New images revealed for The Garden at New Covent Garden Market

New images of the Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA) plans for The Garden at New Covent Garden Market have been revealed today. These coincide with the launch of the second public exhibition on The Garden, which will see a brand new fresh produce market for London along with new homes, shops and open spaces on the site in Nine Elms.
 
The detailed information and images follows a highly successful first round of consultation in November last year where the initial ideas for the 57 acre site received strong backing from traders, the local community and other stakeholders.
 
The Garden will see all of the Market functions bought together onto the main site in four new market buildings along with a dedicated new Flower Market. These will all be flexible spaces designed around the needs of tenants businesses and able to accommodate mezzanine offices and a catalogue of interchangeable components such as facilities for chilling and racking depending on the needs of the business. Smaller units for niche operators will be provided, as will brand new buyers walks for the wholesaler tenants to display their produce for customers.
 
The plans that are now being presented also include more detailed information on how the additional sites not needed for the Market could be used.  This includes the Northern Site (where the Flower Market is currently located) and where up to 1,800 homes, a new high quality hotel and serviced apartments, a supermarket and other retail / leisure uses along with more community facilities are proposed. Foster + Partners are developing the plans for this part of the site which include three taller buildings between 25 and 46 storeys and a green route running through the site and which will connect through to the Mayor of London’s proposed new linear park from Vauxhall to Battersea Power Station. The plans for The Garden are consistent with the recently published Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area Planning Framework and will lead the regeneration of the wider area.
 
Three other sites are also identifies to the South and West of the market – along Thessaly Road, opposite Lambeth College and next to the main entrance to the Market at Nine Elms Lane, where up to 500 new homes are also proposed with new community facilities and open spaces.
 
Having received strong backing for The Garden Heart concept – a new food centre for London – in the first exhibition, more detail has now been added for this part of the site. This will include a new public Market as well as act as the link between the Market and the other proposed uses on the site. 
 
Baroness Brenda Dean, Chairman of Covent Garden Market Authority said: 
 
“We are delighted to be able to publish these images and our updated plans. Adding this next level of detail is really making this exciting development come to life. Our tenants and their customers can clearly see our vision for the site and the superb modern new market facilities we want to deliver for them.
 
The Garden will be a fantastic addition to Nine Elms which will hugely benefit the existing local communities around the site and across the area. We are delighted about being part of the opportunity to help shape what has until now been a much overlooked part of London. And all of us at CGMA, from our Board right through the organisation, are committed to delivering this development which is so important to London.”
 
Jan Lloyd, Chief Executive of Covent Garden Market Authority said: 
 
“We received strong backing for the plans we displayed at our first exhibition and since then we have undertaken further research and design work to ensure we deliver a market which works for our tenants and a regeneration which will benefit the wider area.
 
The new Garden Heart will also be a significant new food destination in London. With the food agenda continuing to have such a high profile we are confident that this part of The Garden will be hugely successful and will ensure that The Garden is the centre for food in London in the future.
 
We hope people will take the time to visit the exhibition or look at our plans online and let us have their comments. We intend to submit a single planning application for the whole site to Wandsworth Council later in the year."
 
CGMA will submit a single outline planning application for the whole site to Wandsworth Council in mid 2010. As part of this process CGMA is hosting its second public exhibition about the plans from 25 – 27 February and full details about this can be found at www.newcoventgardenmarket.com.
 
In tandem with the planning process CGMA will also be making an announcement at the start of March about the launch of its procurement process for a private development partner to help build the new Market. This process will be led by Drivers Jonas on behalf of CGMA and conducted via the full OJEU process, further details will be published shortly.

For further information or to request a booklet about the public exhibition on The Garden please contact:

• Helen Evans, Covent Garden Market Authority, 020 7501 3487
• Suzi Lawrence / Jonny Popper, London Communications Agency, 020 7612 8480