Frequently Asked Questions

The Big Picture

  • Soho Estates is proposing to transform a group of buildings at the north-east corner of Leicester Square into the West End's first permanent large-format immersive visitor attraction, alongside new food and drink venues.

    The proposals would replace a fragmented collection of ageing buildings with a high-quality, purpose-built destination designed to strengthen Leicester Square's role as one of the world's leading entertainment districts. The scheme would also improve the surrounding public realm and create a more active and welcoming destination for visitors throughout the day and evening.

  • Leicester Square is one of the world's best-known entertainment destinations and the home of the UK's film premiere industry, hosting around 60 film premieres each year. It welcomed almost 30 million visitors in 2024–25, with a further 83 million visiting the wider Heart of London. The visitor economy contributes around 11.6 per cent of London's GDP and supports approximately 700,000 jobs, making Leicester Square a location of national economic and cultural importance.

    As visitor expectations continue to evolve, there is an opportunity to reinforce Leicester Square's position at the heart of the West End by introducing a new world-class visitor attraction. The proposals would create a compelling new reason to visit, encourage people to stay longer and return more often while supporting local businesses and strengthening Leicester Square's long-term role as one of the world's leading entertainment destinations.

  • The proposals are being brought forward by Soho Estates, a long-established landowner that owns and manages buildings in and around Soho and Leicester Square. The company has a long history of investing in places that support culture, the local economy and the everyday life of the area. Previous projects include the Boulevard Theatre and a post-production facility for Warner Bros.

  • The proposals would create the West End's first permanent large-format immersive visitor attraction. We are designing a highly flexible, purpose-built venue capable of hosting a range of internationally significant immersive experiences and visitor attractions.

    We are in early discussions with potential operators, but no final occupier has been selected. This flexibility is intentional, allowing the building to evolve over time as technology and visitor expectations change while ensuring Leicester Square continues to offer world-class entertainment and cultural experiences for years to come.

  • The proposals have been developed over several years through technical design work, stakeholder engagement and two rounds of public consultation. Feedback from residents, businesses, community groups and other stakeholders has helped shape the proposals.

    The planning application will be submitted to Westminster City Council this summer. Once validated, the Council will carry out its statutory consultation before determining the proposal as part of the planning process. If planning permission is granted, a construction programme and timetable will be confirmed at a later stage. Existing businesses and occupiers within the site will continue to operate in line with their current arrangements.

  • The proposals include around 50,000 sq ft of purpose-built space for the West End's first permanent large-format immersive visitor attraction, arranged across several double-height floors. The flexible design would allow the venue to host a range of internationally significant immersive experiences over time.

    The scheme also includes new food and drink venues at ground, basement and rooftop level, together with supporting back-of-house, servicing and plant space below ground. The mix of uses has been designed to create an active destination throughout the day and into the evening, complementing Leicester Square's role as one of the world's leading entertainment districts.

  • Burger King is currently operating on the site and will remain so for the foreseeable future.

    Food and drink spaces form part of the proposals, sitting alongside the visitor attraction and continuing Leicester Square’s long-standing role as a place where people can eat and spend time. Any future food and drink offer would be shaped at a later stage and sit alongside the wider mix of businesses in the Square.

Design and Heritage

  • The site reflects the layered development of this part of the West End, with buildings dating from the mid-19th century through to the post-war period. The earliest elements are located on Cranbourn Street and Bear Street, where several properties date from the 1840s and were originally developed as small-scale commercial buildings. Much of the remainder of the site was redeveloped in the 1950s following wartime damage and post-war clearance, with new buildings constructed during this period along Leicester Square and parts of Bear Street. Further changes in the late 20th century introduced additional retail, office and leisure uses. The site today comprises a fragmented collection of buildings of different ages, forms and architectural quality, with no single unifying character.

  • Located within the Leicester Square Conservation Area, the design responds carefully to the area’s historic and architectural significance. It draws inspiration from Leicester Square’s theatrical and cinematic heritage, with a façade inspired by a stage curtain that reflects the Square’s long association with performance and film. The building uses sculpted stonework rather than flat or blank walls and is carefully massed so that nearby landmarks, including the Odeon cinema tower, remain visually prominent. Leicester Square has evolved successfully before, including the 2012 refurbishment of the Square and the revival of the Hippodrome, and this proposal continues that tradition of sensitive renewal.

