Outernet London
Project
Opening date2022
DeveloperConsolidated Developments
OperatorOuternet London
Websitehttp://www.outernet.com
Location
Locationadjacent to Crossrail Tottenham Court Road/Charing Cross Road southern exit

Outernet London is an entertainment, arts and culture district opened in 2022 in the West End of London. Named as "London's most visited tourist attraction" [1] by The Times newspaper in 2023, it is the largest digital exhibition space in Europe[2] with the "world's largest LED screen deployment".[3][4] It is located adjacent to the eastern exit of the new Elizabeth line Tottenham Court Road Underground station, on the southern side of the public square, and it extends to Denmark Street - “Tin Pan Alley”, with St Giles High Street to the east and Charing Cross Road to the west.

Spaces/Venues

The district contains

  • The Now Building - featuring four storey high video screens [5]
  • Now Trending - a space for immersive content or sampling [6]
  • Now Arcade - an LED tunnel [7]
  • Here at Outernet - an underground 2,000 capacity music venue [8]
  • The Lower Third - a 250 capacity music venue [9]
  • Denmark Street - famous street with music related retail [10]
  • Chateau Denmark - a hotel [11]

as well as broadcasting and media facilities, bars and restaurants and pop up spaces.[12] 

Public spaces will reportedly feature a public arts programme and advertising campaigns using virtual reality,[13] augmented reality,[14] and artificial intelligence.[15] News reports have indicated that entertainment will be created by Technicolor[16][17][18] and Sir Ridley's Scott's the Ridley Scott Creative Group.[19][20][21]

There are also residential apartments,[22] office space,[23] and 20,000 sq ft of retail space.[24]

Planning and Construction

Construction follows more than a decade of planning.[25] The main construction contractor for the project was Skanska[26] and the developer is Consolidated Developments.[27][28] To protect against vibration from the Elizabeth and Northern line trains special construction methods were used.[29]

The area immediately surrounding Outernet was also recently under development from Crossrail and other projects such as the new @sohoplace theatre which both also opened in 2022. The Oxford Street shopping area has therefore undergone significant renewal.[30][31]

Reaction and Comment

The redevelopment has been welcomed by London's Night Czar Amy Lame,[32] but has also been controversial[33] and criticised with many commentators lamenting[34] the decline of live music in London [35] and criticising the redevelopment plans, in particular their impact on Denmark Street.[36][37][38][39]

Some commentators have criticised the architecture,[40] but others believe it creates a space for music that reflects the current internet age.[41] Outernet London have said they will preserve the area's musical legacy and support both music shops and live music.[42] The redeveloped Denmark Street features busking points and a pro-bono recording studio in partnership with the BPI.[43] Although some of the street still has scaffolding, Denmark Street appears largely unchanged with more music shops than ever and a new indie music venue called The Lower Third located on the site of the old 12 Bar Club.

References

  1. ↑ "outernet-now-londons-most-visited-tourist-attraction-77rwqqzv3".
  2. ↑ Baron, Katie. "Inside The Outernet: How The Billion Pound Concept Plans To Make Its Mark". Forbes. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  3. ↑ "Outernet signs deal for 'world's largest' LED screen deployment". CityAM. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  4. ↑ "Outernet London to feature 'largest LED screens in the world'". Prolific London. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  5. ↑ "Outernet London". www.outernetglobal.com. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  6. ↑ "Outernet London". www.outernetglobal.com. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  7. ↑ "Outernet London". www.outernetglobal.com. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  8. ↑ "HERE at Outernet – The Future of Live Entertainment is HERE". Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  9. ↑ "THE LOWER THIRD". THE LOWER THIRD. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "Denmark Street", Wikipedia, 12 November 2022, retrieved 14 November 2022
  11. ↑ "Chateau Denmark - Rooms & Apartments in London - Chateau Denmark". www.chateaudenmark.com. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  12. ↑ "Soho is getting a new 2,000-capacity music venue". Evening Standard. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  13. ↑ "Ridley Scott Creative Group, Outernet Team On Development/Production Platform For Immersive Content". SHOOTonline. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "StackPath". www.inavateonthenet.net. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  15. ↑ Warrington, James (13 May 2019). "Outernet teams up with Technicolor for new London media landmark". www.cityam.com. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  16. ↑ "Outernet teams up with Technicolor to create new London media landmark". CityAM. 13 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  17. ↑ "Outernet Global Partners With Technicolor for the Future of Immersive Entertainment". www.technicolor.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Outernet Global Worldwide Co-production and Innovation Partnership with Technicolor Inc Paves Way for Future of Immersive Entertainment". MarTech Series. 14 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  19. ↑ Howard, Tom. "Sir Ridley Scott's big screen pitch is high and mighty". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Ridley Scott Creative Group and Outernet Global announce Tomorrow Now". shots. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "London media hub Outernet signs video production deal with Ridley Scott". CityAM. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  22. ↑ "Discover the Outernet London Hub". Outernet London. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  23. ↑ "Offices to rent in West end". www.monmouthdean.com. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  24. ↑ Szajna-Hopgood, Ava. "More change in London's West End as Outernet plans take hold - Retail Gazette". Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  25. ↑ "Outernet: Is London's new media hub the future of urban entertainment?". CityAM. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  26. ↑ "St Giles Circus Development". www.skanska.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  27. ↑ "Skanska signs £142 million contract to build St Giles Circus development". www.skanska.co.uk. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  28. ↑ "New grassroots music venue for Denmark Street". Orms. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
  29. ↑ "Box in a box to avoid Crossrail vibrations". www.ianvisits.co.uk. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  30. ↑ Williams2019-04-25T11:05:00+01:00, Richard. "How Oxford Street lost its allure". Property Week. Retrieved 22 May 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. ↑ Fraser, Isabelle (13 November 2019). "Could this cube covered in high definition screens help save the high street?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  32. ↑ "Outernet London: New 2,000-capacity music venue to open in Soho". www.msn.com. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  33. ↑ Burrows, Marc (20 January 2015). "London's music scene rocked by the death of Denmark Street". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  34. ↑ Harris, John (6 February 2015). "A lament for the death of bohemian London | John Harris". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  35. ↑ Bethell, Emma Garland and Chris (29 September 2016). "London's Culture Death: What the City's Best Music Venues Look Like Now". Vice. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  36. ↑ Hill, Dave (20 December 2016). "The future of Denmark Street: rebirth opportunity or dystopian hell?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  37. ↑ "Denmark Street's not dead yet". The Independent. 28 January 2015. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  38. ↑ "Plans announced for Tottenham Court Rd development - and it doesn't look good". Louder Than War. 24 July 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  39. ↑ "The day the music died? Welcome to Denmark Street and Tottenham Court Road's new 'digitally enabled streetscape'". the Guardian. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  40. ↑ "'Why not just go the full Vegas?' The crass, ad-laden reinvention of central London". the Guardian. 28 October 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  41. ↑ ianVisits (9 November 2022). "The transformation of Denmark Street and the Outernet". ianVisits. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  42. ↑ "Outernet London venue bids to be 'beacon' for recovering live scene". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  43. ↑ "Could Tin Pan Alley's slick revamp be demo version for global cities?". Evening Standard. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.

51°30′57″N 0°07′48″W / 51.5159°N 0.1300°W / 51.5159; -0.1300

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