The Crown Estate renames part of London’s Regent Street

The Crown Estate, which owns property on behalf of the Queen, along with Westminster City Council has rebranded the southern most end of London’s Regent Street, south of Piccadilly Circus to be officially known as Regent Street St James’s.

Part of the Crown Estates ongoing transformation of St James’s in central London, it is hoped that the renamed section of street will turn the area into a “distinctive destination” in its own right. This is only the fourth time a street in this part of the city has been renamed in the last 20 years, and marks a significant milestone in the 10-year regeneration programme, which has cost around 500 million pounds.

James Cooksey, head of The Crown Estate’s St James's portfolio, said: “This marks a major milestone in our 10 year vision, reconnecting this street to the rest of St James’s and helping give the area a stronger sense of place. Alongside our landmark St James’s Market redevelopment, the renaming will play an important role in ensuring both Regent Street St James’s and Haymarket become distinctive destinations in their own right within this historic part of the West End.”

Landmark London Street renamed

The main part of the 200-year-old stretch of Regent Street, which stretches from Piccadilly Circus past Oxford Circus will keep its name, but it is hoped that the area that connects Piccadilly Circus with Pall Mall known as ‘lower Regent Street’ will be able to build on in its new-name to continue to entice fashion brands, restaurants and businesses. Regent Street St James’s is already home to a number of fashion brands including Barbour, Tiger of Sweden, Sunspel, JM Weston and Osprey London.

The unveiling of the new name also marked the substantial completion of the Piccadilly Two Way, Phase II, project which involved improvements to public realm and street environment around Regent Street St James’s, Haymarket, Charles II Street and Waterloo Place. The area now has wider pavements, two traffic lanes instead of four and pedestrian-friendly crossings.

Cllr Robert Davis, deputy leader of Westminster City Council, added: “It is very rare that a street in Westminster is renamed. But with the opportunities, growth and development we are experiencing in the area of St James’s, we naturally want to help create a destination that visitors and Londoners can start to recognise and love.

“With increasing numbers of people enjoying shops, bars and restaurants – this is an exciting time for central London. With more businesses moving in and setting up, our residents can make the most of the jobs and opportunities on offer.”