Church Street
For our first PCUK visit since our relaunch in March 2021, we were thrilled to be hosted by Westminster City Council on a tour of its multi-faceted Church Street regeneration. In three words, the place is energetic, colourful and tasty (yes, we were lucky enough to be given free local delicacies!).
Numbers were heavily restricted due to COVID, but we ploughed on in socially distanced fashion to explore, listen, learn and debate this regeneration project that will deliver more than 1,000 new homes (50% of which will be affordable), social regeneration, and a curation strategy to re-energise the high street. As Programme Director Serena Simon explained, this project is a chance for the council to “show our commitment to the community, beyond the buildings.”
The existing high street has a vibrant mix of activity, providing a foundation for the ongoing regeneration. The offer ranges from new indie or pop-up businesses and cycling shops through high-end antique dealers and the traditional market all the way to the fortress of world-famous fabric supplier Joel & Sons, whose frontage sprawls across nine shopfronts alongside the market.
Looking ahead, Westminster is taking on two underwhelming triangles of public realm and vacant units that present an opportunity to create something the community can be proud of. The council’s scheme, backed by the Greater London Authority’s Good Growth Fund, will offer a new enterprise space, creative workspace, improved public realm – and address functional problems like market and bike storage.
The project is not without challenges – some clear from the outset and others appearing as the project unfolds. Health and wellbeing inequalities must be tackled and this forms a core part of project delivery. We were told a woman living around Church Street is expected to have 33 years of ill health compared to 12 years in affluent areas of Westminster. Schemes such as Keeper Projects and Create Church Street are examples of how these tricky challenges are being tackled.
The community was also successful in keeping what will be an improved library on the high street – instead of it being moved to a different site as in the original plan. Early engagement and frank conversation between council and community accomplished this, we were lucky to have the invaluable inclusion of long-time and active resident Alan on the tour.
After a packed trip which took in new-build schemes, community after-school clubs, commercial strategy discussions, community gardens, and public realm debates, a group of PCUK members kept the discussion going at a local pub. All agreeed that a key highlight of the afternoon was simply being back out in places; exploring, debating, and engaging.
