Camden are beginning to consult on a plan for the St Giles-Holborn area. Their thesis is that Crossrail will encourage development in the area and it would benefit from being seen as a contiguous whole. New Oxford Street that connects the two areas is generally a dump. The pedestrian environment is awful and (with the exception of the Fields) the quality of the public spaces is low.
If there are major developments on big sites like the huge former Post Office on High Holborn, CSM etc then Camden Council must seek to strike hard bargains for S106 and retain the spend in the immediate area (rather than taking it to the rest of the borough). The councils general approach of treating Holborn and Covent Garden as a goose that lays gilded eggs for schemes North of the Euston Road will only really work if they keep the goose in good condition – i.e. develop an attractive public realm around major new developments funded by developers, led by local needs.
There are two consultation events 13 October Conway Hall0930-1230 and 6 November St Albans Centre 6-9pm. Although Camden have demonstrated a deaf ear on consultation on the Fields recently it’s important never to give up on these turgid but necessary events. A draft consultation document is available if I can secure a copy in Word or an easier format than pdf i shall share.
Friends of Lincoln's Inn Fields 