About Us

Our Trust was set up to conserve the beautiful architecture, environment and special qualities of the centre of Covent Garden. The Piazza at its centre (London’s first real square) takes both its arcades and name from Italy and was commissioned in the 1630s by the 4th Earl of Bedford. Originally a convent garden belonging to Westminster Abbey, the Piazza was laid out and designed by Inigo Jones and is partly inspired by the Place des Vosges in Paris, completed in 1605.

The properties the Trust has legal powers over are known collectively as “The Protected Lands”. They are made up of five blocks of properties in and around the Piazza, including:

• The Central Market building, built in 1830 to house London’s main fruit and vegetable market
• Bedford Chambers, the elegant arcaded building on the north-west of the Piazza, which dates back to 1870 and was an attempt to re-create the original 17th century facade of fashionable housing
• Jubilee Hall Market
• The Museum block, which houses the London Transport Museum and Russell Chambers
• 25-31 James Street and 7,9 and 10 Floral Street comprised of Georgian terraced houses and shops.

The current owner of the freehold of the Protected Lands is Shaftesbury Capital who now possess everything the Trust oversees, including the 25-31 James Street terrace and 7a, 8, 9 & 10 Floral Street, a plot acquired in 2024 from the Lothbury Property Trust.

Shaftesbury Capital own many other buildings in Covent Garden and in 2019 acquired the handsome 1860s building on the corner of Bedford Street and Maiden Lane, from which the well-known magazine, The Lady, was published from the 1890s.

There are actually five leases – one for each block of property within the Protected Lands – and each lease is identical. Under this 150-year lease the Trust has the power to refuse (1) changes of use and (2) alterations to buildings.

If trustees refuse an application without giving sound reasons, the freeholder can take the Trust to arbitration (like a court case, but with a lawyer instead of a judge) which could incur substantial costs and lead to a loss of credibility. Since its inception, the Trust has only been taken to arbitration once and happily, won the case.

The main business of the Trust is reviewing applications for changes of use or alterations to the ