Colin buchanan

AT ITS 50th ANNIVERSARY AGM, THE WESTMINSTER SOCIETY—CO-FOUNDED BY JOHN BETJEMAN IN 1959—GIVES A SPECIAL AWARD FOR THE UNBUILT REDESIGN OF PARLIAMENT SQUARE

At an awards ceremony following a glittering reception at the William Kent House, The Ritz, The Westminster Society—which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding by Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984, knighthood 1969) and Mrs Gay Christiansen (1912-2001)—announced its biennial awards for architecture, urban design and renovated architecture.  The awards were presented to the recipients by the Society’s patron, HRH the Duke of Gloucester.

Though it is highly unusual for design awards to be made for unbuilt works, the amenity group’s executive committee decided that one such recognition was deserved.  It has presented a Special Award for An Outstanding Work in Design Development for the redesign of Parliament Square.     

“The state of Parliament Square is a disgrace,” Nathan Silver, awards subcommittee chairman, commented earlier.  “It should be our national Capitolinus, the central place a visitor can stand and be encircled by British history and democracy.  Now it’s barely more than a traffic island in a traffic roundabout, with poor lighting, only three benches, almost no pedestrian access, and usually barricaded by a jumble of police barriers. 

“The only notable members of the public that have reached it in recent years have been Iraq war protesters and Tamil demonstrators.  Meanwhile alongside Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, crowds of visitors and families are crammed onto narrow pavements,  from which reaching the square has been made nearly impossible.   

“We feel it would be tragic if Parliament Square had to remain in such neglect for any longer than is necessary to get the redesign in place.  Does the mayor care?  His powers allow him to take a fairly decisive view.  Mr Johnson recently brought design development to a halt, a terrible decision that we want him to reverse.”

Of the Society’s other awards, its Biennial Award for Architecture was presented for One Vine
Street, The Quadrant, London W1; the Biennial Urban Design award was presented for St Martin-in-the-Fields; the Biennial Renovated Architecture award was presented for The William Kent House, The Ritz.  A second Special Award, for Neighbourhood Transformation, was presented for the Bocca di Lupo restaurant in Archer Street W1.

Special Award for An Outstanding Work in Design Development

To Transport for London, client, and the World Squares for All Steering Group (representing Westminster City Council, Westminster Abbey, the Parliamentary Estate, the Royal Parks, English Heritage, the Metropolitan Police and the Cabinet Office), sponsors; Hawkins\Brown with Vogt Landscape architects and Colin Buchanan transport consultants

for THE REDESIGN OF PARLIAMENT SQUARE, LONDON W1 Which, by proposing to remove the vehicle stream alongside St Margaret's in favour of pedestrians, re-imagines the present traffic island (currently a convenient police corral for demonstrators) as a contiguous, permanently accessible Capitolinus from which to regard the grandeur of Westminster Abbey, the new Supreme Court Chambers and the Palace of Westminster; a fitting heartground for all who contemplate British history and democracy.

For further information: Nathan Silver, Awards Committee—020 7834 9300, mobile 07595 023286, ns@nathansilver.com