As Christmas shoppers turn out in force, creating a hustle and a bustle around the streets of central London, it’s worth reflecting on how certain destination streets for shoppers have really undergone a radical imaginative transformation.
Howard de Walden provided the template for a ‘destination street’ with the transformation of Marylebone High Street. Since then, we have seen the same process unravel across some of London’s key post codes. Mount Street and Elizabeth Street under the guidance of The Grosvenor Estate, Chiltern Street with The Portman Estate and most recently, Pavilion Road with Cadogan Estates.
In each case, a careful strategy has been implemented, in which consultations and collaborations with developers, retailers and agents has led to each separate area being designed in an individual and stylish way. Everything has been painstakingly put together, managed and designed so that retailers have been selected to suit the locale, to create the right atmosphere and enhance the shopper’s experience. Consequently, we have seen independent retailers opening specialist shops, cafes, bars, florists and bookshops.
As a result, these streets have become increasingly desirable with both a domestic and international crowd. And as they have become more appealing as places to go to eat, shop and drink…so too have they become more popular as places in which to live and that has led to steady price increases in each of the local areas