[title]
If you’ve ever sat on the corner outside Gordon’s Wine Bar or braved a particularly long queue to get into Heaven, you’ll be well-acquainted with the dingy, cramped and pretty unglamorous surroundings of Villiers Street.
Now, thanks to a new development at 1 Embankment Place, the building above Charing Cross Station, the narrow road which runs alongside the western side of Charing Cross station from Strand to Embankment station could be getting a much-needed makeover.
Hopkins Architects has unveiled plans for the building, which include changes which address ‘concerns around poor public spaces and the narrow, confined feel’ of the road below.
Villiers is one of London’s busiest streets, seeing an impressive 3,000 people every hour, according to a study conducted by Space Syntax. That’s more than Bond Street and Cheapside.
Improved frontages to businesses on Villiers Street have been included in the renovations, which seek to add a mix of shops, cafés and leisure spaces to the area. The Arches and Embankment Place, which run underneath the Charing Cross station building, will also be prettied-up by the plans.
Plus, stronger, clearer pedestrian links will be created to boost movement between Charing Cross Station, the Embankment, Victoria Embankment Gardens and Villiers Street. Less clogged paths will no doubt come in handy if you’re running late to a matinee in the West End or speeding towards the South Bank.
Plans for the building were revealed at the end of last year, when developers Bridgemont and architect firm Hopkins Architects said they wanted to create ‘a vibrant destination for business, culture and tourism’. This latest phase of the plans reflects feedback from both the community and stakeholders about how they want to see the building transformed.
Built in 1991, the Thameside postmodern-style building was designed by the late Sir Terry Farrell, whose other works include the MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall and Alban Gate in the City of London. If you look at it from the other side of the Thames, you’ll see that 1 Embankment Place sort of resembles Victorian trainshed roofs rising up from the riverbank.
As for the inside, city slickers will be happy to hear that the building, which is currently home to PwC’s headquarters, will gain new outdoor terraces and 35,000 sqm of additional office space. Despite the hefty revamp, around 90 percent of the existing structure and the majority of its facade will go unchanged.
How might the plans impact Heaven? Well, that’s yet to be confirmed. We’ve reached out to the developers to see whether construction at 1 Embankment Place will be a spanner to your plans to shake a leg.
Did you see that this ‘nationally important’ London tube station is finally getting a major upgrade?
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.