Westminster Council has approved a £14m revamp which will recreate the popular London destination so it is reminiscent to the way it looking in 1963.
More than a kilometer of guard railings are to be removed as part of the work which will see a central island being built along Piccadilly and Pall Mall as two-way traffic returns to the busy thoroughfares.
Work, due to begin in November, should be completed before January 2012.
As part of the revamp the pelican crossing in Pall Mall by St James’s Square will be replaced with a zebra crossing and reintroduction of two-way streets from Piccadilly Circus along Piccadilly, St James’s Street and Pall Mall is expected to reduce congestion in the area.
The changes will open roads leading to St James’s Park, Horse Guards Parade and Pall Mall which will be in focus during the Olympics as beach volleyball, marathon, triathlon and road cycling events are held in the area.
Atkins, the company that recently re-designed Oxford Circus to introduce a new Japanese style ‘x-crossing’ will be responsible for the works.
Costs are being shared by Transport for London, Westminster Council, the Crown Estate and the popular upmarket department store Fortnum and Mason which has entrances on Piccadilly and Jermyn Street.
Colin Barrow, head of Westminster Council, stated, “In 2012 our capital will capture the world’s attention and our plans to transform Piccadilly Circus and the surrounding area will ensure visitors are as impressed by the city’s streets and all they have to offer, as they are with the sporting talent many will have travelled so far to see.”
Fans dressed as Alice, the Mad Hatter, and the White Rabbit, topiary animals, and a red carpet dyed green set the scene for the Royal Premiere of Tim Burton’s 3D film Alice in Wonderland. The world premiere was held last night, Thursday, February 25, at the Leicester SquareOdeon Theatre in the West End of London.
Braving the rain, the film’s stars came out in good spirits. Anne Hathaway, who plays the White Queen, exclaimed to devoted – and drenched- fans, “I love London, I love the rain!” The film’s other star, Johnny Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter, was the highlight of the night for the teenage girls who flocked to the premiere to catch a glimpse of the heartthrob. He did not disappoint, as he signed autographs and posed for pictures for nearly an hour ignoring the rain. Depp has also stared in Director Burton’s other unconventional films including Sweeny Todd in 2007 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 2005.
British Designer, Vivienne Westwood, was a behind the scenes star of the evening - as Anne Hathaway, Camilla Duchess of Cornwall, and Helena Bonham Carter adorned her designs for the event.
Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is a twist on the classic children’s book by Lewis Carroll.The film takes place ten years after Alice’s original adventures in the children’s book. Burton explains, “We didn’t try to follow the stories. The versions I’ve always seen are a little girl who seems like a brat, wandering around with a bunch of weirdoes. With each of those characters, they’re all mad, but we tried to give them their own particular madness…So the idea was to take that material, set it in a different story making her a little bit older and exploring the idea of someone’s internal life.”
The film will be release in the UK on Wednesday, March 5.
It appears that Lindsay Lohan does have some acting talent: she spoke with several magazines and feigned confusion over why photographers would be so interested in following her around on her escapades in New York,LA, and her other various haunts. In an effort to avoid the press, Lohan plans to move to London where she feels people are less judgemental. She recently posted on twitter:
“Moving to the UK is in my near future - better DJs/music, and Paris is just a chunnel away!”
In association with Soppköket, we present the ultimate Brazilian Charity Party at the exquisite Albannach in the heart of Central London seconds from the world famous Trafalgar Square.
With all proceeds going to help Brazil’s poorest children it is the perfect opportunity to party and show you care.
Expect the best funky house, RnB and latino music as well as special drinks offers to get you shaking your stuff with the hottest Friday crowd in London.
Today see a protest by amateur and professional photographers in London’s Trafalgar Square following rising tensions between photographers and police over the implementation of Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Many photographers feel intimidated by Police as a result of actions to target possible terrorists who may be on reconnaissance missions in areas of Central London including Mayfair, Soho and St James’s and other major cities.
The protesters are echoing the views of the European Court of Human Rights who last week ruled the power to stop and search people without suspicion was indiscriminate and therefore illegal.
It is estimated up to 36,000 people were stopped under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act between April 2009 and June 2009.
John Yates, the head of counter-terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, has stated that Police risk losing public confidence as a result of the tactics they are employing under the controversial law.
