Summary
Read about the proposed mixed-use redevelopment for 17-21 Leicester Square. The project includes a major visitor attraction and rooftop dining.
Tags: Leicester Square, London redevelopment, Soho Estates, visitor attraction, West End architecture, LSX project
Leicester Square attracts roughly 30 million visitors each year. It underpins London’s global reputation for film and culture. The square has served as the heart of British cinema since the 1930s, regularly hosting major film premieres. However, the corner housing 17 to 21 Leicester Square currently falls short of this prestige.
Soho Estates plans to change this. They are developing a mixed-use redevelopment project for the site. The current properties stretch across Bear Street and Cranbourn Street. Burger King and Pizza Hut occupy the ground floors. These structures date back several decades and are highly inefficient. They are fragmented across more than 40 different floor levels. This makes them difficult to adapt for modern use and unlikely to meet future energy standards. Replacing them aligns perfectly with London’s broader net zero carbon goals.
The Core Proposal The new proposal centres around a massive visitor attraction. It will span 30,000 square feet across three double-height floors. The UK experience economy is worth nearly £300 billion, yet the West End lacks large venues for immersive events. Successful international examples show the potential here. For instance, Tokyo’s teamLab Borderless generates an estimated £44 million annually.
This twelve-level building will offer highly flexible spaces. Developers can adapt these areas for different uses, including adding intermediate floors. At street level, visitors will find a food court and casual dining options. A rooftop restaurant will sit at the top of the building. Its terraces will provide fresh views over Covent Garden, Nelson’s Column, and the Palace of Westminster.
Architectural Heritage The building’s design draws heavily from the surrounding West End cinema and theatre heritage. A sculptural facade will wrap around the exterior. It mimics the look of a stage curtain. This rotating facade will also feature an LED screen facing the square to display arts programming and commercial content.
To respect the local scale, the Bear Street elevation is divided into two distinct frontages. The taller block uses a light stone tone. The smaller block uses warmer tones to match the neighbouring Bear and Staff pub. An underground link will connect the two buildings, creating a dramatic entrance to a subterranean space.
Managing Crowds Footfall is always a concern in central London. To manage this, the main public entrance to the visitor attraction will sit on Cranbourn Street. This placement is right next to the Leicester Square Underground station. It will efficiently guide visitor flows and minimise pressure on the main square during busy events. Visitors will then exit onto Bear Street. This ensures entering and exiting crowds do not cross paths.