TO THE CULTURAL INST I TUT IONS

Closed entrances to the Barbican Art Gallery and Barbican Library

Closed entrance to the Barbican Conservatory from Cromwell Highwalk

Closed entrances to the Barbican Art Gallery on Frobisher Court

Closed entrance to the Barbican exhibition halls (the ‘Yellow Shed’), on Ben Jonson Place

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3.15 WAYFINDING The Yellow Line The Yellow Line was introduced in the late 1970s to provide a wayfinding system through the estate and to the arts centre. Many sections have

since been removed, with traces still visible on the ground, and piecemeal maintenance has resulted in a line that is frequently interrupted and

inconsistent in its quality. At street level the Yellow Line is in particularly

poor condition and is easily confused with road markings. Pedestrians are often puzzled by it.

“There’s got to be a better alternative to the Yellow Line”

Furthermore, the location of the Yellow Line has not been updated to reflect changes to the highwalk network. This is evident on Speed Highwalk, where the Yellow Line abruptly stops at the location at which the now demolished Milton Court Walk crossed Silk Street.

The Yellow Line disappears off the edge of Speed Highwalk, where the now demolished Milton Court Walk (which bridged over Silk Street) was located

Traces of a removed section of the Yellow Line

A confused pedestrian consults her smartphone for directions on St Giles’ Terrace, surrounded by road markings and the Yellow Line

The Yellow Line has been modified over time in an attempt to create clarity. On Beech Street, arrowheads have been added. The Yellow Line is confusing in the context of other yellow road markings

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3.15 WAYFINDING The Yellow Line

THE YELLOW LINE Podium level Street level L S E R Stair/ramp/escalator/lift Station entrance Construction site Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES Blank frontages While the Golden Lane estate is permeable and well integrated with

the City’s streets are shared by high numbers of pedestrians, cyclists and

streets were planned in the 1950s for vehicles rather than pedestrians, and

a hostile one. While other areas of the City are bustling with the activity

surrounding streets, the Barbican estate’s edges are fortress-like. The area’s the result is an area that is impermeable, with blank frontages and limited

street-level activity along Aldersgate Street, Beech Street, Silk Street, Moor Lane and Fore Street. This has resulted in little hierarchy between front

and back streets, making for a disorienting pedestrian landscape. Today

vehicles, but the pedestrian environment around the Barbican’s edges is still of shop fronts and office entrances, the Barbican’s streets remain lined

by blank walls that in many cases conceal car parks and servicing spaces behind them.

Museum of London rotunda

Aldersgate Street

Silk Street

Moor Lane

Aldersgate Street

Closed access to shops in Crescent House, Golden Lane estate

SPACE SYN TA X Urban form analysis, Spatial layout attraction, Urban block perimeter analysis

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3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES Blank frontages

B L A N K FRON TAGES , SHOWN A S T HICK L IN ES

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3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES Beech Street

BEECH STREE T

S R

Active frontage Entrance (in use) Vehicular entrance Stair/ramp to podium level Stair to podium level (closed)

Beech Street is the only direct east–west, street-level route through the

The covered street is frequently congested with vehicles and suffers from

station to the Barbican Centre and GSMD facilities. The City of London

stop. Pedestrian volumes on the narrow pavements are so high during peak

centre of the area, providing the main access route linking Barbican Cultural Quarter Urban Baseline Study by Space Syntax highlights the

high connectivity of Beech Street, which is close to transport nodes and integrated with the wider network of streets. Pedestrian counts carried out by Space Syntax also identified Beech Street as the area’s principal

east–west pedestrian link, with an average weekday flow of 707 people per

hour observed walking along the street (see p.27 of Appendix C for further details). Beech Street will carry even more pedestrians when the planned

Farringdon East Crossrail exit opens on Long Lane in 2018/2019 (estimated exit figures TBC).

Originally designed for vehicles, Beech Street offers a highly unsuitable pedestrian environment that is at odds with the City of London’s

aspirations for its public realm. This hostile setting is not ameliorated by

wayfinding aids. City of London signposts are difficult to read in the dark

environment, while Barbican Centre signage offers no distinction between

vehicular and pedestrian directions. A Yellow Line painted on the northern pavement, intended to aid wayfinding for visitors (now largely abandoned, although not removed), is inconsistent in its quality and easily lost among surrounding road markings.

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high air pollution levels, making this a particularly poor location for a bus

times that people walk in the carriageway, at times stepping into the path of oncoming cyclists.

Despite the successful refurbishment of one of the Barbican exhibition hall spaces into a cinema with active frontages, most of Beech Street remains lined by blank frontages, vehicular spaces and car park entrances. The

London Film School’s planned move to Exhibition Hall One in 2017 could

help improve this condition. Glimpses through Lauderdale Place and along

Golden Lane provide the only moments of respite, with long views to green spaces and to the City beyond.

During June and July 2014 Beech Street was closed to traffic while public realm upgrades were undertaken on Silk Street. During this period,

recorded air pollution levels on Beech Street decreased significantly (see 3.12 Air Quality, p.141). Combined with a reduction of noise, this period

signified a noticeable improvement for pedestrians. The absence of traffic prompted pedestrians to walk freely in the carriageway.

The City of London is currently undertaking a traffic impact assessment of Beech Street.

3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES Beech Street

Commuters on Beech Street during the morning rush

Narrow pavements and little room for pedestrians and cyclists

A local worker enjoys a rare spot of sunlight on Beech Street

Barbican Centre patrons walk along Beech Street (during the period of its closure to traffic in July 2014) after the end of a performance

The Yellow Line is easily confused with road markings

Conflicting signage to the Barbican Centre

Long views through Lauderdale Place to the Barbican residents’ gardens and to the City beyond

The view to Golden Lane from Beech Street

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3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES London Wall

LONDON WALL

S E

Roman wall remains London Wall Place (under construction) Active frontage Entrance (in use) Vehicular entrance R L Stair/escalator/ramp/lift to podium level S Stair to podium level (closed)

London Wall was built in 1959 – before the Barbican estate – as part of a wider gyratory system. The dual carriageway was designed for fast-

moving traffic, as pedestrians were expected to use the proposed network

of highwalks or pedways. London Wall and other City streets have changed dramatically since, and on the 20th July 2014 a 20mph speed limit was implemented across almost all of the City of London as part of a Road

Danger Reduction Plan. The design of London Wall has not been updated to reflect these changes, and vehicles still dominate the street.

London Wall has several pockets of greenery along its length, with more to come when London Wall Place’s gardens are completed, but the road

creates a severance between these spaces, also interrupting the line of the

Roman wall. The connection to the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden is particularly difficult; pedestrians walk down a steep vehicular ramp to access what, on sunny days, is a popular green space.

Despite being dominated by vehicles, London Wall is well used by

pedestrians. Pedestrian counts by Space Syntax identified London Wall as

an important east–west connection, with particularly high movement levels recorded at peak times on weekdays. The south side of the street was found to be especially busy (see p.25 of Appendix C for further details).

A City of London project to explore the introduction of two-way traffic to the current gyratory system is underway, with other public realm

improvements planned for London Wall as part of the development of London Wall Place.

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3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES London Wall

Ground-floor plan, from London Wall Place planning application by MAKE. Highwalks are shown as dotted lines

LONDON WALL PL ACE Planning permission was granted in June 2011 for London Wall Place, a

commercial development between Fore Street and London Wall. The scheme is under construction, and will replace the now demolished St Alphage Highwalk and Bassishaw Bridge.

The scheme will include ground-level retail uses, garden spaces (some of these located in building undercrofts) and a ‘heritage and wildlife’

garden around the remains of St Alphage tower. Entrances to the two office buildings will be located on London Wall, facing east. On Fore Street, the scheme will have blank and service frontages.

A number of street-level routes are also proposed: a new north–south route will connect Fore Street and London Wall, and an east–west route will run along St Alphage Gardens. A public stair to the highwalks is proposed

along the north–south route, with two lifts provided at either end. Above, highwalks will reconnect Alban Highwalk and Andrewes Highwalk, and Bassishaw Bridge will be rebuilt across London Wall.

Illustration of London Wall Place scheme by MAKE

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3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES Car parks and subterranean spaces Please note, a comprehensive survey of car park spaces in the area does not exist, and limited information is available on their use.

There are numerous car parks and service areas associated with the Barbican and Golden Lane area.

They create expansive blank frontages — often on multiple levels that

include subterranean, street and first-floor areas. The abundance of car

parks and associated vehicular entrances on these streets has a detrimental effect on the public realm, resulting in streets with limited active uses

and where vehicles and their associated requirements dominate. This is

particularly the case on Beech Street, Silk Street, Moor Lane and along parts of Fann Street.

There is a vast amount of fragmented subterranean space in the area. The space on London Wall contains remains of the Roman wall that are lost

among parked cars and invisible to the general public. The car park’s steep access ramp forces pedestrians to walk in the carriageway, particularly those walking to the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden.

