Greening Cheapside: sunken garden improvement
The City of London Corporation has worked closely with local stakeholders to deliver public realm enhancements near St Paul's Underground station and One New Change, called the Greening Cheapside Project.
Phase 1 of Greening Cheapside was completed in 2018 and improved the area around St Paul's Underground station with new seating and biodiverse planting.
Phase 2 was completed in Summer 2024 and involved re-landscaping the sunken garden at the junction of Cheapside and One New Change in line with Phase 1’s biodiversity and use of materials.
This re-landscaping supports the City Corporation's Climate Action Strategy which commits the City Corporation to breaking new ground, setting out how it will achieve net zero, build climate resilience and champion sustainable growth, both in the UK and globally, over the next two decades.
Phase 2 aimed to transform the site into a greener, more accessible, biodiverse, environmentally resilient garden where people feel welcome, safe and want to dwell. The design of the new garden is based on key principles of retaining existing historic trees and root systems, improving accessibility and visibility across the garden as well as celebrating the sunken garden’s history.
The project's key desired outcomes are set out below:
- A sense of community - A space designed for visitors, workers and residents to enjoy, which is both environmentally conscious and where people dwell and socialise through the provision of increased seating capacity.
- Enhanced visibility - improved lines of sight and introduction of high quality LED lighting across the site to enhance feeling of safety.
- Accessibility - a step-free access across the site, with accessible seating.
- Sustainability - maximising environmental benefits while minimising carbon impact. Climate resilient planting and sustainable drainage features were incorporated and materials locally sourced, including re-using granite stones from the Thames River Wall.
- Versatility - layout design and provision of electrical points to accommodate social, cultural and business activation initiatives by local occupiers to support the City's post-pandemic recovery efforts.
- History - a celebration of the site’s history through a historic interpretation of the design elements. The layout includes gentle variation in levels to echo the historic sunken garden. Purbeck stone was used to reflect the stone in St Paul’s Cathedral courtyard, celebrating the connection between Cheapside and St Paul’s.
Post-pandemic, the numbers of workers and visitors returning to and rediscovering the City has increased. People want to spend their free time in green spaces with opportunities to sit and enjoy the air, and the re-landscaping of the garden at the junction of New Change and Cheapside achieves that.
Construction works started in January 2024 and were completed in July 2024. The re-landscaped garden was formally opened by John Edwards. Deputy Chair of Streets and Walkways Committee and project sponsors, Cheapside Business Alliance and C Hoare and Co.
Evaluation of the project outcomes is ongoing and learnings will be shared to inform future schemes in the City.
The project is jointly funded by the City’s Climate Action Programme – Cool Streets and Greening, S106 funding for the area, the Cheapside Business Alliance (Business Improvement District for the Cheapside area), C. Hoare & Co. and The Golden Bottle Trust.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this project contact the Policy and Projects Team.