Location | 255 Finchley Rd, London NW3 6LU |
---|---|
Coordinates | 51°32′53″N0°10′54″W / 51.5480°N 0.1816°W |
Opening date | 1998 |
Owner | Land Securities |
Parking | 518 cars |
Website | o2centre |
The O2 Centre is an indoor shopping and entertainment centre that is open for around 18 hours per day located on Finchley Road in North West London, near Hampstead, England.
It is now owned by Landsec, previously X Leisure, and opened in 1998. [1] Despite the same name and originally very similar logo, it is no relation to the O2 telecommunications brand, which was launched 4 years later. 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. 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, [2] 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". [3]
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. [4]
In November 2020, following a year of losses for Landsec due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, it announced it intended to sell over £4bn of assets in the next four to five years. [5] In December 2020, Landsec announced they would be closing the O2 Centre, which would be demolished for new housing to be built, with limited retail included, in the future: subsequently on 30 March 2023, the first phase of the redevelopment plans were improved by the London Borough of Camden's local planning authority. [6] [7] [8] [9]
The closest tube station is Finchley Road, 100 yards south, served by the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines. Finchley Road and Frognal station served by the London Overground is a short walk away and West Hampstead railway stations 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. [7]
Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and early 20th century suburb with a commercial crossroads. The rest is of later build. It is centred approximately 6 miles (9 km) north west of Charing Cross on the intersection of Golders Green Road and Finchley Road.
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.
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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 on the Jubilee line, between West Hampstead and Swiss Cottage stations and on the Metropolitan line between Wembley Park and Baker Street stations. It is in Travelcard Zone 2.
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West Hampstead is an area in the London Borough of Camden in north-west London. Mainly defined by the railway stations of the same name, it is situated between Childs Hill to the north, Frognal and Hampstead to the north-east, Swiss Cottage to the east, South Hampstead to the south-east, Kilburn to the west and south-west, and Cricklewood to the north-west. The area is mainly residential with several small shops, restaurants, cafes, bakeries concentrated on the northern section of West End Lane and around West End Green. It is served by three stations: West Hampstead on the Jubilee line, West Hampstead Overground station and West Hampstead Thameslink station. It is part of the Kilburn postal district (NW6).
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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.
Temple Fortune is a place in the London Borough of Barnet to the north of Golders Green. It is principally a shopping district used by residents of the Hampstead Garden Suburb. Between here and Golders Green, at Hoop Lane are two cemeteries – Golders Green Jewish Cemetery and Golders Green Crematorium. Religious buildings include the Catholic Church of St Edward the Confessor, St. Mary & Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church, and North Western Reform Synagogue.
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.
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Church End is a locality within Finchley in the London Borough of Barnet in London, England. Aside from its church it centres on Finchley Central Underground station. Church End is an old village, now a suburban development, centred 7 miles (11 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross.
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London Buses route 31 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, England. Running between White City bus station and Camden Town, it is operated by Metroline.
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, was 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.
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.