Frequently Asked Questions

The Big Picture

  • Soho Estates is proposing to transform a group of buildings at the north-east corner of Leicester Square to create a new visitor attraction, alongside food and drink venues. The proposals would replace a collection of outdated buildings with something better suited to Leicester Square’s role as a centre for film, culture and entertainment, while continuing to offer places the public can visit and use.

  • Leicester Square is one of London’s best-known destinations and a focal point for film, culture and entertainment. It hosts around 60 film premieres each year and welcomed almost 30 million visitors in 2024–25, with a further 83 million visiting the wider Heart of London. The visitor economy accounts for around 11.6 per cent of London’s GDP and supports approximately 700,000 jobs, placing Leicester Square at the centre of an area of national economic and cultural importance.

    Given its profile, the condition and use of Leicester Square matters. This project offers a rare opportunity to strengthen the Square’s role as a cultural destination, improve the experience for visitors, businesses and residents, and support the long-term success of the West End.

  • 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.

  • We’re designing a space that can host something world class, and are in early discussions with potential operators. The building will be highly flexible, so it could accommodate a range of visitor attractions and immersive experiences. Given Leicester Square’s position as one of the world’s leading entertainment locations, we expect strong interest from cultural, creative, and experience-led operators.

  • Work on the plans has been under way for several years and the current consultation forms part of a second round of public engagement with a wider public consultation planned for Spring 2026.

    The intention is to submit a planning application in Summer 2026. For a project of this scale, the planning process would take time so it is too early to say when any works might begin. Existing uses in the site area will continue in line with their current arrangements.

  • The proposals include a large, immersive visitor attraction arranged across several floors, with food and drink spaces located at ground and upper levels, a rooftop terrace, and supporting space below ground.

  • 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 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.

  • Sustainability is a central consideration in the design and delivery of the scheme, with the building intended to have a lifespan of at least 100 years and to reuse around 99 per cent of materials from the existing site. The proposals also include solar panels on the roof and will deliver a significant improvement in energy efficiency compared with the existing buildings. A full Whole Life Carbon assessment is currently underway, alongside studies exploring refurbishment and deep-retrofit alternatives, in line with Westminster City Council policy.

Sustainability and Flexibility for the Future

  • Sustainability is a central consideration in the design and delivery of the scheme, with the building intended to have a lifespan of at least 100 years and to reuse around 99 per cent of materials from the existing site. The proposals also include solar panels on the roof and will deliver a significant improvement in energy efficiency compared with the existing buildings. A full Whole Life Carbon assessment is currently underway, alongside studies exploring refurbishment and deep-retrofit alternatives, 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 scheme is expected to create new jobs, boost footfall for nearby businesses and support the wider West End economy. The Heart of London area already contributes more than £10 billion a year to the UK economy, and investment of this kind helps it remain competitive and attractive.  The economic and community benefits are still being worked through in discussion with local stakeholders and will be refined and shared as the project moves forward.

Public Engagement

  • Yes. Early public engagement took place in April 2025 and a full public consultation is planned for Spring 2026.

  • Consultation will involve a wide range of stakeholders, including residents, businesses, cultural organisations and community groups, as well as councillors, local representatives and members of the wider public.

  • Yes. Feedback will help shape the design, layout and operation before a planning application is submitted. You can find out more about the consultation process and provide your feedback on our website: lsxproject.co.uk.

  • A planning application is expected to be submitted in Summer 2026, following consultation and further design development.