Plans for improvements to streets and public spaces north and south of Smithfield Market are being published as uncertainty emerges about the future of the historic meat market. The surrounding public realm will be particularly important in future on two fronts: when the new London Museum opens nearby in 2026, and when/if the market buildings are converted into a new centre that is “a sustainable and accessible place of beauty and opportunity for all Londoners”
To the north, Islington council is carrying out a consultation on improvements to St John Street. On the south side the Culture Mile Business Improvement District is tomorrow presenting a final version of its public realm strategy. Earlier report here.
Update: full public realm report and summary document now on the Culture Mile website, with a blog post here. The City Corporation has decided to close the market and compensate the traders. Here’s concept designs for redevelopment released in 2020.
Update 2 – September 2025. The St John Street project, described below, is now under way. Here is Islington Council’s news release.
St John Street
The council’s website says: “The St John Street project area, shown below, extends from the junction at Charterhouse Street to St John’s Lane, including the widest portion of the street which was once the location of the Hicks Hall Sessions House. Historically the area, once the gateway into London, was bustling with movement and activity. Today, surrounded by vibrant local streets and businesses it remains a busy, lively place close to Farringdon Station with its 1.2 million monthly visitors as well as Charterhouse Square and Clerkenwell Green”.
(The blog A London Inheritance has a detailed history of Hicks’s Hall, including the trail of the 29 Regicides responsible for the death of King Charles 1.There’s also maps showing its precise location).
It adds: “You have told us that:
- you would like to see pavements improved with more space created for people walking, wheeling and with buggies and mobility aids
- you want to see more pleasant, green public spaces and more places to stop and rest
- streets should be made safer with slower traffic and fewer vehicles
- it should be easier for people cycling in the area
The design for the space is shown in the image below, with details in this pack.
“Our plans will create attractive, brand new green community spaces where local people and visitors can spend time and walk, wheel and cycle safely. New trees and planting will provide cooler and shadier spaces, enhance biodiversity and reduce flood risk. The plans will enhance the recently launched Green Link Walking route which runs down St Johns Lane, through St John Street and onwards through Grand Avenue and the City of London. The design includes a motor traffic filter at the Charterhouse Street and St John Street junction, making the junction safer and easier to use for people walking, wheeling and cycling, and allowing for the creation of wider pavements and more greening”.
Here’s a vision of the transformation, with a Streetview below showing its current state:
I frequently walk through Smithfield Market, up St John Street, so know the area. However, I’m grateful to a reader of this blog who emailed with a tip about the market and the St John Street consultation, and thoughts on both the market move and the plans:
“It’s hard to imagine the market staying open in its current form, especially with the upcoming London Museum. I observed the market at night and mixing an industrial market with tourist activity seems problematic—air pollution from the trucks, noise & traffic congestion at night, and litter left on the streets in the mornings. It seems a bit outdated for central London in 2024!”
Adding, on the St John Street plans:
“It’s surprising that Smithfield Market isn’t mentioned in the plans, even though it feels related. The project doesn’t strike me as especially green, with so much concrete remaining, particularly in the southern area. The new cycle lane seems to be one-way only, which is puzzling—I’d expect a two-way to better serve the area. A Santander bike station could also be useful around Farringdon, as there aren’t any nearby. Additionally, the new traffic filter might complicate access to Charterhouse Square, depending on changes along Charterhouse Street. It reminds me of the redesign at the Strand by the Courtauld Gallery, which isn’t exactly ideal”.
Culture Mile public realm
The Culture Mile BID have commissioned an extensive design study for public spaces and streets in the north west of the City of London. There was a preview at a community forum event in July, with later publication of the slides that were shown there. The link to the full set of slides on the BID site has been de-activated pending publication of the full report, to avoid confusion. A download will be available after the launch.
However here’s one slide I captured earlier showing locations of short-listed projects, including some south of Smithfield Market.
As well as the work undertaken by the BID, the City Corporation has been carrying out its own public realm study, which I reported here. Recommendations were split between the area near the new Museum of London – urgently needed prior to its opening in 2026 – and wider works. At the time of the report, in July this year, there was an expectation that these might not be realised for 10 years. Here’s a vision of what the area might look like eventually.
The Market move
News of uncertainty about the planned move of the market was broken by Ben Lynch of the Local Democracy Reporting Service in the Evening Standard and other media. Ben reported that the move to a new site in Dagenham had been halted for a financial re-appraisal. He wrote:
“In a paper prepared for a Finance Committee meeting next week (November 12), Corporation officers however have written that the Court of Common Council, in effect the City’s Full Council, has confirmed the ‘cessation’ of the ‘10b’ option at Dagenham Dock and that other options are to be explored.
“The officers continued: “The forecast reflects this, with total spend to date of £308m largely for site purchase and remediation work, and the remaining residual forecast covering up to December 2024 (£310m total), and hence showing a large underspend against the original agreed funding envelope. Once a new way forward is agreed, the forecast will be updated accordingly to reflect this.
“The only other information provided in the paper is that a report is expected back to the Court of Common Council this month, which will provide further insight into the programme’s financial forecasts.
“The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands the ‘cessation’ of the move to Dagenham Dock will not impact the new London Museum.
“The City has said the scheme is being reviewed to ensure it is financially sustainable. One person the LDRS spoke to however said the relocation has become unviable due to ongoing delays on the City’s behalf. Another said: “Everything the Corporation does you may as well drop the initial budget and times it by five.”
I hope we’ll hear tomorrow from the Culture Mile Mile BID how far uncertainty about the market move impacts on public realm improvement plans, where responsibility for implementation lies between the BID and Corporation, and what consultation will be offered on more detailed plans.
The London Museum will be concerned that their new home has a public setting appropriate to its innovative design. Here’s a “sneak peek” into the development, organised earlier this year by the London Society.
Update: in August 2025 World Landscape Architecture published Transforming Smithfield into a 24-hour cultural destination with more details of the proposed public ream strategy being developed by OKRA in collaboration with Hawkins\Brown. It references the proposed redevelopment of the Market buildings as a cultural hub.