Chapter 3 – Part four: A central metropolitan block

Land use and accommodation

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We decided, unless serious difficulties were met, that the replacement within the area of all the existing uses should be accepted as a condition of redevelopment, with roughly the same amounts of floor space as now exist. So the first step was to determine the broad disposition of land use in the area. The present uses form themselves into four main groups:

1. Family dwellings with open space, school, and local shops
2. The Hospital.
3. The Oxford Street shopping centre, including some public buildings, offices and single-person dwellings.
4. Industry and Commerce, including local specialised shops and show-
   rooms, and some public buildings and offices.

315

We saw no reason to alter radically the present location of these groups, but some improvements could be introduced. We decided to place some of the family housing at the north end of the site near the Park, some around new open spaces, with the remainder at nodal points in the industrial and commercial area. The Oxford Street shopping centre would remain in its present position. The area to the north of Oxford Street would be occupied by industrial and commercial buildings. Through this area a group of showrooms and local shops would be arranged so as to form the basis of a comprehensive pedestrian system (Figure 177).