John McAslan + Partners is to give a green overhaul to a luxury shopping street in west London
The practice will transform Sloane Street for Kensington & Chelsea Council and property firm Cadogan.
McAslans’ landscape team will work with landscape and garden designer Andy Sturgeon to create a ‘green boulevard’ designed to retain the road’s reputation as an exclusive retail destination. Sturgeon is a multiple Chelsea Flower Show award winner.
The scheme will also include resurfacing and widening pavements, improving lighting and introducing new street furniture. Traffic-calming measures and increased crossing points will be introduced to reduce speeds as the council and developer look to enhance the pedestrian experience.
Sloane Street was originally designed for the 1st Earl Cadogan in the 18th century, connecting the King’s Road to Knightsbridge to create a now internationally famous shopping district.
Kensington and Chelsea Council leader Elizabeth Campbell said: ‘This project will breathe life into our high street and give residents and visitors a whole new experience. We are fully behind projects that deliver on our aims to tackle climate change and improve the local environment.’
Practice founder John McAslan said: ‘We are delighted to be collaborating with Cadogan and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on this exciting and innovative streetscape project.
‘By introducing visual clarity, emphasising the priority of pedestrians and specifying high-quality horticulture, new street furniture and additional trees, the project will offer residents, visitors and businesses a transformed and environmentally enhanced urban experience.’
It has also emerged recently that McAslans – which has studios in London, Edinburgh and Sydney – is in the process of establishing a studio in New York City from which to explore opportunities across North America.
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Readers' comments (3)
Chris Dunn10 July, 2019 7:59 am
They look high maintenance and thirsty. The best streetside greenery I've seen this year were on Queensbridge Road in Hackney. The naturally seeded new planting areas were a lush and wild joy to behold. I'm sure it was a complete accident but it's what we need.
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David Farmery10 July, 2019 9:32 am
Let a thousand flowers bloom?! Sloane St is a traffic sewer at the moment, and has very little shopping?!
Hopefully they won’t go for thirsty plants, and RBKC can afford it. It will be a good introduction to Sloane Sq and then Peter Jones and the Kings Rd as you travel south and west. Looking forward to the whole caboodle?!
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Robert Wakeham11 July, 2019 10:20 am
Surely, the relatively low rainfall in SE England requires planters such as these to be equipped with an irrigation system other than a little man (who might have survived Grenfell Tower, and is probably on the minimum wage) with a hose.
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