Last Tuesday, Capital & Counties Properties PLC (Capco) received a resolution to grant planning consent from Westminster City Council for its proposals to transform the space between King Street and Floral Street within the Covent Garden estate. The 90,000 ft² scheme (including 20,000 ft² of new space) will create a new pedestrian passageway connecting Long Acre and King Street, a new public courtyard and new retail, restaurant and residential space.
The new public courtyard will be surrounded by eight new retail units and two new restaurants with al fresco dining. New retail frontages on Floral Street including a new anchor store will animate and draw visitors down the western part of the street and 45 premium apartments, of which 31 are new build, will be created overlooking the new courtyard.
In addition, a separate planning application in relation to the Carriage Hall building also received a resolution to grant consent. The Grade II listed Carriage Hall building on the western end of Floral Street will be converted into a new 13,000 ft² multi-brand retail space with a covered courtyard.
Ian Hawksworth, Chief Executive of Capco, said, “These plans will have a significant impact on how visitors experience Covent Garden and highlight Capco’s commitment to creating value and improving public access within our estate. The new passageway will connect King Street directly to Long Acre for the first time and bring a critical mass of new retail, dining and residential to Floral Street.”
Work on the project is likely to commence in June 2014 and will take up to three years to complete.
Source: Capital & Counties
