At Trafalgar Square, a major traffic remodelling scheme has recreated the square as a landmark public space. Designed by Atkins Ltd / Foster and Partners.
Trafalgar Square is one of London’s busiest and best known outdoor public spaces and is used for many public gatherings such as the New Year celebrations and political rallies. Important buildings such as the National Gallery, Canada Home and the South African Embassy surround it. In addition to Nelson's Column and fountains, the square contains many important statues and works of public art. The square, which was completed in the 1840's, was designed by Sir Charles Barry as a place where large crowds would gather safely and be managed and if necessary controlled. The arrangement of the square as an island, surrounded by traffic routes, which resulted from this approach, has been an impediment to unhindered pedestrian access ever since.
The Trafalgar Scheme forms a central component of the World Squares for all project which aims to transform some of London's key heritage sites. The project was initiated by Westminster City Council in the mid. 1990's and taken forward by a steering committee which included the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), English Heritage (EH) and the Government Office for London (GOL). A design team of Atkins with Foster and Partners was appointed as masterplanners following a design competition in 1998.
The aim of the project was to improve enjoyment for visitors, pedestrian access and bus travel, while recreating the square as a major public space.
The project involved the removal of traffic from the north side of the square to form a pedestrian terrace in front of the National Gallery; a staircase, which links the terrace with the square; the installation of new toilets and a café within the structure of the terrace and extensive repairing and pavement remodeling works on all the approaches to the square.
Traffic management was central to the urban design process involving extensive traffic modeling within central London.
A period of consultation was held during February 2001 with a wide range of stakeholders prior to start of the work on-site in November that year. The project was completed in July 2003.
