Location | 255 Finchley Road, London |
---|---|
Coordinates | 51°32′53″N0°10′54″W / 51.5480°N 0.1816°W |
Opening date | 1998 |
Owner | Landsec |
Architect | HOK International |
Parking | 518 cars |
Website | o2centre |
The O2 Centre is an indoor shopping and entertainment centre located on Finchley Road in North West London, near Hampstead, England.
Designed by HOK International and opened in 1998, [1] it is now owned by Landsec. [2] Despite the same name and originally very similar logo, it is no relation to the O2 telecommunications brand, which was launched four years later. [3] The name was chosen as reference to the spacious feel of the building, as O2 is the chemical formula for dioxygen.
The opening of the centre in 1998 came after many years of the site remaining derelict. In the early 1990s, the buildings along Finchley Road were demolished in preparation for the centre, but problems with planning permission, with concerns over traffic in particular, led to construction being delayed by many years. [4] A great deal of consultation took place with local residents, including asking them to vote from a choice of 3 designs for the exterior of the building, relating to different kinds of periodic elements – and asking them to suggest a name.[ citation needed ] The O2 Centre opened with London's largest branch of Sainsbury's at the time, [5] and a Warner Village cinema (now Vue). The Observer reported in 1999 that, at the time, the building was "quiet" and that "people don't seem to know it's there". [6]
The centre was originally developed by the Burford Group and Capital & Regional's X-Leisure fund, [1] who had joint ownership. In 2004, X-Leisure bought out Burford's share for £25 million (about £40 million in 2023). [7] [8] [ better source needed ] X-Leisure itself was bought out by Landsec in 2013, [9] but not before it had sold off the O2 Centre to property partnership Matterhorn Capital in 2009 for £92.5 million (about £130 million in 2023). [10] [11] One year later, Landsec bought back the O2 Centre from Matterhorn for £126 million (about £174 million in 2023). [12]
The original £15m budget for the build was exceeded in early 1997, causing a temporary delay in the build until additional capital investors could be found.[ citation needed ]
The centre contains a Sainsbury's, Aldi, Vue Cinema, Virgin Active, Waterstones and some restaurants such as Wagamama, Nandos, Zero Zero and Starbucks. [13]
In November 2020, following the COVID-19 pandemic, Landsec announced it intended to sell over £4bn of assets in the next four to five years. [14] In December 2020, Landsec announced it would be closing the O2 Centre, which would be demolished for 1,800 new homes to be built, with some retail included, in the future. In March 2023, the first phase of the redevelopment plans were approved by the Camden London Borough Council's local planning authority. [15] [16] [17]
The closest tube station is Finchley Road, 100 yards south, served by the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines. Finchley Road & Frognal station served by the London Overground is a short walk away while West Hampstead Thameslink railway station, West Hampstead railway station and West Hampstead tube station are also in close proximity, accessed by walking along B510 West End Lane, to Blackburn Road to connect to a pedestrian and cycle path to the car park, next to the Homebase.
There are several bus and coach routes that stop right outside the O2 Centre including 13, 113, 187 and 268. Also close by on West End Lane are C11, 31, 46, 139, 328 and 603 bus stops. Local night buses are N113.
The redevelopment plans include a proposal to add a new entrance from the site to the Finchley Road tube station, potentially including making the station fully accessible. [16]
The Northern line is a London Underground line that runs from North London to South London. It is printed in black on the Tube map. The Northern line is unique on the Underground network in having two different routes through central London, two southern branches and two northern branches. Despite its name, it does not serve the northernmost stations on the Underground, though it does serve the southernmost station at Morden, the terminus of one of the two southern branches.
Hampstead is an area in London, England, which lies four miles northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough of Camden, a borough in Inner London which for the purposes of the London Plan is designated as part of Central London.
Highgate is a suburban area of London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, 4+1⁄2 miles north-northwest of Charing Cross.
The London Borough of Barnet is a local authority area on the northern outskirts of London. The borough was formed in 1965 from parts of the ceremonial counties of Middlesex and Hertfordshire. It is the second largest London borough by population with 389,344 inhabitants as of 2021, also making it the 17th largest district in England. The borough covers an area of 86.74 square kilometres (33 sq mi), the fourth highest of the 32 London boroughs, and has a population density of 45.8 people per hectare, which ranks it 25th.
