Bishopsgate Goodsyard is an ambitious mixed-use masterplan for one of the last remaining large sites in Central London. The site is located at the meeting point of the high-rise office buildings of the City of London to the west, and the creative and multicultural communities of Brick Lane to the east. The masterplan seeks to mediate between these contrasting areas with a network of pedestrianised streets and lanes at ground level and a 400m long elevated park on the listed historic viaduct above. Spacehub worked as part of a wider design team to develop the landscape masterplan for this unique site.
Site History
Historically the Bishopsgate Goodsyard acted as one of the primary infrastructure hubs of East London in Victorian times, with trains bringing goods from across Europe before distribution across the city. The grade II listed viaduct is one of the best examples of historic railway infrastructure in the United Kingdom, and the project will reveal this history and make it publicly accessible.
From the Ground Up
The design of the landscape and public realm builds on the principles of the masterplan and is founded on the historic fabric of the place. The historic perimeter of the site is expressed with a series of gateways and thresholds to the site. The ground level public realm has a mineral, urban, and intimate quality which is juxtaposed by the wild and expansive character of the platform level above.
The Shoreditch Tapestry
The ground level features a paving arrangement inspired by the sites’ history of local bird markets, coin minting, and folded arches of the different construction methods of the viaduct above. Additionally, the lost fabric of the Goodsyard and older public squares are marked as an historic palimpsest. This arrangement is expressed with reclaimed granite setts found on site in a variety of colours.
Vertical Circulation
A series of 7 stairs will bring people from the ground level to the ‘platform level’ elevated park. These stairs have been designed to work with the remaining historic fabric and the proposed buildings to create legible, accessible, and intuitive vertical connections. A refurbished ‘eco-chimney’ will contain circulation between the park, ground and basement levels, with a heritage centre to inform the public about the history of the place.
The Platform Level Park
The platform level features a linear park connecting from West to East between the historic banks – raised brick platforms which have been reclaimed by nature over time. This promenade will connect a series of smaller, more intimate, garden spaces nestled between the buildings. At either end of the park, two ‘balconies’ will focus on the relationship between the ground and the park, with seating terraces and the refurbished oriel. The eastern half of the platform level opens up into a larger open space – The Field and The Woodland Play Garden – with long uninterrupted southern views across the East London skyline.
Bishopsgate Goodsyard has secured outline planning permission in December 2020 and has secured detailed planning for two phases of the masterplan in 2024. Preparatory work was anticipated to commence in 2025.
Bishopsgate Goodsyard
Designer Credit: Spacehub (Landscape Architect); Faulkner Browns (Masterplan Architect).
Client: Ballymore + Hammerson (Joint Venture)
Collaborators/Other Consultants: Buckley Gray Yeoman (plot Architect); Gensler (plot Architect); Eric Parry Architects (plot Architect); Chris Dyson Architects (heritage plot Architect); Coffey Architects (plot Architect); HAL Architects (plot Architect); WSP (Structural Engineer); Hoare Lea (MEP Engineer).
Image Credits: Spacehub
Shortlisted in the 2025 WLA Awards – Conceptual Masterplanning & Urban Design category