Festivities are being held today to celebrate the completion of Phase 1 of the More London Masterplan, designed by Foster and Partners on the south bank of the Thames between London and Tower Bridges.
The Masterplan establishes an entirely new city quarter on a site that has remained undeveloped for decades with a rich mix of uses including offices, a 4-star hotel, a supermarket, health club, shops, cafes, bars and restaurants and a new home for the Unicorn Childrens Theatre.
The first tenants, the Mayor of London and the GLA moved into the landmark City Hall in July 2003. Bacon and Woodrow, Hewitt and Ernst and Young have already relocated to two new large office buildings within the masterplan. The current working community already exceeds 4000 people and will eventually grow to 12-15,000 people.
The site is a few minutes walk from London Bridge Rail and Underground Stations one of the capitals best served transport hubs. It is also close to Tower Hill Underground Station and is served by numerous bus routes. Accordingly, the development can rely on public transport, minimising the negative impact of the car.
More than half the site will be open public space, including two large piazzas equivalent in size to Parliament Square and Hanover Circus. The scoop, a sunken amphitheatre adjacent to City Hall has already hosted several public events including theatre productions and an open-air music festival.
The landscaping includes trees, water features, seating and lighting designed to create a lively and congenial social environment. Site-specific sculptures have been commissioned by leading artists including Stephan Balkenhol, Fiona Banner and David Batchelor.
The project forms a key element in Southwarks regeneration and occupies a strategic position on the cultural and tourist pedestrian route from Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre and Southwark Cathedral to HMS Belfast and the Design Museum.
