Paddington Basin Masterplan, London
1996-ongoing

The regeneration of Paddington Basin in West London is one of Europe's largest and most creative masterplan schemes. Terry Farrell and Partners were appointed as masterplanners in 1996. The extensive redevelopment will create a vibrant new quarter close to the city and west end and just 15 minutes from Heathrow Airport, via the Heathrow Express, which runs from Paddington Station. Improvements to the canal Basin and surrounding infrastructure include the introduction of a range of mixed uses with cafés, bars, restaurants and retail outlets.

TFP's first involvement with the Paddington area was a study for the redevelopment of buildings along Eastbourne Terrace (to the west of the station). TFP felt there was a greater opportunity to open up the lands to the east of the station, centered on Paddington Basin. Previous studies had developed a proposal for the Basin, which relied on Edgware Road as its primary address. TFP's key move was to turn the address of the Basin around to face the station and to open out the station on its eastern side to become the front door of Paddington station. TFP identified the Basin's three core sites – the Heathrow Express terminal, Paddington Goods Yard and an air-rights development on top of the station as being a potential extension to central London. In keeping with the role of a masterplan to create a framework of rules and ideas, which can grow and develop over a period of a decade or more without destroying the original concept and values, the core values of TFP's 1996 masterplan for rejuvenating Paddington Basin are threefold. The extended masterplan seeks to re-establish the towpaths as public space around the full perimeter of the Basin; in addition it will open all public spaces directly onto the waterside, thus creating a unique public realm for everyone's enjoyment; thirdly, it will re-stitch together routes across the city via new walks and footbridges.

Drawing on experience gained from developing schemes at Inchon Airport, Korea and Kowloon Station, Hong Kong, TFP have an awareness of the potential uplift to an area that the introduction of a dedicated express air link rail service can bring. The concept of the airport having a presence in the city is recognised. With the introduction of the Heathrow Express, Paddington Station became an entry point to Heathrow; development sites at Paddington offer a rapid link to Heathrow, making for a highly desirable commercial location.

The masterplan has been further extended in conjunction with TFP's study of the Marylebone-Euston Road. Central to proposals is the need to shift the perception of this street as an urban motorway just serving through traffic to a distinctive 'place.'

In the emerging masterplan for Paddington Basin, the physical isolation of the main landblocks is being combated and links built between them and beyond, whilst opening up the hidden waterside to public access. The six new or refurbished bridges spanning the canal and the fine-grained, varied network of pedestrian routes being realised is supported by first-class detailing of the public realm. Within the process the former 'backs' of sites have become 'fronts' – waterfronts. New architecture is also evident. The Point, a £51m office development designed by Terry Farrell and Partners, pointing west towards Paddington station as the canal Basin turns east is the first building at Paddington Basin to be completed under the masterplan.