Thurloe Street and Exhibition Road
These streets are a mix of retail,
office and residential properties. There are several cafes and food
outlets as well as popular evening venues. The streets are the
main above-ground route from the station to the museums and are
heavily used by visitors, so this area will always be dominated by
pedestrians. There will be no through-traffic in Thurloe Street and
only limited access for delivery vehicles. 
Your views
The most common comment was that the area was busy enough
already and it should be kept clear of more obstructions. There
were concerns about more disruption to residents.
Trees and plants were the most popular suggestions
for this area, closely followed by open air cafes.
Entertainers were the thing that people would least like to see
in the new area.
Future use of the area
The situation here is a little complex.
There are underground vulnerabilities we need to protect;
deliveries and through traffic; as well as the expectations of
residents and businesses.
Cellars and the pedestrian tunnel on the south
side of Thurloe Street are only partly protected by the new bicycle
docking station. Basement areas just beyond their retaining walls
on the north side of Thurloe Street need protection. We need
to ensure that cars do not park on the York Stone pavement at the
western end of Thurloe Street, nor wait in the granite section
where only loading and unloading is allowed.
The southern end of Exhibition Road will be
the first introduction to single surface for many visitors arriving
from the tube station. We need to ensure that it is easy to
navigate, and we need to protect the pedestrian tunnel lanterns and
the tunnel itself.
We have kept street furniture in this area to
a minimum. Rubbish bins are mounted on lampposts, there are no
benches (but there are lots of benches by the museums in Exhibition
Road north of the Cromwell Road), and bollards or cycle racks are
used to protect vulnerable areas.
We have planted new trees at the southern
end of Exhibition Road.
We do not consider Thurloe Street or
Exhibition Road South of the Cromwell Road suitable for either
permanent public art, or a water feature, but we do not rule out
occasional temporary exhibitions of suitable public art, or
fleeting and site-specific works.
We do not think it would be a good idea to
move Bute Street farmer’s market to this location, but we will look
into the possibility of other temporary markets to add to the
vitality of the area.
Councillors will consider a comprehensive
policy paper on café, restaurant and bars’ outdoor tables and
chairs. We will explore the idea of tables and
chairs a little removed from their parent retailer and the possible
locations, sizes, hours of operation and conditions we might want
to attach to licences.