It’s taken a while but the redesign of the pedestrian area of St James Ave looks like it’s about to start. It’s the pedestrian section between the Uxbridge Rd and Canberra Rd which is currently a bit of a dead space and, until very recently, had become a bit of a gathering place for street drinkers and RISE clients. Though, in fairness, this seems to have lessened with the new PSPO and police powers to move people on if they gather in large groups.
The plan is to redesign the space so it can be used for all manner of outdoor events and activities. This ties in with the work being done on St James House to become home to the new co-working hub which will include studio space for artists and creative industries.
I’d love to see the space used for exhibitions of work of artists and craftspeople from the hub as well as live music, maybe outdoor cinema in the summer as well as occasional markets, bike doctors, temporary health clinics and more. Even better if we could have an independent cafe with outdoor seating there as well. You never know…it would all help revitalise this part of West Ealing.