Chetwoods Architects’ vision for The City of London Corporation, co-locating Smithfield, Billingsgate and New Spitalfields markets to a new location has been unveiled. Creating a 21st century, wholesale food location for London and the UK, the scheme provides market tenants with modern facilities in a location that offers room for growth.
The development will be built with the most sustainable materials available, using the latest environmental technology. The buildings will be designed to achieve BREEAM Excellent and the plans will limit the upfront energy during construction and when operational.
The aim is to create a scheme that places the health and wellbeing of occupants and workers at its heart.
These are early schematic layouts which will form the basis of an outline planning application to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
The design of each market supports wholesale, retail and process driven activities whilst allowing for future flexibility to meet demand as required. A multi-deck yard will provide parking spaces for vans and cars at the front and rear which allows for the separation of vehicles with HGV deliveries taking place to the rear at ground floor level.
A green corridor to the west of the site links the scheme to the existing public transport network and the River Thames. From this route, visitors will be able to access three individual market entrances. Each entrance will be unique and identify with the history and tradition associated with these markets.
These entrances lead to an atrium which provides daylight to the market below and connects to an entrance on the east of the site. All three atria also serve as renewable energy generators, harnessing solar power through photovoltaic panels. The schematic layouts have also been carefully designed to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the retail market, with the potential introduction of a mezzanine level providing space for a future retail offering.