Location of subterranean vehicular spaces in the area

Barbican Centre car parking spaces Vehicular spaces (NB map not comprehensive, limited information available)

VEHICUL AR SPACES

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Vehicular entrance Subterranean space Strategy boundary Borough boundary

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3.16 EDGES AND FRONTAGES Car parks and subterranean spaces

The Barber-Surgeons’ Garden and remains of the Roman wall are compromised by a car park ramp

The view east from Aldersgate Street reveals sunken vehicular spaces

A view from Silk Street down a car park entrance; a glimpse of the Lakeside Terrace can be seen in the distance

The vents to car parks below are visible on Beech Street

The view back across the car park entrance to Silk Street, seen from the steps by the Lakeside Terrace

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3.17 LIGHTING

The Barbican Cinema on Beech Street is distinctively lit

The Barbican Centre’s Silk Street entrance is prominently lit

The Museum of London rotunda is brightly lit, but highwalk access points, necessary to reach the museum’s podium-level entrance, are no more prominent at night than during the day

Car parks around the Barbican’s edges gain further prominence in the evening when they are lit

Lighting varies substantially within the area, but is generally commensurate

The area’s cultural facilities are in many cases more visible at night than

windows adds to the evening and night-time life of the area, and makes

and its signs give prominence to its entrance on Silk Street. Similarly, views

with that of a residential neighbourhood. The warm glow from residential spaces feel safe and overlooked. The interior spaces of the Barbican and Golden Lane estates have relatively low levels of lighting. However,

although most highwalk routes are well lit, there is little consistency across the network and some are overly lit. Bastion Highwalk to the south of the

area is particularly brightly lit, with the additional light from office lobbies, restaurants and small shops resulting in an unusually bright environment for the area. Conversely, the spaces within the Golden Lane estate – even

those frequently used as routes by the public – have low levels of lighting, resulting in a dark environment with reduced visibility.

Much of the surrounding area provides a stark contrast to the residential

areas, with interiors of office buildings (many recently completed) brightly

lit, several throughout the night. Beech Street has high levels of cold, white light. Upon exiting the covered section of the street, one’s eyes take time

to adjust to the lower lighting levels of surrounding streets. At night, the

Barbican car parks along Moor Lane and Silk Street become highly visible, with the lit spaces accentuated in the otherwise dark façades.

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they are during the day. The coloured lights of the Barbican Centre’s foyer

into the foyer and restaurant draw attention to Milton Court on Silk Street, with the green neon installation by artist Martin Creed accentuating its

entrance. The entrance and façades of the Barbican Cinemas on Beech Street are also prominently lit and animate a street of mostly blank frontages. The Museum of London rotunda and its signage are lit and visible in the dark, but the obscured access points to the highwalk from St Martin’s le Grand are no more prominent at night than they are in the day.

Cultural activities and their associated lighting animate many of the

open spaces in the area. At night, the bustle of the Barbican Centre and its

restaurants, and the activity inside the Guildhall School of Music & Drama

all come to life, with activities within buildings becoming visible across the

lake and from surrounding highwalks. These glimpses make for a dramatic, engaging sight, with lights reflected in the lake.

3.17 LIGHTING

View across the lake to the GSMD from Andrewes Highwalk

Highwalks to the south of the strategy area, such as Alban Highwalk, have particularly high levels of lighting

St Giles’ Terrace has low levels of ambient lighting

View across the Lakeside Terrace from Gilbert Bridge

View across Lauderdale Place to Thomas More Garden and the City beyond. The brightly lit office buildings in the distance provide a contrast to the low-lit residential areas in the foreground

The spaces in the Golden Lane estate are relatively dark

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APPENDIX C Space Syntax: City of London Cultural Quarter Urban Baseline Study

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S PACE S YN TA X

APPENDIX C Space Syntax: City of London Cultural Quarter Urban Baseline Study

BARBICAN & GOLDEN L ANE AREA STRATEGY: EV IDENCE BA SE APPENDIX A One-to-one interview edited transcript B Consultation Plus, Public Consultation Findings Report C Space Syntax, City Of London Cultural Quarter Urban Baseline Study

S PACE S YN TA X

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â&#x20AC;&#x192; A PPEN DI X C : S PACE S YN TA X , CI T Y O F LO N DO N C U LT U R A L QUA RT ER U RB A N B A S EL I N E S T U DY

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APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews As part of the engagement programme, the City of London commissioned Publica to undertake a series of one-to-one interviews with local users and stakeholders, in order to build a more extensive picture of the

Barbican and Golden Lane area. Twelve interviews were conducted

between September and November 2014. These were undertaken to help

BARBICAN AND GOLDEN LANE AREA INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ALEX TOSTDEV INE, PRESIDENT GSMD STUDENTS’ UNION

better understand the range of local needs and perceptions, identify

what in the area is used and valued, gaps in local provision, areas of

weakness or deficiency, and to pinpoint opportunities for improvements, particularly to local streets, spaces and routes.

Interviewees were asked to contribute thoughts about the area’s positives and negatives, its general character, opinions on spaces, amenities and routes, what might improve the area in the long-term and views about wider changes occurring, including the arrival of Crossrail and the

City’s desire to develop the area’s cultural profile into a cultural hub.

Participants were additionally asked specific questions relating to their

job or community role, particular knowledge or relationship to the area,

and associated to this, the wider needs and priorities of their colleagues, contemporaries or general user group.

Potential interviewees were identified as Publica’s survey work and

knowledge of the area developed, or via introductions made by atendees of the stakeholder workshops and meetings. All interviews were

undertaken on the understanding that the information gathered would be used to help the City of London in the development of the Barbican

and Golden Lane Area Strategy, and in setting the focus and priorities of this document.

The interview sample group was curated to ensure a balance of different user types, reflective of the range of people who use the Barbican and

Golden Lane area. Interviewees were chosen to represent a wide range

of user and occupier views, but particularly those groups who might not have contributed through other consultation mechanisms. The majority of those interviewed were individuals who spent a great deal of time

within the strategy area, and could therefore provide knowledge about the day-to-day experience. Some had a long-standing knowledge of

the neighbourhood; others a more recent knowledge, specific to certain aspects. The ages of the interviewees ranged from nine to 94.

Interviews, each lasting approximately 30 to 45 minutes, were conducted by one or two members of Publica staff. If possible, and with the

interviewee’s agreement, conversations were recorded or in some cases filmed. As one would expect, opinions expressed were complex and

varied, in some cases reflecting both personal and organisational views.

Additionally, each respondent provided a wealth of information that was

specific to individual circumstances.

The format of each interview followed a consistent structure, agreed

in advance with the City of London, although questions were tailored to respond to each interviewee’s particular relationship to the area.

As an example, to the right are the questions that Publica asked Alex

Tostdevine, President of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama Student Union.

The edited transcripts of each interview follow in this section.

A PPEN DI X A : O N E-TO-O N E I N T ERV I E W EDI T ED T R A N S CR I PT S

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APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Long-standing residents, Speed House – Barbican estate Arthur and Frank Major were the first residents of Speed House in the Barbican

estate. The brothers moved to the estate in 1969 and have recently celebrated their

“It’s got the facilities we want with ease of access. It wouldn’t suit everybody living here, but for Arthur and I with no family, it suited us very well! It couldn’t have been better”

94th birthdays.

REL AT IONSHIP TO THE AREA Frank: Arthur and I have been living here for 44 years. Before we came we

were homeless so it was very much a blessing when a flat came up in 1969.

We’d been living in Marylebone; we’d been given notice on our flat so were living in a small hotel.

Apart from the flats over the fire station, Speed House was the first block

that was ready for occupation. Andrewes House was almost complete, but

the rest of the Barbican was a building site. We were the first residents; we watched it develop over the years and the changes that have taken place.

We were born in the East End, in Manor Park, in 1920. So we’re very much at home in London. It appealed to us to come here.

There were great delays in the building of the Barbican. Lots of strikes going on, so the flats weren’t ready as early as they’d planned. We put our names down for it a good ten years before they were available!

In the beginning, all the flats were rented, and Arthur and I still rent the

flat now. When they started to come on the market, we weren’t in a position to buy because Arthur had taken early retirement and I was two years off

retirement…So it really wasn’t an option. But we didn’t want to buy outside of the Barbican, we wanted to stick with it!

I used to take parties of children to the museum, but I’ve not been there in a long time! But the arts centre yes. I used to go to the cinema quite a bit and also the theatre.

My specific interest was St Giles’ church. I was the head of history at a

comprehensive school in Willesden and that church appealed to me very much because it’s the burial place of John Milton for example, and Oliver Cromwell was married there. Apart from the teaching and my life with Arthur, my life centred on the church. Right from the start I gave tours

in the church, every Tuesday afternoon, for 30 years, and I still do them! I joined directly when we came, and Arthur joined St Paul’s. During those

years I was very busy: I was a member of the PCC, I was a Church Warden

for 20 years and also the editor of the church magazine. Now I’m afraid I’ve relinquished quite a lot of my activities!

Arthur: I’ve lived at the Barbican for over 40 years and I should hate to leave

Arthur: My favourite place in the Barbican: the library. I used to go to the

I shared a flat there. We put in for this area, and got it.

walk.

it! Before I came here, I lived in Marylebone and Baker Street, and Frank and

library a lot. And walks in the area. I can’t do either now, as I can’t really

We lived in a regency-period flat near Regent’s Park, and that was nice, but

I used to play at the church and they would help me with my music exams. I

our home life here. Frank started cooking and I enjoyed his Irish stew! I was

ROUT INE

then we moved here. Living here, I’ve enjoyed it. I must say I really liked

studying for my degree when we came and I remember taking my books to

the library. I loved music — Bach, Beethoven and Chopin were favourites… but I was at the Guildhall School long before it came here!

