Architect proposes mixed-use solution for tricky site

Aedas has revealed plans for a speculative mixed-use scheme it believes would unlock a key site in central London.

The one-acre site is a triangular wedge on London’s New Oxford Street, located on the border between Covent Garden and the British Museum. 

Aedas said it believed it had come up with a proposal that would surmount the fragmented ownership issue that had previously inhibited development.

The proposal comprises offices, hotel and residential, configured as a “vertical village” with shared areas consisting of  conference facilities, restaurants, cinemas and spas arranged on upper levels in a bid to create a sense of community and draw the public into the building.

Simon Bowden, design director at Aedas, said: “With all of the current improvements taking place around the Tottenham Court Road and St Giles area, the site is crying out for a major development. It offers one of the largest remaining footprints in the West End and has enormous potential to regenerate this part of town.”

The proposals will preserve the 20-storey building’s “flatiron” shape.