New look for Mount Street 

Grosvenor celebrated the completion of the public realm improvements in Mount Street with the unveiling of a new water feature outside the Connaught. 

‘Silence’, a new water feature designed by the Japanese architect philosopher Tadao Ando, was unveiled at the launch event on 6 July. The feature was jointly commissioned by Grosvenor and the Connaught hotel.

This marks the end of the first phase of Grosvenor’s £10m programme to improve key streets across its London estate in Mayfair and Belgravia. The ambitious project is being undertaken in partnership with Westminster City Council.

The street improvements are based on the understanding that the space between buildings is as important as the buildings themselves. Ever-increasing traffic volume, and a mass of unnecessary signage and other ‘clutter’, have diminished the quality of London’s streets.

The works aim to enhance the experience for all those who live and work in the area and visit it, particularly pedestrians. Some signage has been removed and pavements have been upgraded and extended, with two new pedestrian areas introduced. The completion of the works on Mount Street – which used 350 builders’ skips worth of granite setts, enough kerb to line both sides of Pall Mall and half an acre of yorkstone – follows a similar scheme on Elizabeth Street in Belgravia.

 Commenting ahead of the Mount Street event, Peter Vernon, Chief Executive, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland, said: “We recognise that places are about more than buildings. The appearance of streets, and the public space around buildings, is fundamental to the long-term success of the London neighbourhoods we manage.

 “Large-scale works like these require a long-term outlook, but we can already see the results. This is only the first phase of our programme; plans for the next wave of projects are already well under way.”

 The improvements to Mount Street and Elizabeth Street were delivered through an innovative funding arrangement. Westminster City Council invested the funds needed to pay for the work, with Grosvenor delivering the improvements. After five years, Grosvenor will make a refund to Westminster equivalent to the project cost.