Last week marked the completion of the transformation of London’s Sloane Street – a project described by property management company, Cadogan Estates, as ‘one of the most significant streetscape improvements in almost 250 years’. The Chelsea address, which is known for its luxury shopping offering, has been turned into a ‘green boulevard’.
The plan was overseen by architecture practice John McAslan + Partners, whose chair, John McAslan, has described how Sloane Street’s generous width and architectural asymmetry allowed for the creation of a ‘grand boulevard’, with the objective of ‘enhancing wellbeing and increasing dwell time’. ‘Green infrastructure and a horticulturally-driven design’ have been implemented, as well as measures for ‘strengthening security and easing traffic’.
Sloane Street's transformation
The one-kilometre boulevard, which stretches from Knightsbridge to Sloane Square, has undergone a ‘greening’ achieved by a massive planting scheme inspired by the horticultural heritage of Chelsea, conceived by Flower Show-winner Andy Sturgeon. This scheme introduced more than 100 new trees, following a ‘royal’ colour palette of reds, purples and blues. The plants will offer year-round splendour with flowers, berries and a sculptural branch structure in winter.
A more pedestrian-friendly environment has been implemented by widening the pavement by 23 percent. Lighting has also been enhanced and street furniture introduced. Other changes include the introduction of granite and brass studs demarcating reconfigured parking bays; planters that act as a physical buffer between traffic and pedestrians; and artisanal iron lighting columns inspired by the Holy Trinity Church on Sloane Street.
McAslan has also described how the plan ‘enriches biodiversity and ensures a lasting environmental legacy’ for Sloane Street by implementing sustainability measures such as the use of UK-sourced stone, drought-resistant plants, and LED lighting to reduce energy consumption.
The history of Sloane Street
Sloane Street was originally commissioned by the 1st Earl Cadogan in the 18th century. 300 years later, the site is still owned by the same family, now the Cadogan Group, which is the main landlord in Chelsea and Knightsbridge, and the second-largest of the surviving aristocratic freehold estates after the Grosvenor Estate (comprising Mayfair and Belgravia). Cadogan invested £46 million in this project.
Today, Sloane Street is a London institution. In the 1990s, the Chelsea address became synonymous with the ‘Sloane Ranger’, the nickname given to the upper class young women who frequented the area and its proliferation of flagship stores for many of the biggest brands in fashion. The recent improvements to Sloane Street, argues McAslan, means that it now rivals the grandeur of Avenue Montaigne in Paris and Via Condotti in Rome.
It all speaks to the question of how you create welcoming urban environments. In this case, the answer seems to be a combination of spaciousness, greenery, lighting and other meticulously-thought-out details, down to the warm hue of the Yorkstone that lines the street.