COMMUNI T Y Frank: It was more a community in the early years than it is now. Originally it was built for residents, for a caring community, but I think that’s slipped away somewhat. It’s much more commercially based now.

There’ve been great changes in the inhabitants and the residents. As soon

as they came on the market it changed. For years I used to go around Speed

House, with the church magazine or collecting for Christian Aid and I used to know at least half the people, but I now know very few. A population in transit — that’s how one of the car park attendants described it, and that’s the impression I’ve got too.

Arthur: In the old days, it was business people: people were dressed

remember playing on the church piano to practise.

Frank: My routine is very different from what is used to be! I’m restricted

with my movement and have to use a walking stick. I’m able to walk to the important places: to the church, to the bank, and to Waitrose, so I’m quite

happy about that. With Waitrose we have two deliveries a week, so that’s a godsend.

We’ve got some nice neighbours that help us, and we get a lot of help from

the church. Social services are very good and our doctor visits once a week. We’re very well supported.

CHANGE Frank: I don’t think any big change is necessary in the Barbican. It’s got the

facilities we want with ease of access. It wouldn’t suit everybody living here, but for Arthur and I with no family, it suited us very well! It couldn’t have been better.

business-like. People who lived here were very posh. You don’t see that so much anymore.

I never quite belonged to the community here, as for my studies, painting

and music, I’d be out eight hours a day or more! But I got involved in those artistic things.

PL ACES AND AMENI T IES Frank: After the church, my favourite place is the library. It’s a beautiful

library and books are something which are quite attractive to me. Of course, when we first came, it was in the Cripplegate Institute.

When we first came, I was teaching in Willesden and Arthur was teaching music in Kensington. So it was a very suitable and convenient area.

At one time, I used to sunbathe in the garden of Speed House! I use it less

now as it’s a bit difficult to get to it and I’ve got to be careful of the sun. The gardens are really lovely, a terrific asset.

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“Speed House was the first block that was ready for occupation. We were the first residents; we watched it develop over the years and the changes that have taken place”

APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: President, Guildhall School of Music & Drama Student Union Alex Tostdevine is the current President of the Guildhall School of Music &

“A lot of the practice rooms look out over the lakeside, and for a profession that is reliant on people’s individual creativity, to look across gardens and water, it really does make a difference”

Drama Student Union. He studied at the school for two years before taking over his present position.

AREA CHANGE The first year we didn’t have Milton Court, and the second we did. So that’s a huge change in terms of the way the school functions. It’s obviously created more space, but it’s also split us in two. Before, people would

informally use the foyer of the arts centre and the lakeside quite a bit.

Now with the two sites, that’s changed, and people very much stay in their

respective buildings throughout the day. If I’m honest, it’s been detrimental to the community of the school. Having the arts centre as a place to meet and exchange, and just being in the environment of a world-class arts

institution, really aided the feeling of being part of a creative community. To be making less of the proximity we have seems a shame.

POSI T IVES AND NEGAT IVES None of the London music colleges have a proper campus, but because of

how the Barbican is set out, because we’ve got several different spaces, and

it’s pedestrianised, it does feels like a campus here, and that’s certainly a big advantage. It’s generally very quiet which makes it a good place to practise. There’s little traffic or other noise. If it was any louder generally, people certainly couldn’t practise so late into the evening.

A lot of the practice rooms look out over the lakeside, and for a profession

that is reliant on people’s individual creativity, to look across gardens and water, it really does make a difference.

Signage and access to some areas could be hugely improved. I think it

would have a positive impact to the way the students use the space, and their attitude to being in and around the arts centre generally.

Some students live in Sundial Court on Chiswell Street. It’s great that it’s so

close to the school, but it’s the only halls of residence we have, and too small to even accommodate all the first years.

CHARACTER The architecture of the Barbican is obviously very specific, but it does feel

like a really creative place. Even though we don’t see much of the residents, you do feel that it’s a small, close-knit community.

People always sit on the lakeside and look at the Wood Street pub and

think ‘that’s great, let’s go!’ but then they can’t figure out how to get there. If you’re sat at lakeside, to actually access the south side, it’s slow, and incredibly limited.

The Sculpture Court? I didn’t even know that existed. If I’m honest, I don’t think anyone knows how to get up on to that higher podium level from Guildhall.

COLL ABORAT IONS We have quite a close relationship with the arts centre, and some of our

students also work for the Barbican, as stewards or at the ticket booths. I

don’t think anyone really thinks about the Museum of London though, or

even considers it part of the area. We’ve never done any shared projects. It’s a bit left out.

AMENI T IES We give new students a tour of the local area, the Barbican Centre, Old

Street, Golden Lane, Whitecross Street. But we don’t show them much of the Barbican estate itself beyond the centre.

Our student bar is located in Sundial Court, but people also go to the Jugged Hare or the pubs along Whitecross Street and in Farringdon. For lunch, the food market is really popular or else people might go to Waitrose, or the

Tesco round the corner, and then sit by the lakeside, or sometimes in the Barbican Foodhall.

It’s unique in that you’ve got students along with professional musicians,

A huge number of people use the gym on Golden Lane because it’s a lot

nobody lives right there, in the middle of it.

who go to the gym, go to Golden Lane. It’s also easier to get to from Silk

actors, arts workers and residents. The South Bank has that to an extent, but

SPACES AND BUILDINGS My favourite places are outside on the Lakeside Terrace or across at St Giles’ church. Being a musician myself, being able to play in that church, in the

cheaper than the other options locally. I’d say about 85 percent of students Street and Milton Court than the Virgin Active – you don’t have to negotiate the levels! And there’s a precedent; previous students tell new ones about Golden Lane, so that’s where they tend to join.

setting where you are studying is quite special. And St Giles’ Terrace is one

of my favourite places to go, to get away from everyone and just enjoy some calm and quiet.

My least favourite place is the annexe of the Guildhall. It’s not pleasant

to be inside, but also a nightmare to get to. It’s too far removed from the

main campus and every year new students have to ask old ones, ‘where’s

John Trundle Court?’ There’s the one learnt route via the highwalks that’s passed down. Some students also have large instruments, harps, bases, and it can be really difficult to get them safely down the narrow stairs

between podium levels. They’re awkward to negotiate and you worry about damaging the instruments.

For students, we only have that one tiny section of lakeside to enjoy being

outside. It’s okay, but not the best. Trees in pots, some clanky benches. Yes, the lake is lovely, but it’s not expansive or green in any way. In summer,

people tend to go to Finsbury Square. There’s the whole roof of Guildhall,

but students can’t go up there. We do have a gardening club — they use the roof and have planted out some of the raised areas, but mostly it’s Barbican

“The Sculpture Court? I didn’t even know that existed. If I’m honest, I don’t think anyone knows how to get up on to that higher podium level from Guildhall”

and Guildhall staff, rather than students, and only two out of 30 plots have been planted. It’s a shame so much of it is unused.

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APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Headteacher, Prep School, City of London School for Girls Jane Rogers is the Headteacher of the preparatory department of the City of London School for Girls, which is co-located with the main school. She has

worked at the school for the past five years. Jane lives in Islington and walks to work each day.

CHANGE I’ve worked here for the past five years and in that time we’ve definitely got better at using other parts of the complex, we’ve got some fantastic local

links in place now. And I think there’s been a change in attitudes generally: people are very positive about where we’re located and the advantages it can offer.

“I would describe the area as a real mixture! You’ve got education, a museum, the Barbican Centre, the residents. It’s unique. And you’ve got all that, located right in the middle of the City. I can’t think of another place like it, it’s very special”

POSI T IVES AND NEGAT IVES The best thing about the area? That the school’s here! And in partnership

with other world-class centres of excellence like the Barbican Centre, like the Museum of London, we bring a sense of vibrancy and diversity.

WAYFINDING It is complicated to find us! When I was new here, I learnt one route, but if

The lack of space is a bit of a problem. We do a lot with what we’ve got, but

that was blocked for any reason, it was really quite hard to work out another

But of course, necessarily there are constraints when you’re in a listed

signage needs to be much clearer.

clearly the needs of the girls have changed since the building was designed.

way. How the estate is laid out is counter-intuitive — and that’s why the

building.

LOCAL AMENI T IES

SPACES

The sixth formers are allowed out of school at certain times — some of

It’s a source of great regret to me that we look out right across the large

them go to the back of the Guildhall, and I think the Moorgate Buttery is a

in the summer, just to read books under a tree! Or to do some watercolour

Barbican Centre: we see girls there all the time, more than on our side of the

residents’ garden, but can never use it. I would love to take a class outside

favourite. They do like the little grassy areas to sit. And the lakeside by the

drawing. Just with the little ones, that would be lovely.

lake by the church.

My least favourite place in the area is the concourse (St Giles’ Terrace). I

Most staff stay within the school at lunchtime as there’s a lot going on — but

puddles need to be sorted out and the broken tiles replaced. You have to

Whitecross Street. We sometimes go to the Wood Street pub, and that’s also

worry about the girls falling over: it’s like an ice rink when it rains. The

we all do occasionally pop out, nip to M&S at Moorgate or the Waitrose on

walk extra carefully.

handy for parents if they’re waiting for school trips to arrive back as the

ACT IVI T IES

coaches park on Fore Street.

