The West End suffers from a lack of quiet places to sit and take a break, away from the hustle and bustle of the area’s busy streets. To help alleviate this issue, we have identified Panton & Oxendon Streets as an ideal location for parklets, which will incorporate greenery, seating and community art.
So, what is a parklet? A parklet is a small part of a street, normally a car parking space, which is reclaimed for people to stop, rest and enjoy. Parklets have the added benefit of making streets more pleasant for walking and cycling, which in turn encourages more people to get out and about.
We will consult the community on the design, and following the consultation, the parklet will be installed by a contractor, with community-led artwork embedded into the space. Greenery will also be a key design feature, with planting selected using the principles of Biophilic Design. We will launch the parklet with an event on London Car Free Day.
What we'll deliver:
- Design and install two temporary parklets in Panton Street to create a mini urban park
Why it's a great idea:
Panton Street currently lacks greening and places to rest, however, it benefits from characterful active uses, including a cinema, pub and theatre, which could be supported through the installation of parklets.
Primarily, parklets provide greenery to make the space more inviting when seen from the surrounding main streets. They would also reclaim space for pedestrians, providing a much-needed resting point along a route, enabling people to walk longer distances. The location in Panton Street means the parklets would be visible from the much busier Regent Street St James’s, but secluded enough to provide some calm and respite for pedestrians. Incorporating greening in the built environment can also increase mental well-being.
Finally, the local community would be involved in the creation of the space, promoting a sense of pride and ownership, through artwork that would be incorporated into the parklets.
The parklets would be available for use by residents, workers and tourists alike.
Steps to get it done:
- Spring - Consultation on design brief with the community
- Summer - Launch a call for designs and incorporate community group input or artwork that will enhance the space
- Summer - Finalise the initial design for the parklet and choose design in consultation with the community
- Autumn - Installation of parklet and official launch
- Autumn - Maintain the parklet, with regular checks by our street cleaning team
- Autumn - Community-led activation at the parklet with a schedule e.g. storytelling, homelessness, walking tour
- Autumn - Evaluation and impact report
We will put out a call for design ideas during the London Festival of Architecture (June 2020) and following the submissions, we will consult the community to choose the preferred designs to be installed as part of Panton Park.
Panton Park will serve as a pilot to test the viability of future interventions that make the area a more inviting place to walk and cycle through and enjoy.
