Ward Newsletters
All back issues of the Castle Baynard Ward Newsletters are available at the bottom of this page.
Castle Baynard Newsletter February 2025
FLEET STREET TRANSFORMATION PLANS – Ensuring the City’s “Key Area of Change” brings benefits to all
Fleet Street, at the heart of the Ward of Castle Baynard, is undergoing a huge transformation. Over the next five years, based around the new court complex at Salisbury Square, the main artery of the ward will be one of the City of London’s Key Areas of Change, as designated in the City Plan 2040. A critical role of your team of Ward Councillors is to ensure this will bring benefits to all – to residents (existing and future), businesses and visitors alike – whilst mitigating the social and environmental impact of this unprecedented scale of local development. Over the past 3 years, your Ward Councillors have been instrumental in:
- Securing developer contributions through the planning system for public realm enhancements, including £9m from the Community Infrastructure Levy over the next 5 years to part fund delivery of FSQ’s and the City’s public realm strategy.
- Preserving the famous Tipperary Pub, a favourite watering hole of Fleet Street’s journalists and printers, which will soon be re-opening for new business customers, students and local residents.
- Ensuring the health and safety of the Street, monitoring its air quality, protecting pedestrian access and crossings (see edition 88), and clamping down on irresponsible cyclists.
- Enhancing street cleansing and local refuse collections in collaboration with the Fleet Street Quarter BID.
- Connecting developers like Mace, Dominus, LandSec and their contractors with local training facilities, including the Green Skills Hub (The Fleot) in New Bridge Street to offer work experience, apprenticeships and jobs across all stages of construction.
- Fleet Street area: securing developer provision of a new exhibition space for the St Bride Foundation (to be part of 65 Fleet Street), and a great new home for Shoe Lane Library when Hill House is redeveloped. Completion dates for other developments: Daily Telegraph Building (with Daniel House) – late 2025 | Salisbury Square (new law courts) – 2026 | 65 Fleet Street – 2027 | 8– 12 New Bridge Street – late 2027.
Finally, regarding 120 Fleet Street (former site of Boots) the developer is looking for an anchor tenant before commencing the next phases, and we are persistently pushing the planners to apply pressure to get this moving.
Thames Tideway tunnel Blackfriars foreshore| Nearing completion
We’re pleased to report significant progress in the work on the new Thames Tideway tunnel, illustrated during recent heavy rainfall in London, when 850,000 tonnes of sewage, which would have been diverted into the Thames, was captured by the super sewer in a single 24-hour period. 12 out of 21 sewer connection points are now live.
Full operation is on track for completion later this year. Construction of the Tunnel began in 2016, and the first sewage flowed into the tunnel last September. The total cost of the project is circa £5bn. A key benefit from the project is the new Blackfriars public realm – see photo – which at long last is taking shape.
At 110 metres long it is the largest single structure built into the River Thames in 150 years. When the site opens later this summer, it will create a wonderful new amenity for Castle Baynard residents, workers and visitors to enjoy. The new flexible space will offer numerous possibilities for activities including relaxation, sports, play and pop-up events.
We look forward to working with local stakeholders and City officers to maximise the benefits of this exciting new amenity.
Meet the Castle Baynard Team | Wednesday 26 February at 6.30 pm
Please join us at Dr Johnson’s House, 17 Gough Square, on Wednesday 26 February at 6.30 – 8.00 pm for an informal get together.
It’ll give you an opportunity to meet with the Castle Baynard Team members, discuss local issues, share your concerns, and to contribute your ideas for improving our ward, as well as seeing the inside of a fantastic Grade 1 listed historic property! Your participation is important in shaping the future of our community. No need to RSVP – we look forward to seeing you on the 26th!
Graffiti Removal in the Ward
The war on graffiti is an ongoing battle! As a resident living on Fleet Street, Ward Councillor Henrika Priest is on a constant look out for any new tags and liaises regularly with the City Corporation’s officers to ensure these unsightly scrawls are removed.
Sometimes this takes time, as contact has to be made with a building’s owners who se responsibility it is to pay for and remove these eyesores. If you see graffiti, please either report it using the link overleaf, or contact us directly.
Clean City Awards Scheme 2025
Businesses of all sectors and sizes across the Square Mile are invited to enter London’s top environmental awards scheme. Organised by the City of London Corporation, the Clean City Awards recognise and celebrate firms that go above and beyond to make the Square Mile even cleaner and more sustainable. This year’s awards will be presented by Mary Durcan JP, local Castle Baynard Councillor and Chair of the Corporation’s Port and Environmental Services Committee, at the Mansion House on Thursday 13 February.
Companies can apply for awards in various categories, including:
- Working towards better Air Quality and Climate Action
- Promoting better management of resources and the “circular economy” by encouraging businesses to ‘Reduce, Reuse and Recycle’.
- Moving towards a plastic-free City by reducing reliance on single use plastics.
The scheme encourages City businesses to improve their sustainable practices as well as providing a forum to exchange initiatives both within the City and beyond.
Fleet Street Quarter Cook Off is back!
Join fellow foodies for the ultimate cooking competition between representatives from our local business community. No previous professional cooking experience is necessary, just a passion for creating delicious food! Along with the prized Cook Off trophy, the winner will receive a voucher for a Bake and Dine short course, which is followed by a dining experience at CORD in Fleet Street. To register (by Friday 21 Feb), go to: www.fleetstreetquarter.co.uk/events/the-great-fleet-street-quarter-cook-off-2025
WARD SURGERIES
Ward members are at Shoe Lane Library at 5:30pm on Tuesday January 14, and then on the 2nd Tuesday of every month for the rest of 2025. You can also email any one of us on our group email: enquiries@castle-baynard.org.uk
Ward Newsletters – Back Issues
| Issue 89 – February 2025
Stop Press Newsletter – April 2024
|
Issue 40 – July 2014 |