There are a great many after-school activities here, lots of sports, but

CHARACTER

currently closed for refurbishment, and I know lots of girls go to sports

museum, the Barbican Centre, the residents here. It’s unique. And you’ve

also drama and music. We use Golden Lane for swimming as our pool’s

I would describe the area as a real mixture! You’ve got education, a

clubs after school and swimming lessons there too.

got all that, located right where it is, right in the middle of the City. I can’t

We do hire out the building for other uses, outside of school hours and at

the weekends. There are a few choirs, there used to be a Chinese church at

think of another place like it, it’s very special.

My favourite place in the area is the school, I think it’s fantastic. It’s unique

the weekend, and the National Youth Theatre were here over the summer.

because of what we can do with the girls, where we are...and our links with

ROUTES

We’re a microcosm of multicultural London.

I walk though the Barbican complex every day so I know it pretty well.

the Corporation mean we’re very egalitarian in our intake and approach.

I come in from the Angel. I walk down Whitecross Street and then up

IMPROVEMENTS

church. I use the stair that’s off the lobby, that’s my regular route. I’m

everyone is keen that there is a school located here.

through the arts centre, across the bridge and down by the side of the

Perhaps our relationship with residents could be better in some cases. Not

normally at work for about seven in the morning. The main arts centre’s

In terms of the general environment, I would probably make it look a bit less

closed, but I can always get through the bit I need.

HIGHWALK S AND SAFE T Y

brutal, a bit softer! I do quite like the architecture personally, but anything that could soften it and humanise it would also be welcome.

A huge advantage of being here is we can use the highwalk system to get the girls safely to other parts of London and other parts of the estate. For

example we run an archaeology club with the Museum of London, so it’s

great that the girls can get there without needing to cross the road. We use

the Barbican Library extensively and again we can get the girls there really easily on the highwalks. The library is really fantastic and we liaise with them very closely.

TRANSPORT So many of the girls come with their parents on public transport and the fact that we’re close to the stations is really vital. It’s also that there are choices, so if there’s a problem at Moorgate, people come into Barbican. A number

travel in with their parents who work in the City. The highwalk route means parents can be confident their daughters will be safe. We’ve obviously also got a number of girls who live in the Barbican itself, so it’s really nice that they’re part of the wider community as well as the school one.

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“A huge advantage of being here is we can use the highwalk system to get the girls safely to other parts of the estate”

APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Pupil, City of London School for Girls Maia Chaudhary is nine years old and a pupil at the City of London School for

“Sometimes we have races... We do that on the way home from school. Everyone takes a different route to the station, to see who will be fastest”

Girls. She travels to and from school every day with her mother via the London Underground. They use Barbican station.

GENERAL My class has 22 students and I’m in Tudor house. There are about 100 children in the prep school and a lot more in the senior school.

I really like where my school is: there are lots of things nearby, different stations, shops and the Barbican Centre. We used the library there quite a lot last year, and I enjoyed those trips. I’ve not been to the Museum of London with school, but I think some of the other classes have.

SPACES There are three playgrounds in the school and we normally play in two.

There’s also of big garden right outside the prep classrooms. It would be

nice to play there, but we’re not allowed. Sometimes we see people using it, but not that often.

I like spending time in the bigger playgrounds, the netball courts and

High Grass, though it’s not real grass. Our Sports Day is held on the big

playground, but I think the older seniors have theirs somewhere outside of school.

When we’re in the big playground we can see people walking along the highwalks, but only their heads! It does look quite funny.

When the seniors are using High Grass we use Low Grass which is smaller

and by the lake. Last year, someone accidentally fell in and she had to spend the rest of the day drying her clothes! There are lots of ducks on Low Grass and in the lake, which is nice, especially when the new ducklings have

hatched. There’s also always lots of pigeons because it’s where we eat our snacks.

When you look out of the windows from the senior school you can see the

water and the fountains. If it’s sunny, there’s often children playing, which makes us want to go outside too! The fountains and the plants are the

things I like best. Some parts are really pretty and it’s nice that you can see lots of green and flowers outside.

ROUTES The journey to school takes about half an hour. It can be very crowded

on the train as we’re travelling at rush hour. Outside Barbican station in

the morning, the road is quite busy and it always smells of petrol and car

fumes. We have to try and cross, which can take a while, and then we walk

Sometimes when people like my grandparents, who don’t really know the

way, come and collect me from school, I have to help direct them back to the station, or else we’d get lost!

When we learned about traffic at school, they took us around the area to

understand how to cross the larger streets and what the road signs mean,

but generally, except by the station, I don’t need to use them, because of the highwalks.

When I have after-school activities, we leave school a bit later, and in the

winter when it’s dark, you have to know your way or it could be confusing. If you were lost, you wouldn’t be able to read the signposts as there’s not enough light.

THE BARBICAN ESTATE We’ve been learning about the Barbican in geography at the moment. We’re looking at the history of the Barbican, the advantages and disadvantages of living here. We’re thinking about the difference between living in

the Barbican and other places. I think some of the downsides are that

sometimes it can be a bit noisy, some bits are very polluted, and also you’re not allowed to have pets! But it’s quite nice also, because it’s in the middle

of everything, there’s lots of places nearby, facilities like the centre and the museum and the library and outside spaces that you can sit.

We also walked around parts of the area and looked at the cleanliness, the level of pollution, if there was graffiti, and generally what the buildings look like.

My friend asked me to tell you that she thinks the concrete is ugly! I think it’s okay, but maybe there could be more plants, in places where at the

moment it’s a bit grey to look at? I quite like the floor tiles, but sometimes they’re loose or broken and can be slippery.

up the stairs and take the highwalks all the way to the back entrance of the school.

If we’re a bit early, we sit on the floor and wait opposite the entrance until they open the gates. Sometimes we see other people from school on the

way from the station, and if I see my friends, if there’s time, we can play on the way. Sometimes we have races too. We do that on the way home from school. Everyone takes a different route to the station, to see who will be

fastest. I normally go down the spiral stairs and my friends might carry on

with the highwalks. If I go that way I stop and wait at the main road. There’s not as much traffic in the afternoon, so it’s easier to cross.

We used to use Moorgate station and come into the front entrance of the

school, by the church, using the highwalks that way, but that was before we realised that the back entrance existed, and the way we go now is quicker. Quite a few of the other children from prep do use the main entrance but lots of seniors come in the same way I do.

I think the highwalks are useful because we can go to the stations easily,

and from school to the library in the Barbican Centre. To get there we’d go

past St Giles’ church, up the stairs and across the bridge. The highwalks can be a bit confusing, I think the signs help, but not always. It helps to know where you’re going.

“The fountains and the plants are the things I like best. Some parts are really pretty and it’s nice that you can see lots of green and flowers outside”

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APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Parent of pupil attending City of London School for Girls Kavitha Chaudhary is the parent of a nine-year-old pupil at the City of London

School for Girls. She brings her daughter to school each morning and collects her each afternoon.

AREA CHANGE I’ve been bringing my daughter here for a little over two years. Not much has changed within the Barbican itself, but outside of course, I’ve noticed

the significant development of Crossrail. When I started coming here, work was really in the preliminary stages and only affecting the main road by

Moorgate. Now it’s come further towards the estate. It progressed at such

“The centre foyer is a very good place to come and sit in winter or meet people, because it’s always warm and always free. When I have to meet other parents near school, that’s where we go. We’ve even planned birthday parties there”

a rate, and there were so many attendant restrictions on where pedestrians could walk, that it made us use the highwalk route as our default option to get to and from the station.

KEY POSI T IVES

south, I end up somewhere between the Guildhall and the Barbican Centre – it feels like I’m in an area between places. I could be approaching from

I love that the Barbican is pedestrianised. I think that’s a wonderful thing

a car park into a shopping centre, it’s that sort of no-man-zone feeling. I

consider a concrete jungle, I can see palm trees and lakes and ponds and

foremost arts centres in the country!’ It’s incongruous with what the centre

the place.

The Beech Street tunnel is very off-putting. When you’re coming from

in the heart of the City that’s so busy. And despite being what some people

certainly don’t think, ‘wow I’m entering the Barbican Centre, one of the

gardens and ducks. That speaks volumes for the relaxed atmosphere of

does, and the many wonderful things that it contains and offers.

KEY NEGAT IVES

Barbican station the perception is, “I’m coming to Barbican station, this

The worst thing about the area is probably that not enough people know

must be how I get to the Barbican Centre – but where on earth is it?” And

of mouth. It’s also the accessibility. I understand it’s not a straightforward

possibly heading to a car park. I’ve had numerous people asking me for

are three levels, and consequently it’s hard to communicate in a simple

how they want people to approach the arts centre. If it’s Beech Street, then

numerous times when I think, ‘right, I shall go such and such a way because

made more accessible too, if they really want people to use them.

about it. It seems to be a place that people are familiar with more by word

you see the tunnel and think, well that can’t possibly be it, it’s an underpass,

grid and therefore directions are difficult to follow, plus the fact that there

directions, it’s a very regular occurrence! They need to decide where and

map – but really, navigation around the Barbican is awful. I have got lost

Beech Street needs improvement! And the subordinate entrances need to be

I can see where I want to get to’ and I just end up reaching a dead end!