The LED Screen

  • The proposals include a large LED screen integrated into the building facing Leicester Square. Screens are already a familiar feature of this part of the West End, two screens are currently operational on 17-18 Leicester Square, the building currently occupied by Burger King and planning permission has already been granted for an additional LED screen, which is being installed during 2026.

    The proposed screen on the new building would be a rotating design and form part of the building’s overall architecture, reflecting Leicester Square’s long-standing association with film, culture and major public moments.

  • The screen will be fully integrated into the building façade and can operate in two distinct modes. In screen mode, it functions as a dynamic digital display suitable for events such as film premieres and other major moments in the Square, along with advertising and cultural content. In façade mode, the LED panels rotate to reveal sculptural fins arranged in a stage-curtain composition, giving the building a fixed appearance. Content, brightness and hours of operation will be carefully controlled in line with planning conditions to be agreed with Westminster City Council.

Access

  • The attraction will have a dedicated entrance on Cranbourn Street, close to Leicester Square Underground station. This helps manage visitor numbers without adding pressure to Leicester Square itself, which is often busy or closed during film premieres and major events. From the entrance, visitors will move through a tunnel below ground to reach the main attraction spaces, making the route easy to find, accessible and unaffected by activity in the Square.

  • This part of Leicester Square is often closed or restricted during film premieres and major events, which makes a visitor entrance difficult. Locating the entrance on Cranbourn Street avoids these closures while remaining easy to find, close to Leicester Square Underground station and well connected to surrounding pedestrian routes.

Crowds, Safety and Queues

  • The attraction is designed to manage visitor numbers carefully. Entry will be timed in advance, with space inside the building for queuing, staff on hand to manage arrivals and security checks carried out indoors. Under normal conditions, people should not need to queue outside on the street.

  • The attraction is expected to accommodate around 500 - 600 visitors at a time, which is typical for venues of this type.

  • Safety and security have been integral to the design of the proposals from the outset. The scheme has been developed in consultation with Westminster City Council, the Metropolitan Police and other relevant stakeholders to ensure it can be safely managed as a major visitor destination.

    The building has been designed with clear visitor circulation, step-free access, modern fire safety measures and dedicated servicing and management arrangements. A comprehensive Operational Management Plan will accompany the planning application, setting out how the attraction would be operated safely and responsibly.

Sustainability and Flexibility for the Future

  • Sustainability has been a key consideration throughout the design of the proposals. The scheme is designed to create a long-life, adaptable building that improves energy performance, reduces operational carbon and supports the long-term sustainability of Leicester Square.

    The proposals include solar panels, high-performance building fabric and energy-efficient building systems, while reusing existing materials wherever possible. A full Whole Life Carbon Assessment will accompany the planning application, together with a detailed assessment of refurbishment and deep retrofit options in line with Westminster City Council policy.

  • The building has been designed to be adaptable, with studies undertaken to explore a range of alternative uses or a change of attraction. This built-in flexibility helps future-proof the building and reduces the risk of demolition and rebuilding in the future.

Investment and Jobs

  • The project represents a multi-million pound investment that will be privately funded.

    Projects of this scale typically involve significant investment. This includes construction costs, with the creation of hundreds of jobs during the build phase, and significant contributions to public finances through planning obligations that will benefit the local area.

  • The Heart of London Business Alliance estimates that the West End's experience-led economy contributes more than £10 billion annually to the UK economy. The proposals would build on this by attracting up to 1.9 million visitors each year and generating around £48 million in net additional visitor spending, supporting local shops, restaurants, theatres and other businesses across the wider West End. In doing so, they would also reinforce Leicester Square's position as one of the world's leading entertainment destinations and support the long-term success of the West End.

Public Engagement

  • Yes. The proposals have been shaped through extensive consultation over a two-and-a-half-year period. This included early public engagement in April 2025, followed by a full public consultation in spring 2026, alongside ongoing engagement with local residents, businesses, community groups, Westminster City Council, local ward councillors and other stakeholders.

    As part of the wider consultation, 722 responses were received to the online survey, alongside dozens of conversations at a pop-up public consultation event in Leicester Square. Feedback from the consultation helped refine the proposals as we prepare to submit a planning application, and a Statement of Community Involvement summarising the engagement will accompany the application, which is due to be submitted this Summer.

  • The public consultation has now concluded, and the planning application will be submitted this summer. Once the application has been validated, you will be able to view the application documents and submit comments directly through Westminster City Council's planning portal as part of the statutory consultation process.