Pavement space is at a premium in packed shopping streets such as Oxford Street and Regent Street in London where shoppers have to navigate around a bewildering array of pavement street furniture – traffic lights, traffic barriers, traffic signs, directional signs, street lights and bus stops.  Anything than can be done to reduce the amount of clutter and enhance the overall experience is welcome.  The Crown Estate has shown the way in Regent’s Street, London with a facade lighting scheme that enhances the historic architecture of the buildings and also means that it is possible to reduce or remove the street lighting.  Winner of the 2013 Lighting Design Awards, the lighting scheme is part of the Crown Estate’s vision to transform the appearance of this prime shopping street which attracts over 7.5 visitors a year.  Lighting designer Tony Rimmer has created a scheme of façade lighting that enhances the architectural features of the historic Portland stone buildings with their 2 km of street frontage.  The quality of the lighting and the level of illumination achieved means that there is no need for street lighting columns, although these still remain in places such as Piccadilly Circus.

A few streets away in the Soho conservation area, the new seven storey office building at 25 Great Pulteney Street designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects includes an interactive piece of public art, “Finial Response” by Cinimod Studio that runs along the 20 metres length of the building at street level, apart from the entrance, is a reinterpretation of traditional street railings made of responsive LED elements which react to passers-by, lighting and animating the street in a way that makes street lighting redundant.

The Crown Estate has led the way in Regent Street and its ownership means that it can take a coordinated approach. There are also other examples in nearby Oxford Street.  It would not work in a residential area, but it is a concept that local authorities and developers should encourage elsewhere, to enliven and activate our streets and reduce the amount of clutter.