BARBICAN CENTRE FOYER

FAVOURI TE SPACES

The centre foyer is a very good place to come and sit in winter or meet

My favourite place in the area is the Lakeside Terrace on a sunny day. I

people, because it’s always warm and always free. When I have to meet

You’re just suddenly transported in a minute, to somewhere that feels very

get coffee if you want to. We’ve even planned birthday parties there.

like it because it reminds me of being on holiday, when I’m clearly not!

other parents near school, that’s where we go: it’s easy, it’s spacious, you can

different to the atmosphere in the surrounding streets.

IMPROVEMENTS

My other favourite place, though I’ve not actually yet been inside, is the

I think increase some of the green spaces. Where there are areas of

and enjoy. I didn’t even realise it existed until one of those occasions when

right opposite the back entrance to the school. Yes, I think that would add to

(it wasn’t) and I found it just by chance. And then I was very disappointed I

Make it more beautiful, pay attention to the areas which are a bit off the

conservatory. I wish they would open it up a little bit more people for to use

highwalk that expand from being a route into a larger space: there’s one

I was wandering around trying to take what I thought would be a shortcut

the area, definitely.

couldn’t go inside.

ROUTE TO SCHOOL

beaten track, light it better at night, advertise it, celebrate it, bring out the

best – because it deserves to be celebrated and I don’t think enough is done

We come into Barbican station and use the highwalks to get to the school.

to promote it or make it as attractive as it could be. It’s unique in the world.

parents as soon as they reach the highwalks. All the girls walk together. It’s

think it makes the City of London particularly special.

On the way, we might encounter other pupils. Many of them are left by their

You go to other world cities and you don’t see anything like this. I really

incredibly safe and great that they can run around without thinking about cars and traffic.

LOCAL WORKERS I used to work in the area, for eight years, on Moorgate. It took me three

years to locate the Barbican Library but once I discovered it, I would visit

many lunchtimes. I thought it was a fantastic opportunity, because people who work here don’t necessarily have time to enjoy those facilities where they live.

I don’t think evening concerts and activities were well enough advertised

to people who worked in the area. I’m sure the Barbican Centre must have

links with local businesses, but more should be done by those businesses to promote what’s going on.

BARBICAN CENTRE APPROACH One of the things I like least is getting stuck around the back offices of the Barbican Centre, feeling like I really shouldn’t be there, but then

not knowing how to find my way out again. There needs to be a better

segregation between those areas which are meant to be frequented by the public, and those areas that aren’t. If I’m coming over the bridge from the

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“Pay attention to the areas which are a bit off the beaten track, light it better at night, advertise it, bring out the best — because it deserves to be celebrated and I don’t think enough is done to promote it or make it as attractive as it could be ”

APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: CEO, Ashby Capital — 200 Aldersgate Street

Peter Ferrari is the CEO of Ashby Capital, the property company that own 200

Aldersgate Street, located on the western side of the Museum of London rotunda.

200 ALDERSGATE STREE T AND THE WIDER CONTEX T We bought the building about a year ago as a long-term investment, so

we’re keenly interested in what happens going forward. The western side

of the area is such an important gateway into the City, and yet it’s currently blighted.

When they first developed this building, this location was really considered

“For the City, it’s important to recognise the value of their residents and what they bring. The residential community helps to create a dynamic environment, and it is that dynamic, that in today’s world, the business community feeds off and values”

to be on the northern fringes of the City, a bit ‘out there’. But now of course, with what’s happening at Old Street, and at Smithfields and at Holborn

Viaduct, it’s right in the centre of all the activity, where the new industries and the old industries meet.

We have 25 occupiers in our building: half of them are traditional City

tenants, and the other half are telecommunications, media and technology. So it really does look both ways, which is what makes the location.

For the City, it’s important to recognise the value of their residents and what they bring. Having the residential community helps to create a dynamic environment, and it is that dynamic, that in today’s world, the business community feeds off and values.

IMPROVING LINK S

The building is a very social space. We have a variety of tenants from

There are clear barriers at present. The permeability needs to be improved

space which everybody uses. It’s a good example of the new way people are

all, stops people thinking they can get through.

different industries and at the heart of the building is a shared meeting

working in the 21st century: we spend less time at our desks and more time meeting people and having conversations, so buildings need to offer a lot more to occupiers.

The one down side is what’s happening right outside the door with the

roundabout. From our point of view, to see something happen to strengthen the links between Old Street, Farringdon, the City and St Paul’s – because we’re at the fulcrum of that here – is really important to us.

I think that occupiers currently think of the area as facing the other way.

That is, their employees would go towards St Paul’s or towards Smithfields.

There’s clearly an opportunity to get them to use the spaces and the amenity within the Barbican, if you do something to make that attractive.

THE BARTS AREA Clearly the massive transformation happening at Barts is really important

when you consider the wider area: it sits right in the middle of what’s coming with Crossrail at Farringdon, and what you’re considering now at Barbican. And Farringdon is going to become the new centre of London. There’s so much opportunity with Crossrail and whatever happens at Smithfield.

What’s interesting is that it’s a real range of buildings. New, yes, but a lot of refurbishment of older buildings, knitting together. What was previously

single, hospital use, with no reason for anyone to visit – except if you had to go to the hospital, will become a thriving, buzzing part of the city, like any other.

IDENT I T Y

drastically. The Barbican is a fortress and London Wall really does block it The make-up of the City is changing. People want the street life and

diversity that City fringe locations offer, Old Street, Clerkenwell, we’re right

next to them here. The City needs to open up its boundaries and think about the opportunities of better links.

OPPORTUNI T Y This area is an important one for the City – a strategic location – and of

course the Museum of London roundabout is a tremendous opportunity for the corporation, but with a lot of problems as well.

The 2,000 odd people in our building want what everybody else wants. When they’re not working they want places to have a coffee, to eat

something, to do a bit of shopping, to enjoy a cultural experience – that’s

what the City needs to sponsor and promote, because the issue for the City in this new working world. If you have the office monoculture without the amenity people need and expect, it’s simply not as attractive a place for people to carry out their business as alternative options.

For the square mile to be successful it needs to embrace diversity and join

up the places that do work, to improve the places where there’s opportunity. This is the perfect place to do that, at the juncture between Shoreditch, Clerkenwell and the City.

The Barbican is on the scale of a great estate. It’s a huge area in single

ownership and that creates huge opportunity – the City need to recognise that and use it.

Where is our building? Well I’m not sure it’s quite in any area, and there’s probably the opportunity to define a place. That’s an issue. It should be a place with a name, but what is it? The Museum of London roundabout? That’s what I’d probably say it to explain the location, but it’s not a very lovely way to describe anywhere!

THE BARBICAN ESTATE The Barbican is an incredibly important estate, and yet, in effect, it doesn’t

have a front door. There are plenty of back doors, but no main entrance. The

museum’s a wonderful institution, but it looks terribly forboding and I can’t say anyone would really feel invited to go in from the street. The whole thing needs opening up.

The people in our building should be using the spaces in the Barbican,

having their lunch by the lakeside, enjoying the views and the environment, but they’re not doing that and I shouldn’t think they even know it’s there. I don’t think any of them would go into the Barbican. There’s nothing to encourage them to do so.

“For the square mile to be successful it needs to embrace diversity and join up the places that do work, to improve the places where there’s opportunity. This is the perfect place to do that, at the juncture between Shoreditch, Clerkenwell and the City”

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APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Owner, City Hardware, Crescent House — Golden Lane estate

Paul Bencher runs City Hardware with his brother Simon. The shop is located in Crescent House on Goswell Road, part of the Golden Lane estate. The business was set up 50 years ago by Paul and Simon’s parents.

REL AT IONSHIP TO THE AREA We’ve been here 50 years. When my parents started we were down the Crescent at number 20, where Exhibit currently is. One day they were

serving pints in a pub, and the next day it was china and glass! It’s what was called fancy goods, pyrex, teapots, that sport of thing, and gradually, it’s

“The City concentrate on the big offices and new commercial development. They forget that the big businesses like that need the small businesses like us”

gone from clean goods to dirty goods! We moved here to number eight, and then expanded into the old record shop that was on the corner, number six.

SERVICE

The basements are no good for us, you’d have problems getting a mini

We are unique: our range, our knowledge, and in terms of our location,

down there. We’ve been here 50 years. Vehicles of this size weren’t even

hardware shop, and we sell small numbers, one of this, one of that. It’s not

We carry RSJ beams for Sainsbury’s, mirrors and glass for offices, lightbulbs

being able to supply the City. We’ve got 6,000 lines in here. We’re a proper

the pre-packed stuff hanging on the walls, with hundreds in a packet. Most people, and most offices, don’t need that volume.

considered in those days, when the estate was first built.

for Goldman Sachs, paint for Crossrail, paint for Selfridges, I could go on

and on. And they want it on site in two hours. That’s the way it all operates

We have lots of repeat customers, workers from the Barbican come in here

now. They don’t hold stock, so when the need something for the business,

you’ll see how many people are here, how many of our customers are

can’t offer that service, we can and do, but to be able to meet that, to

to get supplies, people who live on the estates. If you come in of a lunchtime

they expect us to be able to get it them immediately. The bigger companies

regulars that know us and that we’ll banter with.

service that, we need the right infrastructure in place – like loading and

I love the personal contact with customers, that’s what I enjoy most. And

parking bays.

it’s a proper family business: my parents, my brother, my nephew. Darren’s

As a small business in the City, if you want to get something done involving

leave without what they needed and without a smile on their face. It’s real

example, there’s too little communication of when they’re going to close

been here 20 years, his son works here too. You hardly ever see a customer

the corporation, it takes too long. It’s not responsive to our needs. For

service we offer.

roads and set diversions – because of Crossrail or some development – and

LOCAL NE T WORK S AND KNOWLEDGE

we know, having advance warning of all that is really important. The thing

We open at half seven so that the builders can come in on their way to work and go straight on to a job. Then we’ve got a network of local tradesmen, plumbers and electricians that work all around the City and Islington

and they know they come in here and find what they need for a job. If we haven’t got it, we can order it in for the following day.

for us who rely on being able to deliver and to get here, to use the routes is, it’s the City: they concentrate on the big offices and new commercial

development. They forget that the big businesses like that need the small

businesses like us. And if you lost the small businesses, they’d be gone, the rates are too high.

