The London Development Agency

The London Development Agency (LDA) today announced the appointment of architects East to develop the vision for the redevelopment of Farringdon over the next 25 years.

Commissioned by the LDA's Design for London, with funding from City of London Corporation, London Borough of Islington, London Borough of Camden, English Heritage, TfL- Interchange, Crossrail, GLA and the LDA's Design for London, the Farringdon Urban Design Study will be carried out by East and will plan how Farringdon will manage the increased visitor numbers brought with the introduction of Crossrail and improvements to the Thameslink service.



Farringdon thrives on being a centre for the creative industries with lots of small businesses based in the area. East, supported by Alan Baxter Associates and Locum/Colliers CRE, will develop a strategy to guide how the boroughs can best respond to the changes taking place and steer future development.

Peter Bishop, Group Director for Design, Development and the Environment at the London Development Agency said:
"With the introduction of Crossrail and improvements to the Thameslink service, Farringdon will change considerably over the next 25 years. The Farringdon Urban Design Study will help to steer this change whilst understanding and respecting the unique nature of Farringdon and its special historic fabric .The LDA looks forward to working with East to develop the vision for the area."

Dann Jessen, East Director said: "Farringdon is changing and always has. Its history is an ongoing record of exchange, rebuilding, re-use, servicing of the city, commercial dynamism and changing infrastructure. We are very happy to be involved in guiding its future alongside the LDA. The Farringdon Urban Design Study will consider the public realm up front to establish strong relationships between new and changing interiors and public spaces."

Farringdon sits across the boroughs of Camden, Islington and the City of London and the urban design study will take into account the views of a range of organisations including boroughs, TfL, businesses and residents based in the area. Consultation will play an important role to help ensure that Farringdon is a place where people choose to work, visit and spend their leisure time and money.

Design for London

The proposed Crossrail station at Farringdon will have a significant impact on this area of London. Farringdon has transformed itself successfully over the past 15 years to become one of London's design and creative industry centres. Unlike many other areas affected by Crossrail it does not have the opportunities for large scale change. The fine grained historic fabric of this part of the city could, however, be sensitively improved to capitalise on the opportunities that will be created by Crossrail and improvements to the Thameslink service.



Design for London has brought together a number of key partners to commission an urban design study of Farringdon. This will assess opportunities for development and public space improvements, give a clearer understanding of what can and should be achieved over the next 15-20 years and encourage landowners to pursue a coordinated vision for the area.

East, supported by Alan Baxter Associates and Locum / Colliers CRE, was appointed to undertake the study following a competitive process. The study will be completed in mid-2009.

Partners: City of London, London Borough of Islington, London Borough of Camden, English Heritage, Transport for London, Cross London Rail Links, London Development Agency and Greater London Authority

Historic market space saved from demolition in 'regeneration' plan

Sir Terry Farrell opposed it, so did Eric Reynolds, the Smithfields regeneration will now have to undertake a dramatic re-think as it turns out, the Government opposes it too. Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has rejected plans for the regeneration of Smithfields Market in London submitted by Thornfield Properties and the City of London.



The revised Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed plans for the disused and run-down market were approved in April 2007 and included the demolition of the historic General Market building and the replacement with a seven-storey office and retail complex.

But English Heritage together with SAVE Britain's Heritage opposed the plans following approval and a public inquiry was launched in November last year. English Heritage said that there was clear evidence that the unlisted General Market building could be sympathetically renovated and that, "the proposed replacement - a seven-storey block - would be intrusive, undermining the diversity and human scale of the Smithfield Conservation Area and introducing an intensive office use".

Blears rejection statement fot the plans reflects this sentiment. She said the plans would, "significantly detract from the market complex as a whole".

Terry Farrell has designed a masterplan for the area which focuses on the re-use of the existing buildings and "reinstating them as the centre of activity within the local community". He issued a statement saying:

"London’s marketplaces are wonderful places and Smithfield Market, in particular, has the potential to be one of the most extraordinary and well-connected areas in the capital...

"Today’s decision is good news for markets and for London. It is also a victory for urban design and masterplanning over piecemeal development."

English Heritage Celebrate As London's Smithfield Market Is Saved

The future of the historic Smithfield Market in London looks to have been secured after the Secretary of State for Local Government and Communities, Hazel Blears, announced that she agrees with her Inspector’s recommendation that the conservation area should not be demolished.

