Urban Design and Public Realm

Conserving and enhancing buildings and public spaces improves the quality of life for everybody. Westminster is committed to working with partners to promote and celebrate high quality innovative design, both of new buildings and in the public realm, including public art.

Many new developments in Westminster have won design awards including Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and Civic Trust Awards. Westminster is also involved in numerous schemes to enhance the public realm and has also produced city-wide guidance on this issue.

Westminster is keen to promote excellence in all new design. Recent projects which demonstrate Westminster's commitment and approach to good design were celebrated in an exhibition Contemporary Westminster at New London Architecture. The schemes included in the exhibition can be viewed here.

Westminster has also produced guidance on new design in the Design Matters SPG. Emerging design policy can be found in the Local Development Framework.