If we moved we’d lose the customer network. We’re the centre of north, south, east, and west here. It’s a strategic location.

There’s a couple of decorators that live on the estate, they buy all their paint from us or sometimes the residents will ask them to use us. But they would anyway, where we’re located, anywhere else is a trek if you’re working in one of that flats on the estates. There’s hardware places in Farringdon or Islington, but if you’re carrying 20 litres of paint – you don’t want to be carrying it far!

Most of the kitchens in the Barbican are eight-foot fluorescent tubes, it’s not

something you can easily get anymore, it’s old electrics, old technology that needs updating, and the estate office send people round to us for advice

on how to convert. It’s local knowledge. You’d never get that from the big suppliers. We know, because of where we’re located and past experience.

CHALLENGES OF RUNNING A SMALL BUSINESS Trying to run an operation with the regulations demanded of a small

business these days is hard, it’s a struggle no question. I’m trying to run a

business that supports the offices within the City, for people who live on the estates, for everyone, but I don’t feel like we get the support we need from

the corporation. Refuse collection, somewhere to store our rubbish, parking for our delivery vehicles. These are primary concerns. This is what affects us day to day and hinders us running the business as well as we want to. I cannot rely on my passing trade so it’s important our business thinks bigger than that. We deliver all over the country. We’ve got delivery

vehicles, but the stock is here, so it’s critical we can park and load. But we

need better facilities for it! It took us four years to get a loading bay, but the van still overhangs it. It’s a nightmare.

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“We are unique: our range, our knowledge, and in terms of our location, being able to supply the City. We’re got 6,000 lines in here. We’re a proper hardware shop”

APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Owner, Geranium Shop — Barbican estate

Marianne Christiansen is the owner of Geranium, the shop located on the ground floor of Lauderdale Tower. She also lives with her family in Shakespeare Tower within the estate.

REL AT IONSHIP TO THE AREA I’ve lived in the Barbican for the past 11 years and have had the shop for about the last two years.

I decided to move to the Barbican estate when I was expecting my first

“The shop is a bit hidden, which makes it feel local, and very much something that belongs to the estate, but from a purely commercial perspective, people can’t see us and that’s not ideal”

child. We just fell in love with the flat – a functional and beautiful space.

And the area was very central, people seemed lovely, and it was walking distance to both mine and my partner’s work at the time.

CHANGES Definitely more families have moved in, and there are a lot more children. I’ve also noticed many more activities taking place within the Barbican

Centre. Generally, it has changed to become more inclusive in terms of the type, age and background of people who live here, which is great.

FACILI T IES We don’t need to go far for anything, in terms of work, education or leisure, it’s right here. There are lots of facilities for children, which we appreciate

because we have an eight year old and an 11 year old. The children’s school is Prior Weston, right next door between Golden Lane and Whitecross Street. It’s just five minutes, which is a real bonus.

RESIDENTS’ GARDENS One of the best things about living in the area is all the friends we’ve made

here, which has a lot to do with the residents’ gardens, where we’ve spent a lot of time, as our children have grown up.

My children very much enjoy the gardens and spending time in them, and

I think if it hadn’t been for the gardens we wouldn’t have stayed living here as the children got older. To be able to live right in the centre of London but enjoy such large residents gardens is fantastic.

GERANIUM SHOP I have a ten-year lease on the shop. There was a bidding process through

We do sell coffee and cake, but we’ve only got a few tables, so it’s not really

a café. The license means we can sell food to take away, but we’re limited in terms of people sitting in.

At the moment it’s mostly residents who use us, both from the Barbican and also from Golden Lane. Also a few people from local businesses who have

discovered the shop, or from the arts centre. A lot of the non-residents come to get something for lunch, and because we don’t do that yet, they’re not

necessarily regular customers. Hopefully we’ll get going with sandwiches and soups soon.

Saturday morning is our busiest time, and after that Sunday mornings. Weekdays it’s busier in the evenings, when people get back from work.

We’re now open every day except Monday, but we’ve gradually increased

the opening times. Some days we close early though. The eventual plan is every day 8am to 8pm.

L AUDERDALE PL ACE Everyone asks about having tables outside (in Lauderdale Place) but I

haven’t got around to applying for permission – also because there are

flats very close, and it’s very likely some residents wouldn’t be at all keen. I would only apply for lunchtime, daytime use. When it’s sunny and there’s no wind, it’s a nice space, but at other times, this is definitely one of the

more windswept areas of the Barbican! It could definitely be better – some seating for when the weather is good.

the estate office, so I’m lucky to have got it! It wasn’t particularly publicised,

Sometimes it’s full of cars, or removal lorries and service vehicles. This

be approved by the Barbican Committee within the Guildhall as well as the

through, or going to the estate office.

but it was empty for over a year, and I was curious so I found out. It had to estate office.

For me, it was all about the location, right where we live, rather than just

owning a shop. It was important that there was a community focus to it. I’ve not yet got there with events or activities, but we will at some point. In the

meantime, it feels like a local place. I have regular customers who I’ve got to know, and residents meet each other here, so it’s a community in that respect.

We originally wanted to open a bakery but then realised that the space

space isn’t really used by anyone except service people, those walking

As we’re open in the evenings, the light from the shop makes the route

and the space more pleasant when it’s dark. It feels more inhabited in the evening. Otherwise this is quite a dead corner of the estate.

The lighting used to be really poor, but recently it changed and now it’s lit all the time. They’ve also just introduced some non-slip paving because it

was super-slippery before that. People falling over all the time. These tiles are horrendous when they’re wet.

wasn’t well suited to it. It would also have meant very early morning

activity and obviously this area is residential, so that wouldn’t have really worked.

From the outset I felt the location would give me a captive audience, and

there are so few other shops within the estate. So in that way, being in the Barbican is really good.

The disadvantage is that it’s not facing the street. The shop is a bit hidden, which makes it feel local, and very much something that belongs to the

estate, but from a purely commercial perspective, people can’t see us and that’s not ideal. It’s an issue signage could probably solve.

We very much tailor our stock to what people want. We started with fresh pastries and bread and cheese – breakfast things. Then, I added gifts, and

chocolates and in December, Christmas trees! And it’s moved on from that, vegetables, grocery, specialist products. If people want something, I can always order it in.

“My children very much enjoy the gardens and spending time in them. If it hadn’t been for the gardens we wouldn’t have stayed living here as the children got older”

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APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Chair, Fann Street Wildlife Garden

Paula Tomlinson is the Chair of the Fann Street Wildlife Garden, one of the

residents’ gardens within the Barbican estate. She lives in Cromwell Tower with

“I like the fact that it’s quirky. Twenty years later I can still find a different way of getting somewhere and discover something new. The other day I found a new door and route that I’d never even seen before! It’s just that kind of place”

her husband John. They have lived on the estate for the past 20 years.

REL AT IONSHIP TO THE AREA My husband was already living here when I met him and I moved in

about 20 years ago. I said to him, I really want a community, I want to live

somewhere where I can get to know people, that’s central and close to shops and amenities, and he said, I’ve got that! That’s all here within the Barbican.

AREA CHANGE It’s changed a great deal over the time I’ve lived here. In terms of the resident mix, when I moved in there were a lot of older residents,

downsizing and moving in to have easy access to all the City has to offer. In

that we value.

the last five or six years it’s been a lot of families. You see children, babies,

The way it was designed is so unique, every single thing has been thought

wider community.

years later I can still find a different way of getting somewhere and discover

prams, scooters, everywhere. Which is great, as they’ve mixed in with the

FANN STREE T WILDLIFE GARDEN I’ve been chairman of the Wildlife Group for nine of the ten years it’s

been running. It entails keeping the group happily working in the garden and making sure that everyone wants to be part of what we’re trying to

achieve with it. I also liaise with the estate office and City Gardens in its management and maintenance.

It’s the third garden of the Barbican and at the back of the estate. It was

pretty neglected and Fann Street isn’t really a destination. Ten years ago, the estate office thought they would make it a proper wildlife garden, and that getting residents involved would help to do that cost effectively, but also

ensure custodianship of the space. In the beginning, City Gardens were in charge, but then we ended up knowing more about the garden than they did. We now have an SLA with the estate office — they supply us with a

out and considered. It just works. I like the fact that it’s quirky. Twenty

something new. The other day I found a new door and route that I’d never even seen before! It’s just that kind of place.

I use the podium as much as I can as it’s really the nicest way to get from A to B.

COMMUNI T Y AND AMENI T IES The best thing about living here is the fact that the Barbican is such a

community, one that you can be involved in all the time or not, as you

wish. There is a huge range of activities you can be part of, most of which

cost very little money. For example, the Music Appreciation Society or the Horticultural Society.

