Hatton Garden is London’s jewellery quarter, centre of the UK diamond trade and home to a growing range of creative and media businesses. It is also Momentum’s home. But despite a thriving and vibrant business environment, in many places the quality of the public realm is poor, and there are issues which make it hard for workers, visitors and residents to navigate and enjoy the area.
We are keen stakeholders in the area: we work here, we walk and cycle through the streets and we shop and eat here. We also work with the Hatton Garden BID, which has the aim to support business growth and see Hatton Garden grow as a world-renowned business and visitor destination.
Back in 2017 we worked with Urben (www.urbenstudio.com) and Benedetti Architects (www.benedettiarchitects.com) to complete a research study and develop a framework for future public realm interventions in the Hatton Garden district.
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| Kerbside and Car parking analysis. The above map showcases a review of the kerbside arrangement and parking demand of Hatton Garden we conducted to help provide an analytical basis for proposed public realm interventions (e.g. parklets). |
At that time, the overarching objective for our client - the Hatton Garden BID - was to see the area realise its potential as the ‘Jewellery Quarter’ - a world renowned business and visitor destination - by amplifying the assets and attractions of the area. To achieve this it recognised that enhancing the public realm of the area was vital.
We set out to develop a set of public realm principles across a range of topics relevant to local businesses, such as street lighting, public art, air quality, and pedestrian and vehicle movements; responding to existing user requirements and future, major changes - such as the arrival of Crossrail at Farringdon, the relocation of the Museum of London and the City of London’s planned ‘Culture Mile’ between Farringdon and Moorgate.
The aim remains the same today. And as residents of Hatton Garden, and the wider Clerkenwell area, we decided to revisit our 2017 findings to coincide with Clerkenwell Design Week, and to produce a set of brand new visualisations which show how the main street – also named Hatton Garden – could be improved by good urban design.
Understanding the potential a space has and how it could be best used in the future is reliant on a solid foundation of data collection and analysis, alongside an in-depth understanding of the planning context.
The reimagining of any space starts by analysing the significant policies which will encourage, or sometimes impede, proposed change, such as those set out by the local borough (in Hatton Garden’s case, the London Borough of Camden), the GLA and national government.
The process of collecting – and then analysing – data to inform recommendations can then get underway. At this stage, we seek to understand what doesn’t work, and why, as well as the positives which can be built upon in order to propose a set of solutions that meet our clients’ needs and budgets.
During our work with Hatton Garden BID we completed land use analysis, activity mapping, photographic assessment, pedestrian and vehicle movement studies and junction assessments to define our recommendations.
Pedestrian surveys
To show the volumes of pedestrians; areas which are busy or underused; how effective routes into and out of the area are; sight lines and pedestrian desire lines and how they are impacted by existing infrastructure; and how pedestrian navigation is aided by wayfinding signage.
Vehicle movement analysis
To understand existing vehicle movements and traffic management measures and controls.
Land use study
To ensure the current and future needs of business residents are understood and met.
Photographic assessment
To take a closer look at specific issues including cycle and motor vehicle parking, waste management, servicing, signage, street clutter, state of repair, parking and any undefined spaces.
Interview surveys
To ensure the views of businesses, residents and other key stakeholders are captured in the formulation of public realm improvement solutions.
What did our findings show?
Rat running
As the spine of a grid of north-south streets laid out in the 17th century, Hatton Garden acts as a through route. In particular our vehicle movement analysis showed that some motorists were likely using Hatton Garden as a ‘rat run’. We firmly believe this doesn’t need to be the case. Hatton Garden is surrounded by arterial routes which have a clear function: to move a large number of vehicles through the area as efficiently as possible.
Extended retail opportunities
The diversity of land use is a strength and it should be used to maximum advantage. Opportunities to extend the operating day and week should be explored.
Pedestrians and cyclists are growing in number but there is still a disproportionate amount of space given over to motor vehicles. With the future arrival of Crossrail, pedestrian numbers are set to grow even more.
Passing through...
A significant number of cyclists were observed to use Hatton Garden southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening, suggesting it is a popular commuting route for cyclists. The total volume of traffic experienced along Hatton Garden is considered to be low throughout the day. With this in mind, alongside the potential misuse by rat running vehicles, there is definite scope to consider restricting some of the two-way traffic on the road.
Excessive on-street car parking, a lack of cycle parking and nowhere to sit and rest mean that Hatton Garden is a place you pass through, but do not spend time in. As the primary jewellery-retail road in the area, increasing dwell time here would clearly benefit businesses.
What is currently an unattractive, traffic-filled road has the potential to become a vibrant street filled with activity.
Backed by our analysis, our thoughts now turn to design: allowing us to make recommendations for short, medium and long-term interventions and, where possible, temporary trials or quick wins which can be a great way to trial recommendations before full implementation and help secure funding.
We also begin to visualise how the reimagined space could look, an exercise which helps our clients to picture the changes before they are made and which can also be used to engage with the local community.
Focusing on Hatton Garden, we set out to visualise the improvements which could be achieved if it were to evolve from being a through route to a destination in its own right.
Recommendation 1
Evolve Hatton Garden from a through route to a destination in its own right
If Hatton Garden is to shake off its image as a through route, we believe that two lanes of traffic is unnecessary. Reducing the provision to one lane of traffic would lead to a number of benefits.
The dominance of motor traffic (which would instead use surrounding arterial routes) would be reduced whilst still providing the space for essential servicing and deliveries to take place.
Space would be freed up to increase footway widths and provide seating and trees – making a place where people can sit, walk and enjoy the area, and importantly stop to take a look at the retail offering.
Recent TfL research1 shows that making walking and cycling improvements to an area can increase retail spend by up to 30%.
Recommendation 2
Decluttering the street
Decluttering may be a current buzzword but removing services which aren’t required or are underused can free up space to make considerable improvements.
Parking is always a difficult and controversial issue. Our 2017 study showed that the levels of on-street parking cause both a physical and visual obstruction to people as they navigate the area, and prevent people from seeing one side of the street from the other.
By suspending car parking bays, parklets (which could include seating and planting) and dedicated cycle parking could be introduced into the area, making it part of the fabric of the street.
Waste management is a common issue in many parts of London and the solution for Hatton Garden will come from a combination of management recommendations and physical interventions. Alternative locations for waste storage and a consolidated approach to collection and storage would benefit Hatton Garden, as well as the wider area. A joined-up approach to waste collection procurement would also serve to reduce the number of large vehicle movements.
Our analysis showed that the area has a large number of people who cycle in and out, but demand is poorly catered for with the majority of cycle parking stands at, or above, capacity, and almost every lamppost in the area used as an informal parking spot. By placing cycle parking next to seating it’s possible to increase the potential for informal conversations and social interactions
Recommendation 3
Creating the Garden
Hatton Garden may make greenery spring to mind, but the area is deeply lacking. As well as providing shade on hot days and shelter on rainy days (and thereby encouraging people to dwell in the space), trees are essential to clean the air of pollution.
Research also shows that including greenery within a space can have a positive impact on real estate and capital values.
Quick wins could be achieved with temporary or short-term greening, or a longer-term project with permanent planters, trees and green walls which would help to create a space that people want to visit and spend time in.
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