Detail of General Market Building that was threatened with demolition. © English Heritage



The news, announced today on August 7 2008, means that the Smithfield General Market Building will remain intact and planning permissions will be refused for a proposed replacement scheme. In effect, the Secretary of State has accepted the evidence of English Heritage that the General Market Building could and should be re-used.

“This is a fantastic day for London’s heritage and for all those who care about what makes this great city special,” said Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage.

“This decision proves that the historic environment is about much more than just individual listed buildings – this is an acknowledgement of the many unlisted - but not unloved - buildings which collectively create a powerful sense of place and positively contribute to the fabric of the city.”

The General Market Building as it stands today on Farringdon Road. © English Heritage



“We are sure that local authorities across the country will take note of this important decision, which is a timely reminder of their duty to safeguard the special character of conservation areas in their care as well as historic buildings, listed or not, for the contribution they make,” added Mr Thurley.

An Inquiry opened in November 2007 into the future of the historic western market buildings at Smithfield in London, which included proposals for the wholesale demolition of the Victorian General Market Building, an integral part of the historic market complex and the Smithfield Conservation Area.

Proposals by the City of London Corporation to demolish and replace the building were strongly opposed by English Heritage. They accused the City Corporation of flouting Government planning policy by neglecting the buildings which it owns and failing to offer them on the open market for reuse before agreeing to their demolition and alteration.

English Heritage visualisation of how the General Market Building could look repaired and reused. © English Heritage



A raft of experts, including the architect Sir Terry Farrell, were enlisted to help put English Heritage’s case for a viable re-use of the building rather than replacement by a seven-storey block.

“We now expect the Corporation to take the opportunity to bring forward a creative scheme for the repair and re-use of the General Market Building, Annex and Red House Cold Store, to enable them to fully contribute to the important conservation area in which they sit,” added Mr Thurley.

Smithfield market plans refused

A part of the historic Smithfield market earmarked for demolition has been saved after planning permission to redevelop the site was refused.

The western part of the meat market in Farringdon, central London, was due to be converted into shops and offices.




The bid involved demolishing the disused 19th Century building, the General Market and other structures.

But Communities Secretary Hazel Blears refused permission saying the proposal would harm the area's character.
Ms Blears said the existing buildings on the site made "a significant contribution" to the character and appearance of Farringdon, including the Smithfield Conservation Area.

Public inquiry

The development was put forward by Thornfield Properties and the City of London.

The plans, which were the subject of a public inquiry, have proved controversial.

Supporters claimed the development would revive Smithfield but opponents suggest it would damage the conservation area and be intrusive.

English Heritage has not listed the General Market Building, but opposed the proposals to demolish it and redevelop the site.

Renovating and reusing

It said it was delighted with the decision.

Chief executive Simon Thurley said: "This decision proves that the historic environment is about much more than just individual listed buildings - this is an acknowledgement of the many unlisted - but not unloved - buildings which collectively create a powerful sense of place and positively contribute to the fabric of the city."

He also said it was inappropriate to demolish the General Market in an era when there was increasing concern about sustainability and said he hoped the City of London would now bring forward plans for renovating and reusing the building.

Smithfield has been home to a meat market for centuries, as well as the site of medieval jousting tournaments and St Bartholomew's fair.

Many of the market's Victorian buildings are listed.

Thornfield Properties said it was "disappointed" by Thursday's decision, adding: "We have been working on this project for more than five years and are committed to carrying it through to planning permission and full development of the site."

Row hots up over vision for market

Lawyers attack expert witness evidence at public inquiry into future of Smithfield

Reputations were on the line as two competing visions for the future of the ancient Smithfield market clashed at an increasingly heated public inquiry.

Star witnesses, including architect Sir Terry Farrell and the entrepreneur founder of Camden Market, Eric Reynolds, appeared on Friday to give evidence to the planning inspector charged with deciding the fate of the Victorian market arcade which developers and the City of London Corporation say must be demolished.

The resulting grilling left Mr Reynolds reeling under charges that his evidence was “meaningless drivel” and his vaunted business acumen was “irrelevant”.
The walls of the South Bank inquiry room are emblazoned with images of the glass and bronze office and shopping centre that developers Thornfield plc wants to build in place of the currently derelict General Market Building.

But challenger English Heritage, which claims the plans were cooked up in secret between Thornfield and the City with an eye on profits and no regard for the market’s historic fabric, envisages a regenerated market of small stalls and independent traders and called Sir Terry and Mr Reynolds to put the architectural and business case.