Our porters are really good and the cleaners are fantastic, they have a real care and commitment to the place which I think is rare these days.

gardener for two hours a week, but the rest of the time the volunteers work

I do my shopping at Whitecross Street, but the supermarket is not as good

open at the weekend so that more people can volunteer.

we use them all. The arts centre is brilliant, I spend half my life in the arts

there on their own. We currently meet on a Wednesday, but we’re hoping to Our original focus was Fann Street, but our work in terms of wildlife isn’t

as it could be. The little coffee shops are great, the pharmacy, the opticians, centre. The only thing wrong with the area is that you never want to leave.

restricted to the garden: last year we worked with the RSPB to think about

THE GOLDEN L ANE ESTATE

estate.

though I’ve some friends who live there, I’ve never had the chance to go

where to install new bird boxes and now there are a number across the It would be great if the entrance to the gardens was on Fann Street. At

the moment it’s on the side, so no one can see the sign, or even knows the

gardens are here. It’s also dangerous as the gate is on the corner by one of the car park and servicing entrances — so cars tend to rush along it.

The Barbican and Golden Lane estates are very different communities, but into any of the flats. I hear that some of them have fantastic roof gardens

which I’d love to see. The residents of Golden Lane seem to be happy within themselves, I don’t think they’re desperately looking outwards, they’re very active as a community themselves.

The light pollution is a real problem for wildlife. A lot of the larger offices have their lights on all through the night. It’s never truly dark which is

such an unnatural state when you think about creating an environment to encourage and maintain biodiversity. It’s terrible.

After my home, the wildlife garden is my favourite place in the area. The

garden team I work with are fantastic. It’s a unique place to be. Peaceful, a

place to be at one with nature, see things changing across the seasons, and to escape being in the city. It’s so quiet, an oasis in the City of London.

BEECH STREE T The worst thing about the area is probably Beech Street tunnel. The terrible air quality is a significant issue. If I had to choose, I’d say that’s the one

thing that needs improving. The air is absolutely filthy. When I need to get to Barbican station I always use the podium level to avoid it, even with all the work currently taking place.

THE BARBICAN ESTATE The Barbican is relaxing, easy to spend time in and quiet. We look over the lake which is wonderful and helps with the sense of calm and tranquility

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“After my home, the wildlife garden is my favourite place in the area. Peaceful, a place to be at one with nature, see things changing across the seasons and to escape being in the city”

APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Manager, Golden Lane Sport and Fitness Allan Rae is the General Manager of Golden Lane Sport and Fitness, the leisure centre located within the Golden Lane estate. He has worked at the centre for

the past 18 months and travels into the City of London from his home in south London.

GENERAL Our remit is to provide and promote affordable leisure for the City

community, that includes the people who live here, the 7,000 residents, but also the 340,000 city workers and commuters who come in every day. Our

“...All that hustle and bustle on the street and then you walk into the estate and all goes quiet. All you see and hear are people playing tennis, or swimming or going to the gym. You’re suddenly outside the City again”

objective is to offer a sustainable, balanced programme, and to serve the

community as well as working as a viable commercial operation. We have a Sports Development team who work on our outreach programme and with organisations locally.

MEMBERSHIP

THE GOLDEN L ANE ESTATE We have a good working relationship with the estate office, particularly

regarding shared facilities. We also hold and organise the bookings for The

About 25 percent of our membership live or work in very close proximity, so

Ralph Perrin (community) Centre, on behalf of the estate office. It isn’t a

who commute in. I live in south London and it’s not unusual for me to see

and bookings. It gets used quite a bit: there’s a prayer group, birthday

then coming here before work!

it’s obviously used by the Ralph Perrin Club and the City themselves use it

within the strategy area that you’re looking at — the rest are City workers

formal part of our remit — the fees go to the City but we look after access

members on my way in in the morning, getting the train to Farringdon and

parties, a reading group, it’s booked out for kids’ activities each half-term,

LOCAL LINK S

for meetings and consultations.

We’ve got good link-ups with organisations within our vicinity, so for

We try and do things collaboratively with the residential community. The

stick with the local area and companies within a five-minute walk, people

says the tennis courts can be noisy, there’ll be another who says I love that

the Barbican, around Whitecross Street, routes from tube stations. Staff from

different interests, and it’s all about finding the right balance. Of course, just

includes the Barbican Centre, Museum of London staff, and we get a lot of

than there was 30 years ago when the facilities were just for residents.

example we have corporate links with Skanska, UBS and GTA…we tend to

leisure centre does tend to polarise resident opinion — for every person that

don’t want to go further than that between work and the gym, so around

there are tennis courts here! And that’s not surprising, different people have

organisations linked to the City also all get concessionary rates, so that

the fact we’re here and open to all creates more footfall through the estate

students from GSMD too.

APPROACH AND SIGNAGE

ACT IVI T IES

Our access isn’t ideal but it’s generally OK for people to find us if we direct

We could hire out the tennis courts ten times over I think, same with the

them from Barbican tube and explain that we’re within the housing estate.

with the times of use, just because of where we’re located. So they’re open

contrast I mean — all that hustle and bustle on the street and then you walk

light out, we could definitely sell the 8pm to 10pm slot if it were an option.

tennis, or swimming or going to the gym. You’re suddenly outside the City

It’s primarily tennis and netball that happen on the courts, outside of school

just where it’s sited and that you can see the pool and the courts. But yes, it’s

badminton courts, they’re super popular! With the tennis, we’re restricted

And once you know it it’s actually a really nice walk from the station, the

8am in the morning to 8pm in the evening, and in the summer, when it’s

into the estate and it all goes quiet. All you see and hear are people playing

PE which is during the day for kids. The schools are all local and pupils

walk here which is great. Beyond that it’s used for a real mixture of things

again. I remember the first time I saw the centre, it really has a wow factor, always easier to find the second time!

— if it’s corporate bookings it’s normally charity events, but we also have

Coherent and consistent signage would make a big difference to us, better

that runs, and in half-term there’s also a holiday club.

particularly in the immediate area. Just to let people know that we’re here,

We’ve got a good pool, but there’s a lot of competition in the local area and

that would definitely make a difference. The name can also be confusing as

members who might book for an hour, non-members that play in the league

serious swimmers recognise that it’s only 20 metres by 8 metres — but at

peak times it’s well used. We’ve got a full, diverse, programme: swimming lessons, scuba lessons, private lessons, one to ones and at the weekend we

lighting, directional signage on the street and on the walkway down,

especially as we’re not at street level. And as it gets darker in the evenings, we’re now called Golden Lane Sport and Fitness rather than Golden Lane Leisure Centre, and signage with the correct name would really help.

open it up to families. School swimming lessons are Monday to Friday just after 9am until 10.30 and then 2 to 3pm in the afternoon.

USERS Families use our facilities more at the weekend, parents with their children. Monday to Friday you tend to see nannies with the children, but Saturday mornings we get a lot of families. In the week it’s Tuesdays and Thursday

afternoons. Tuesday we have after-school tennis lessons and Thursdays it’s swimming.

We do offer a resident concession rate for people who live in the City of

London. That’s an interesting one as we’re obviously right on the City and Islington border, so we’ve got people who literally live 50 feet away who don’t qualify for that.

Quite a few of the older residents who live on the estate use us in the

daytime. Our Sports Development team recently ran a Silver Sunday event to encourage more of them to become members, and about 50 people came along.

“We could hire out the tennis courts ten times over I think, same with the badminton courts, they’re super popular!”

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APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Rector, St Giles’ Cripplegate Katharine Rumens is the Rector of St Giles’ Cripplegate, located within the

Barbican estate. She has worked in the church and lived in the adjacent clergy house for the past 14 years.

CONGREGAT ION Over the time I’ve lived and worked here, I’ve certainly become aware of

more children in the area. I’ve also taken the funerals of many of those who

moved into the estate first: that generation who saw themselves as pioneers, living in the centre of the City.

“We’ve become invisible. There’s no passing trade so to speak and for the church’s primary purpose, to be the heart of prayer within the community, that’s problematic”

There are still quite a lot of people, who, when you meet them, say, well of

course we don’t live here, we live in Suffolk. Then there’s the component who are here internationally, for two or three years for a work contract. There’s

people sit outside in the summer, and when it actually gets used! It’s north

the supermarket on a Saturday morning, or around the school gates on a

no easy physical connection at street level between the waterside and the

still a lot of invisibility, and you may rarely see the people who aren’t at

facing, so on a hot day, perfect for those seeking shade, but because there’s

weekday.

terrace, people don’t know how to get over here. I’d like to see more people

Any day of the week, if you look out after dark, you see how many flats

in the City, and there’s heaps of space here, all sorts of corners for people to

have their lights out. It’s disappointing. It used to be the case that people

would stick within the estate, moving around as their family circumstances changed. Of course that’s much harder now…the prices are astronomical so

in and out and round about the church. Open space is a gift to everybody find a quiet spot if that’s what they’re looking for.

Those of us that live here would say that it’s a friendly place, there are

it’s happening less and less.

places to linger, to meet people outside, especially the gardens in the

Of the local congregation, it’s probably 70 percent Barbican residents and 30

pass key and therefore if you say ‘let’s have a picnic one Sunday after lunch’

percent from other parts of the parish. For example, from Golden Lane or

the Peabody estates. In terms of the office community, we are too hidden for casual visitors so it tends to be people who know about us already.

