St George's Square, Luton

The £2.5m redevelopment of St George’s Square has been a major step in the regeneration of Luton town centre.

Prior to the redevelopment, St Georges Square was an under‑utilised, uninviting and under‑valued space, a space that people would avoid at all costs. The council decided to redevelop the square to create a new central plaza that would be flexible enough to regularly host a range of organised events, including Luton's international carnival.

Gillespies' design concept delivers a creative response to the unique cultural context of this site, including the town's rich hat‑making tradition. The visual containment of the square was achieved through careful manipulation of level changes and stepped edges to bring the focus of attention on a new central plaza. The project involved extending the square to include two of the surrounding roads which are now largely pedestrianised.

A feeling of being safe has been achieved through careful appraisal of the sightlines to ensure no areas are hidden from view whilst a consistent palette of materials reduces street clutter.