Piccadilly Square and Leicester Square are two of the most overstimulating parts of London. On any given day, you’ve got crowds gathered around dance crews, music blaring from nearby pedicabs, the smell of pizza and burgers wafting from chain restaurants and a never ending stream of tourists passing through. That’s not to mention the non-stop neon flashes from the huge LED screens on the side of the buildings.
The main screen in Piccadilly Circus, which curves around London Pavilion, is the largest in Europe. The billboard in Leicester Square, right above the entrance of Vue cinema, is much smaller. But there could be a much larger one on the way.
Plans have been drawn up for a 10-storey entertainment complex in the central London plaza. Four of those storeys would be covered by LED screens on rotating panels, displaying ads as well as arts and cultural content. Developer Soho Estates has promised that the content, brightness and operating hours of the screens would be ‘carefully controlled’ in line with planning conditions agreed with Westminster City Council.
Soho Estates is a property group that has been buying up buildings in Leicester Square since the 1990s, including the Burger King on the corner of Bear Street. Eight of those buildings will be incorporated into the enormous entertainment hub it has planned.
The development will include a food court on the ground floor, a rooftop restaurant and new shop fronts on Bear Street and Cranbourn Street. It’ll be able to pack in up to 600 people at a time.
Fawn James, the CEO of Soho Estates, said: ‘Leicester Square is visited by millions of people every year. It’s a world stage for red-carpet premieres, culture, and entertainment. It deserves a building that matches its status and feels like the curtain rising on the next chapter. A new star attraction, made for Leicester Square.’
A full application for the complex is expected to be submitted to Westminster Council this summer, following a series of public engagement events over the spring. However, securing approval for the screens may prove tricky. Last month the council sub-committee refused plans to install five screens showing static ad images at 39 Charing Cross Road. The advertising was described as ‘excessive in scale’ and one councillor remarked that the screens would be ‘more fitting for Disneyland Paris’.
Did you see that two mighty London institutions are in the final of UK Museum of the Year 2026?
Plus: the Shoreditch bistro that is officially the best vegetarian restaurant in London in 2026.
Get the latest and greatest from the Big Smoke – from news and reviews to events and trends. Just follow our Time Out London WhatsApp channel.
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out London newsletter for the best of the city, straight to your inbox.
