Public Square ideas go on show

Monday October 19, 2009

More than 500 residents have had their say on design ideas for Hammersmith’s new £1million public square.

The public square will open up views of the art deco façade of the original Town Hall and be the centrepiece of an ambitious regeneration project for the west end of King Street.

Three proposals from different architects went on show in a trailer outside the town hall extension last week.

Residents who visited the trailer were asked to choose their favourite elements of each scheme and also pick one overall design which they preferred.

The three designs include different choices of stone, timber and steel finishes and various options on steps, lighting and benches. All three allow for a freely accessible plaza and a new civic square that could be used for a variety of events including temporary markets.

All of the designs include various options for new trees and different ideas for water features.

The design competition for the public square was sparked after the council announced its intention to save taxpayers’ cash and regenerate the west end of King Street by replacing the ugly town hall extension with a new building to the side of the original town hall. The move would allow the re-creation of the public square in front of the town hall.

Councillor Mark Loveday, H&F Council Cabinet Member for Strategy, said: “Consultation is the key to getting this scheme right and I was tremendously impressed by the range of views and positive feedback we have had from residents so far.”

King Street Developments Ltd (KSD) will be considering all of the views before a panel of experts chooses the winner and the design is worked up in more detail.

Once the current round of consultation is complete, KSD is expected to hold further public events on the detailed design, in the summer of 2010, before bringing forward a planning application later that year. At that stage the council’s formal consultation with residents would begin before the planning committee considered any proposals.

If you missed the live consultation events you can view the proposals online at www.kingstreetregeneration.co.uk (opens new window).

Residents have until Friday 23 October to feedback comments and can do so by emailing n.moorse@mncommunications.co.uk or calling 020 7831 0534.