Westminster Labour is moving to the next stage of plans to improve Praed Street and the surrounding area, following feedback from residents, businesses and local organisations.
Praed Street is one of the busiest streets in Paddington and a major gateway into Westminster. With Paddington Station at its eastern end, the street already sees very high footfall from residents, workers and visitors moving through the area each day.
The area is also set to change significantly in the coming years. Plans are progressing to redevelop the former medical school site as a major life sciences hub, and St Mary’s Hospital is expected to be comprehensively rebuilt. Together these projects will bring more jobs, more visitors and more activity to the neighbourhood.
That growth brings opportunities, but it also means the street will need to work better for everyone who uses it including the large, residential community that lives around Praed Street.
Over recent months we have asked local people which ideas they would most like to see taken forward as part of the Praed Street Place Plan. Through surveys, workshops and on-street engagement, residents, workers and visitors were able to review a range of possible improvements and tell us what mattered most to them.
The feedback highlighted several priorities, particularly the need for safer pedestrian crossings, better public spaces, a greener street environment and more places where people can sit and spend time rather than simply passing through.
Based on this feedback, the Council is now moving from the ideas stage to the design stage, developing detailed proposals for the improvements that received the strongest support.
The most prominent idea is the creation of a new public space between Praed Street and London Mews including places to sit and pause, including benches and informal seating.
Other proposals include:
- Safer and clearer pedestrian crossings, particularly at busy junctions where residents said it can currently be difficult to cross the road.
- Wider and less cluttered pavements, making it easier for people to walk along Praed Street and move between Paddington Station, Paddington Basin and Hyde Park
- More trees and planting, especially along London Street, helping create a greener street and improve air quality.
- Improving the public realm at key gateways, creating a more welcoming arrival point for people coming from Paddington Station into Westminster.
- Opportunities for public art, celebrating the history and identity of Paddington.
- Supporting a more varied high street offer, helping Praed Street serve both the residential community and the many people who pass through the area every day.
The ideas contained in the Praed Street Place Plan are not definitive. As the proposals are developed in more detail, we will come back to residents and businesses so the community can help shape the designs.
Cllr Geoff Barraclough, Cabinet Member for Planning & Economic Development, said:
“Praed Street is already one of the busiest streets in Westminster and it’s going to become even more important as major developments come forward around Paddington and St Mary’s Hospital. That makes it even more important that the street works well for everyone — residents, workers, businesses and visitors.
We asked local people what improvements they wanted to see and the message was clear: safer crossings, greener streets and a better environment for walking. We’re now taking the ideas that received the strongest support and developing them into detailed proposals, and before any final decisions are made we’ll come back to the community so people can help shape the final plans.”
Cllr MD Shamsed Chowdhury, Hyde Park ward councillor, added:
“Praed Street isn’t just a gateway for people arriving at Paddington Station – it’s also a neighbourhood high street for the residents who live around it.
With the life sciences campus planned for the former medical school and the future redevelopment of St Mary’s Hospital, the area is going to get busier. That’s why it’s so important that the street works well for everyone – residents, workers and visitors alike – and we’ll continue working with the community as the designs develop.”