LOCAT ION Theologically, I like the fact that the church is located outside the City walls, where traditionally the vagabonds would gather to beg from people with

summer. But, it is privileged. You can only use the gardens if you’ve got a

the people from outside the estate have to enter with a keyholder, and that feels divisive.

Parts of the estate have a tranquillity about them. Other spaces might be

fine if you’re able bodied and can stride across the vast expanses, but are more difficult if you’re frail or less mobile.

business in the City! The location’s got a bit of an edge. Of course, that’s

My least favourite space in the area is the pavement by Aldersgate Street

the estate. And it’s lost its visibility alongside that. When this was a busy

pub. I have to be feeling resolute to take that route, otherwise I’d cut

church would have made sense. But you put a church into a quiet cul-de-

Golden Lane has fewer easy places to linger than the Barbican: getting

gone somewhat because it’s been subsumed into the brick and concrete of

and Goswell Road, coming up to the Golden Lane estate by the Shakespeare

thoroughfare, with warehouses and overcrowding, the ministry of the

through the [Barbican] estate.

sac, when from 1099 onwards it was located in a place of unregulated bustle, well what is the role of the church besides being for decorative purposes? So that makes it more difficult.

PERCEPT IONS The Barbican does have its own unique and special image. When my visitors tell people they’re going to stay at a flat in the Barbican it’s treated with great reverence and respect. Before I lived here I wasn’t really aware of that cache.

KEY ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES The advantages? Well parishioners can walk to church, and those people who live here can look out over our building and see there’s some living

history here. It also provides a change of surface – a contrast to the concrete and brick of the estate.

to Great Arthur House in cold weather and driving rain isn’t pleasant.

There’s no place to shelter, it feels hard, slippery underfoot and generally inhospitable.

I enjoy walking through Fortune Street Park where I might sit to talk to

someone I know if I see them. The benches are often used by older residents from Golden Lane, who tend to be gathering their strength for the walk

home from Waitrose with the shopping. The absence of benches is generally

a problem. I know that people who live in the Barbican might break up their journey on the ground floor of the arts centre as a mid-way point from the supermarket.

WAYFINDING You’ve got to persevere to find us, and it shouldn’t be that way. If you’ve not got a pass key, you’ve got to know the routes and where the public lifts are.

The tremendous disadvantage is that we’ve become invisible. There’s no

I can be in Whitecross Street and people will ask ‘where’s your church?’ and

the heart of prayer within the community, that’s problematic. But the

somewhere they would go or feel comfortable. It’s too hidden.

passing trade so to speak, and for the church’s primary purpose, to be

when I say ‘down by the lake in the Barbican’ there’s a sense that it’s not

environment does mean we are buffered from ambient sound and we have a fantastic acoustic which advantages the secondary use of the church for recording and making music.

SPACES AND USE It’s great on a Sunday morning when people just spill out of the church. You see children quite at home playing in the graveyard area, and their parents lingering.

St Giles’ Terrace used to be the churchyard for the church, and is leased by the City from us, so the church is the freeholder. We use it for parish

activities, particularly in the warmer months. On Palm Sunday we have a procession, our summer fair often spills out, and in holy week we have a

labyrinth project and mark labyrinths on the ground outside. I love it when

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“I’d like to see more people in and out and round about the church. Open space is a gift to everybody in the City, and there’s heaps of space here, all sorts of corners for people to find a quiet spot”

APPENDIX A One-to-One Interviews: Family, residents of Cromwell Tower – Barbican estate Justine and Dan Edelman live on the 13th floor of Cromwell Tower in the Barbican estate, with their children, Leoni, 11, and Felix, nine.

“I like the library a lot, and we try and go every week. And the cinema is great!”

REL AT IONSHIP TO THE AREA Dan: I’ve lived here since 1983, and the rest of them moved in or arrived, one by one, later! The children have been here forever, well since they were both born at least. We’ve got a house in Kent that we use at the weekends and holidays, but this is where we live.

AREA CHANGE Dan: More people live here properly, that’s noticeable. And there are more children definitely. The City always used to shut at about 7pm and at the weekend it was dead. Now that’s changed it’s much busier and much

become a turning circle for cars that can’t turn right at the end of Silk

Street. They’ve recently taken away the central reservation as part of the pedestrian-crossing scheme, and people have worked out you can now

drive in, turn around, and then turn right. It’s getting really dangerous.

noisier. We live a long way up, and noise travels upwards! But to do stuff,

NOISE

arts centre at the weekend is packed.

from that, when people are leaving late, or when there are demonstrations,

Justine: It’s improved a lot, it’s more family-friendly and has got more

is students from Sundial Court when they all get back from a night out at

it’s definitely easier, you can cross the road now and go to the cinema. The

upmarket. The new Côte restaurant and the cinema (on Beech Street) have

really made a difference to that corner. We’ve got a much nicer view and the cinema’s great.

LOCAT ION AND ROUTES Dan: The location is fantastic, we can walk to work. I work in Finsbury

Dan: We’re right over the Barbican Centre’s exit so we hear lots of noise often early in the morning. That can be really disruptive. The other one 4am, and they’re sitting or smoking outside.

Justine: But then of course, we know, you can’t live in an incredibly

important city, right bang in the middle of it and expect it to be silent.

COMMUNI T Y

Square, so that’s dead easy, it’s a straight route.

Justine: There’s definitely a sense of community. Once people live here, they

Justine: I work for myself so I work a lot from home, but one of my clients

the estate, so it’s super easy to visit them.

is literally next door, in the Linklaters buildings, so that’s all of a 90-second

love it. I never thought I’d like it as much as I do. We’ve got friends all across

commute!

Dan: I think the residents’ association only really represents a small

Leoni: We can walk to school which is by St Paul’s. Most of the other

they represent everybody’s views. Of course they aren’t, and never have

children can’t do that, and it’s nice that we can.

Felix: The route to school depends on who we walk with. With mummy we

go down to the main entrance, and along Beech Gardens (if it’s not raining),

and then we turn and go along the highwalks, past the Museum of London, across the bridge and down the escalator.

Dan: With me, it’s similar, but I go across the Sculpture Court and through

Defoe Place, down the stairs, up through Seddon House and then the rest is the same.

PODIUM AND HIGHWALK S Dan: I’m a great fan of the concept of the podium and the separation of the cars and people that was meant to spread out across the City.

Felix: We like the highwalks, you can see the traffic passing below, and we

minority of people, but the estates office looks at the committees as though been, a central, single, voice.

AMENI T IES Justine: We don’t come to the arts centre that much anymore, but we did

when the children were little. It’s a good place for mothers to hang out. We use the restaurants on Whitecross Street very often, they’re brilliant.

Leoni: I like the library a lot, and we try and go every week. And the cinema is great!

Felix: Yes, I love the cinema.

THE BEST THING ABOUT THE AREA Justine: Transport links, so quick to get to the West End and we’re right in the City. I just love the central location.

can ride scooters or go on rollerblades.

Dan: I agree, the location can’t be beaten.

Justine: It generally feels safe for children. For example we sent them

Leoni: I think the cinema.

out, pretty much on their own with friends to do trick or treating at

Felix: The cinema!

do, somewhere else. The mess that is Beech Gardens is very disappointing,

THE WORST THING ABOUT THE AREA

Halloween, and you feel quite comfortable with it. You probably wouldn’t they’re taking far, far too long, it’s been at least three years.

All: The noise!

SPACES Justine: When the children were younger, we used to use the small garden a lot, and we’ve had children’s parties in the big garden. They’ve pretty much outgrown the playground now, but it was great when they were

younger. We like the pods or boats (built out into the lake) but it’s not really somewhere where the children play. I think it’s nicer as a place for adults to sit and drink wine!

Dan: Exactly, I used to go down there in my single years! Felix: I like the pods, that’s my favourite place. Leoni: My favourite place is the conservatory.

BEECH STREE T AND TRAFFIC Dan: Beech Street is what it is. The pavement is a bit too narrow, but there’s

“There’s definitely a sense of community. Once people live here, they love it. I never thought I’d like it as much as I do. We’ve got friends all across the estate”

not very much you can do with it really. Cromwell Tower’s forecourt has

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PUBLISHED BY PUBLICA 10 – 11 Clerkenwell Green London EC1R 0DP +44 (0)207 490 3986 www.publica.co.uk WRIT TEN AND PRODUCED BY

Alex Arestis William Beeston Jenny Campbell Rute Ferreira Aruna Ganesan Charlotte Lord Anna Mansfield Rosie Minkler Lucy Musgrave Pauline Nee Rose Penston Joanne Preston Chloe Skry Flora Tonking Huw Trevorrow Victoria Wägner Mathew Whittington Cordula Zeidler REPRINTED DECEMBER 2018 The contents of this report are the result of on-street surveys, fieldwork and desk-based research undertaken between June and December 2014. Any maps using Ordnance Survey digital information are used with a contractor license from the City of London. All drawings and photographs contained within this document are presented for information purposes. Publica retains all Intellectual Property Rights and copyright associated with its work, as set out in Publica’s terms and conditions. Further publication or use of images will require copyright usage approval and/or a licence for any third-party images. Contact Publica for further information. Publica.co.uk/termsandconditions.html

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