Sir Terry, whose celebrated portfolio includes the Swiss Cottage leisure centre and the TV-AM building in Camden, said the “concentration and variety of historic fabric in the Smithfield area makes it one of the most important historic areas in London”.

The Thornfield plans would “dramatically diminish both the character and extent of the distinctive market complex”, while English Heritage plans could “draw people in from near and far,” he added.

But while opponents challenged his view without questioning his qualifications, lawyers for Thornfield savagely attacked the standing of English Heritage’s second expert witness, Eric Reynolds.

Mr Reynolds, whose expertise in regenerating London markets was forged in the creation of Camden Market in 1974 and has been repeated at Spitalfields and Chelsea, produced a business plan for English Heritage in which he claimed that the existing Smithfield buildings could be retained and converted into a thriving attraction bringing in £2.5 million a year in rent.

But Thornfield barrister David Forsdick questioned him on his qualifications and attacked his figures, forcing him to concede that he had never invested substantial amounts of his own cash or that of his business Urban Space Management in any of the projects in his portfolio.

Mr Forsdick said: “What money did you invest in Camden Lock?”
“Something over 20 years of my life,” replied Mr Reynolds. “Money?”, repeated Mr Forsdick. “Very little,” said Mr Reynolds.
“You obviously haven’t got the expertise in qualification terms to give us a valuation,” concluded Mr Forsdick.

The Thornfield lawyer’s attack on English Heritage’s witnesses – he said he was “absolutely gobsmacked” by “the most astonishingly bad behaviour for a public body” in putting forward Mr Reynolds’s unsupported “assertions” – was matched earlier by English Heritage, whose barrister called the evidence of the City of ­London’s chief planner ­“nonsense” and “perverse”.

Grilled by QC Robert McCracken on why the Thornfield plan contained no housing, as required by law, City planning chief Peter Wynne Rees was forced to list reasons why Farringdon was unsuitable for new residents.

“It is far from an ideal site for housing because of the busy road and night-time economy,” Mr Rees said. “There is large-scale urination and vomiting in the streets outside, which is already a problem for the market and is threatening the viability of the meat market.”

The public inquiry will conclude in the new year when planning inspector Ken Barton makes a recommendation on the site to government.

English Heritage defends architect’s ‘speculative’ plans for meat market

English Heritage claimed this week that archtiect Sir Terry Farrell’s plans for the redevelopment of London’s Smithfield meat market were ‘speculative’, and that it wanted the building to be saved.

Property Week has obtained a copy of the ‘secret plans’ that have angered the meat traders during the public inquiry into developer Thornfield Properties’ plans to redevelop the western end of the market into 380,000 sq ft of offices.

Farrell, who was asked by English Heritage two years ago to look at what made the Smithfield area ‘special’, has drawn up a plan that clearly shows a redevelopment of the entire market, not just the western end, which makes no provision for the wholesale meat market.




Paddy Pugh, English Heritage director for the London region, said: ‘All of this has become extremely muddled and has been used by the applicants [Thornfield] to stir up the traders. Farrell’s plan is not a masterplan. We are not in any position to suggest a masterplan. Farrell wasn’t asked to look at individual buildings but to look at the whole area.

‘Architects look at all sorts of ideas and one of the things that he did at that time was to speculate what would happen if the City of London was to close down the market.’

Pugh said the future of Smithfield had long been questioned. Both the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and London mayor Ken Livingstone recently speculated on its viability.

‘They have both said that in the long term it makes no sense for a wholesale meat market to be in the London area,’ said Pugh. ‘We would never want to see Smithfield close and we have no means to close down the market – only the City [of London] can do that. But we oppose Thornfield’s plans as we don’t want to see a change of that area to office use.’

The inquiry will run until January. The first phase ended last Friday when Thornfield completed its submission. English Heritage will present its evidence during the second stage in two weeks’ time and will present six expert witnesses.

Pugh said Eric Reynolds, founder of regeneration company Urban Space Management, would show that repairing the western buildings to create an urban market, similar to Camden Lock, was a viable option.

Thornfield managing director Mike Capocci said he would continue with its Kohn Pedersen Fox-designed plans. ‘It would be easy to say: let’s put up a block of flats and tart it all up. But the City doesn’t want that and the community doesn’t want that.’