Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA) has unveiled its redevelopment plans for The Garden at New Covent Garden Market in the first of two public exhibitions this week, marking the start of the pre-application consultation period.
Plans for the revamped 57-acre site include up to 540,000sqft of trading space for the fresh produce market’s 240 tenant businesses, including new buyers’ walks, cafes and office space. A brand-new, purpose-built flower market will sit alongside the main market.
Neil Tomlinson Architects has drawn up the designs for the main site, which also reveal for the first time The Garden Heart, which will be a focus for food- and flower-related activities outside the market. This area could include incubator space for start-up businesses, food training and education spaces, including demonstration kitchens suitable for use by catering colleges and other education providers.
Under the plans, The Garden Heart would also act as the link between the market and the other uses proposed for the flower market site, making it the ideal location for cafes, restaurants and even a viable space for a public market or other food-related events.
The space not needed for the new market and The Garden Heart will be redeveloped to finance the development. The current Flower Market site is the main area identified for redevelopment and the plans for this part of The Garden are being drawn up by architecture practice Foster + Partners.
This site is located just 400m from Vauxhall Cross and identified in the Draft London Plan and the emerging Opportunity Area Framework as an area for major regeneration, suitable for tall buildings. The emerging plans include up to 1,800 new homes, along with new shops and other commercial spaces, with two public squares connected to a new ‘green route’ running through the site.
Baroness Brenda Dean, chairman of CGMA, said: “Our priority is to provide a new market for our tenants, but our vision is much broader than this… We want to open up the site to the local community and all Londoners, ensuring The Garden takes its place alongside other great London destinations.”
Jan Lloyd, chief executive of CGMA, said: “Providing entirely new market buildings will mean we can design from scratch the optimal layout of the market for our tenants, using modern materials and flexible units which can change over time in response to changing business needs.
“We will also deliver an improved internal road layout and centralised servicing, energy and recycling facilities, all of which will result in lower service charge costs for tenants.
“It is a hugely exciting time in the market’s 800-year history and we are proud to display our early designs. There is huge potential to benefit our tenants, their customers and the wider local community and I hope that as many people as possible take the time to come and see the plans and let us have their views.”
Gary Marshall, chair of Covent Garden Tenants’ Association, said: “This is an important stage in the process of securing a modern market for tenants, suppliers and customers alike. The redevelopment will create an environment that will allow us to take our businesses forward and develop new opportunities for the future.”
The search for a private development partner will begin in spring 2010 and a planning application is due to be submitted to the London Borough of Wandsworth in spring/summer 2010.