Finchley Road is a London Underground station at the corner of Finchley Road and Canfield Gardens in the London Borough of Camden, north London. It is served by the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines. On the Jubilee line, the station is between West Hampstead and Swiss Cottage stations. On the Metropolitan line, it is between Wembley Park and Baker Street stations. The station is in Travelcard Zone 2.
Edgware is a London Underground station in Edgware, in the London Borough of Barnet, in North London. The station is the northern terminus of the Edgware branch of the Northern line and the next station towards south is Burnt Oak. It is in Travelcard Zone 5.
Swiss Cottage is an area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden, England. It is centred on the junction of Avenue Road and Finchley Road and includes Swiss Cottage tube station. Swiss Cottage lies 3.25 miles (5.23 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross. The area was named after a public house in the centre of it, known as "Ye Olde Swiss Cottage".
Hampstead Heath railway station is in the London Borough of Camden in north London on the North London Line, between Finchley Road & Frognal and Gospel Oak stations, and is in Travelcard Zone 2. Since 11 November 2007 it and the service there have been run by London Overground. It is located on South End Road close to South End Green and Pond Street in the old South End of Hampstead.
Finchley Road is a designated 4.5-mile (7-kilometre) arterial road in north-west London, England. The Finchley Road starts in St John's Wood near central London as part of the A41; its southern half is a major dual carriageway with high traffic levels often frequented by lorries and long-distance coaches as it connects central London, via the A41 Hendon Way, to the M1 motorway at Brent Cross and other roads at that interchange.
Finchley Road & Frognal railway station is on Finchley Road in the London Borough of Camden in north London. It is on the North London line, and the station and all trains serving it are operated by London Overground. It is in Travelcard Zone 2. The station is about five minutes walk from Finchley Road Underground station, and is marked as an official out-of-system interchange. The station was opened as Finchley Road St Johns Wood in 1860 on the Hampstead Junction Railway for the connection to the North London Railway.
Swiss Cottage Library is a public library in the London Borough of Camden housed in an architectural landmark building on Avenue Road. Designed by Sir Basil Spence of Spence, Bonnington & Collins, it was built between 1963 and 1964.
Land Securities Group plc, trading as Landsec, is the largest commercial property development and investment company in the United Kingdom. The firm became a real estate investment trust (REIT) when REITs were introduced in the United Kingdom in January 2007. It is headquartered in London, England, and traded on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.
Fortune Green is a small area in West Hampstead, London Borough of Camden.
South Hampstead is an affluent part of the London Borough of Camden in inner north London. It is commonly defined as the area between West End Lane in the west, the Chiltern Main Line (south), Broadhurst Gardens north and north-west followed by a non-road line demarcating the south slopes of Hampstead village, west of Belsize Park, and north and west of the usually narrowly defined Swiss Cottage neighbourhood. It takes in some of Fitzjohns Avenue leading up to "the village", but the exact amount is an arbitrary measure. The streets were laid out in the Victorian era. The area was not served by any railways until Loudoun Road station opened in 1879 on the street of that name.
West Hampstead railway station is a London Overground station on the North London Line between Brondesbury and Finchley Road & Frognal in the London Borough of Camden and is in Travelcard Zone 2.
The North and West London Light Railway (NWLLR), formerly known as the Brent Cross Railway, is a proposal for a light rail system in North and West London in the UK. It was put forward by the London group of the Campaign for Better Transport and by the Coalition for a Sustainable Brent Cross Cricklewood.
The London Borough of Camden is a London borough in Inner London, England. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies 1.4 mi (2.3 km) north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the former metropolitan boroughs of Holborn, St Pancras and Hampstead.
Swiss Cottage was a ward in the London Borough of Camden, in the United Kingdom. The ward was first created for the 1971 election, redrawn in 1978 and 2002, and abolished for the 2022 elections. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 12,900.
South Hampstead is a ward in the London Borough of Camden, in the United Kingdom. The ward covers the area of the same name and was first used for the 2022 Camden London Borough Council election, electing three councillors to Camden Council. Most of its area was previously in Swiss Cottage ward, which was abolished at the same time, although sections of Kilburn and West Hampstead wards have also been incorporated under the new boundaries. In 2018, the ward had an electorate of 8,904. The Boundary Commission projects the electorate to rise to 8,927 by 2025.
Felicity Marion Peel Rea, known as Flick Rea, is an English Liberal Democrat politician who represented the Fortune Green ward on Camden Council for 35 years, before her retirement in 2021.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: ignored ISSN errors (link)