The City Corporation has begun engagement to help shape a masterplan framework for the Smithfield and Barbican area that will guide development for the next 30 years. The area could become “the new epicentre of the Capital.”
The first phase is a listening exercise by consultants Something Collective, exploring people’s experience of the area and hopes for the future through interviews, walkabouts and an online survey. Officers are also briefing councillors on the process.
The opening of the London Museum next month will bring millions of visitors a year, and the adjoining meat Market will be redeveloped when trading ceases in two or three years time. In the past the Corporation has used the term cultural and commercial hub for the future of the site, and I’m seeking clarification on whether the engagement process will explore other options. See update below.
The Barbican Arts Centre is being refurbished, and there are plans for a major office development on London Wall West, former home of the Museum. A food hall and hotel is planned in The Annex building next to the Museum in West Smithfield.
Slide from briefing for councillors
Once-in-a-generation opportunity
When announcing the masterplanning exercise last year, the Corporation said: “With the introduction of the Elizabeth Line, this hyper-connected location has all the ingredients needed to become the new epicentre of the Capital”.
A recent presentation to councillors by officers of the Regeneration and Development Group said:
“The Smithfield Barbican area has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to become a coherent, internationally-significant destination, which realises far greater social-economic value than the sum of its individual attractions”.
A slide shows that the benefits from development could extend south to St Paul’s and north into Clerkenwell.
Slide from briefing for councillors
This assessment supports the idea of a wider cross-boundary Cultural Quarter from St Paul’s to the Angel, that will feature in a new edition of Alec Forshaw’s book Smithfield: Past, Present and Future to be published next month. More on that in my post about a possible walks hub and visitor centre at or near the Museum.
The survey website says of the current phase:
“The focus is on understanding what makes the area work well today, what people value most about it, and how it could evolve in future”
An FAQ section on the site explains the closure of the meat market, and says that “the detailed vision for the area will be shaped through masterplanning and engagement over the coming months”.
The City Corporation announcement of the masterplanning exercise in June 2025 said: “By the end of the year, the City Corporation intends to publish new imagery showcasing early concepts of how the Smithfield market site could be transformed.”
However, these did not appear.
Previous plans
I detailed previous plans for the area in a post about the planning brief for the Smithfield Market building. In summary:
Culture Mile
In 2020 the City Corporation had plans for a Culture Mile that include redevelopment of the Smithfield Meat Market Buildings, London Museum, a Centre for Music on the site of the London Museum at London Wall West, and transformation of the Beech Street tunnel.
A £300,000 Look and Feel strategy in 2018 provided detailed designs for the public realm, information systems, and attractions for a wide range visitors Full reportand YouTube video.
In 2023 the City Corporation Culture Mile team was disbanded and some responsibilities taken on by a Business Improvement District. The Look and Feel strategy was effectively abandoned.
Meat Market buildings -2020 vision
Smithfield Market Grand Avenue re-imagined in 2020: Studio Egret West
The Corporation commissioned a study by Studio Egret West to explore the potential future of the meat market buildings, working alongside HawkinsBrown. The 2020 proposals were published on the Wholesale Markets website, which is no longer live. However it is available on the Internet Archive.
You can find the introduction here, with links to an eight-minute video on Youtube, and a vision for Smithfield: A place for all Londoners; A connected, 24 hour campus; Reveal the historic architecture; A celebration of food; A place to grow and thrive.
Some of the concept designs are also available on the website of Studio Egret West.
Peter Bill wrote about the plans for the EC1 Echo: Welcome to the “meet” market.
None of the proposals were formally adopted, and it looks as if the current masterplanning exercise is a fresh start. There may be pressure for a more commercial approach. The City is now under severe financial pressure because of changes in Government funding.
Update
In seeking clarification on development of the Smithfield meat market I’ve looked back to the Residents’ Question Time on October 8. City policy chief Chris Hayward responded to a question about the future of the market buildings when trading ceases in two or three years time. The video recording isn’t yet on YouTube, but I made an audio recording.
Chris said that the site has infinite possibilities for the City of London, “and we haven’t decided what those should be”
He added:
“If I was given a pound for every developer who knocks on my door with their ideas and their vision for Smithfield Market, I’d be a very wealthy man, because people are constantly coming forward with schemes and ideas. And what my officers are doing is examining all of those. They’re thinking about a master plan. They will consult on what they’re thinking, and we will want all of you to feed back to us on those thoughts and ideas”.
That suggests that there will be a wide range of options to be considered during the engagement process, not defined by the term cultural and commercial hub.
Key references
- Current engagement survey
- June 2025 City Corporation announcement of masterplan
- New plans for Smithfield Market. How about a new Cultural Quarter? Blog post July 2025
- New planning brief for Smithfield Market buildings – blog post includes recap on past plans May 2025
- Why Smithfield deserves its own visitor centre – blog post August 2026