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New gateway to transform 'shabby' Centre Point area
Ruth Bloomfield23.07.09
The rundown area around the Tottenham Court Road Crossrail station is to be transformed into a smart "gateway" to Oxford Street, with a new public square and music venue.
Plans unveiled today show the dramatic bow-shaped entrance to the station, at the foot of the Centre Point tower. Around it - occupying an area currently clogged with several lanes of traffic and the Centre Point fountains - is a large public piazza.
It will be built as part of a £1 billion investment in the site by Transport for London and Crossrail.
The plans' unveiling came as it was confirmed that a new music venue will be built to replace the 2,000-capacity Astoria nightclub in the area, which closed this year. The replacement will be a more modestly-sized venue, with a capacity of a minimum 250 people.
It will not open until Crossrail is up and running, in 2017.
Alastair Moss, chairman of Westminster council's planning sub-committee, said: "The West End is undergoing a transformation which will ensure its success for generations to come. It is vital that the rather 'shabby' eastern end of Oxford Street is also radically improved."
The London Assembly has launched an inquiry into ways to reduce congestion in Oxford Street. The study will consider reducing the number of buses on the road, pedestrianising the area and running a tram.
Reader views (4)
Running a tram? Not until NOGO BOJO is out of the way he just cancels the tram projects like the cross river tram, west london tram and even the small scheme to extrend Croydon tramlink to Crystal Palace.
The best way to reduce the number of buses is to use a fleet of Artic buses to run a shuttle say between The City and White City. Whats that BOJO is removing these buses from the 507 this Saturday well wonder if they have arrived yet as they were still not in London at the beginning of this week!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex
A new music venue to 'replace' the Astoria??
The Astoria used to have a capacity of about 2000, then there was the Astoria 2 next door which held about another 1000 and another nightclub around the back of the venue plus the Metro Club on Oxford Street - All now gone because of these works.
Can someone please explain just exactly how this new (and no doubt classless 'corporate') music venue which holds 250 people will ever replace all these classic venues which held so much history between them?
Even looking just at the numbers it doesn't add up, and that's not the worst part about it....
- Andi-M, London UK
A "smart gateway" to the vile Oxford Street. Soon be as dirty as the rest of the area.
- Miles, London
Just give the drunks a good hosing down.It's cheaper.
- Steve, London
