St. Martins Development

The St. Martins Development is a 425K sq ft mixed-use scheme occupying the former Central Saint Martins campus on Southampton Row in Bloomsbury — one of the most significant regeneration sites in central London. Central Saint Martins is one of the most famous art schools in the world, with alumni including Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, and Lucian Freud. Designed by award-winning architects ORMS, the scheme draws its inspiration from the Arts and Crafts heritage of the original school, seeking to honour the creative legacy of the site while delivering a world-class hospitality destination suited to 21st-century London. The development carries a gross development value of £242 million and planning permission was secured from the London Borough of Camden in October 2020.

At the heart of the scheme is a 427-bedroom hotel arranged across 12 floors, complemented by an extensive programme of amenity uses. Conference and meeting facilities, a destination restaurant and bar, a spa and gym, retail and co-working space, and 34 affordable homes are woven into a development that is genuinely mixed in use and public in character. The scheme reinstates the historic Orange Street walkway, creating a new piece of London's pedestrian fabric, and introduces a new public courtyard that opens the site to the surrounding neighbourhood. The Grade II* listed Lethaby Building of 1908 — the architectural centrepiece of the original campus — is fully retained and integrated into the new development.

The Bloomsbury location places the scheme at the junction of knowledge, culture, and connectivity: the British Museum, the University of London, Covent Garden, and the West End are all within walking distance, while Holborn, Russell Square, and Tottenham Court Road stations provide superb transport links. St. Martins is set to become one of the defining hospitality landmarks of this part of London.