Lord Carlile, the government’s independent reviewer of anti-terrorist legislation has publically stated that he believes “section 44 is being used far too often on a random basis without any reasoning behind its use”.
Marc Vallee, one of the photographers behind the protest, said, “Photographers will be exercising their common law right to take a picture in a public place - and they will be doing it collectively. People are fed up about being stopped and they want to challenge a culture that sees photographers as a threat.”
Singer songwriter Tori Amos has announced that she will play a free music event at top Londonvenue the London Jazz Café in Camden on Wednesday 2nd December to help promote her new album with tickets being given to fans on Oxford Street in Soho on the day of the concert.
The singer will play solo with a piano at the show, which will be open to wristband holders.
Fans can get wristbands from 10.30am (GMT) at the HMV shop at 150 Oxford Street in the UK capital on the morning of the gig. One wristband per fan will be issued.
Tori Amos released her new album, ‘Midwinter Graces’, on Monday November 16.
Albemarle Street is a street in the heart of Mayfair in Central London, off Piccadilly, just five minutes away from Green Park underground station. It was the first one way street in London, aimed at getting traffic flowing better and has historic associations with Lord Byron. Best known for its art galleries, it is a host to such well known galleries like the Albemarle Gallery, which represents contemporary paintings and sculptures from around the world, and has a tradition of supporting controversial artists and create superbly presented exhibitions. The Belgravia Gallery is here too, along with the Marleborough Fine Art Gallery.
One of the best museums in London, The Royal Institution of Great Britain, is on Albemarle Street which runs a variety of exhibitions throughout the year. Club wise, one of the best karaoke bars in London is here: Cousin Jills, which offers an upmarket Mayfair setting to host events for corporate clients and celebrities.
Lovers of shopping will be pleased to find Guinot and London fashion designer Paul Smith’s stores are here, and along with the oldest jeweller in the world - Garrard & Co. Sort out your grooming dilemmas at Guinot, while the don of British fashion Paul Smith can sort out your sartorial ones at number 9.
There are some top London restaurants here too. Chor Bizarre serves top-class Indian cuisine, or go Italian at Ristorante Mosaico. There’s Japanese and Korean food here too from Sumosan and the Korean Kaya restaurants.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stay as well as food, Browns Hotel is here with its in-house restaurant, The Grill. It is London’s oldest operating five-star hotel, opened in 1837 (the year Victoria ascended the throne) by the enterprising James Brown, who was once Lord Byron’s valet.
A trip to London Christmas shopping can be stressful at the best of times but it’s often made worse by retail-phobic partners dragging their heels from shop to shop. Ladies, you have an alternative allowing you to enjoy the best of the shopping utopias of Carnaby Street, New Bond Street, Oxford Street and Jermyn Street!
This Christmas, visit London’s bustling shopping area of Carnaby Street in the heart of Soho, there will be a number of Manpods (courtesy of Sony Blu-ray) – a man-crèche where you can unburden yourself from your boyfriend or husband, leaving you in charge of the credit card and able to conquer your shopping in peace and quiet.
Secure in his Manpod your lover will be well looked after whilst you shop. He will be fed, watered and provided with the best in high definition home entertainment in the way of the latest Blu-ray blockbuster demonstrations, including Terminator Salvation and Angels & Demons.
This week we are focusing on Air Street in Soho which is currently being redeveloped following the closure of top London clubs Chinawhite, Dolce and Paper in January 2009.
Air Street is just off Regent Street in London’s Soho in the West End, the nearest stations are Piccadilly Circus and Green Park, with national rail stations Charing Cross and Victoria 13 and 25 minutes away. Car parking is available in Brewer Street NCP and Burlington Car Park.
There are some excellent London restaurants here too for lunch or dinner in London - Mar I Terra is a popular Spanish Restaurant and Bar, serving authentic tapas. It’s also great if you want to hire a restaurant for a event, such as a birthday or engagement. You’ll also find The Cocoon here, an award-winning restaurant - owned by the same company that owns Boujis - which as a fabulous menu inspired by the food halls found across Asia, specializing in Sushi and other pan-Asian menu dishes.
If you’re looking for pizza or pasta, Ask is a beautiful two floor Italian restaurant with friendly staff and a great atmosphere which is very popular as a pre-theatre or pre-clubbing stop.
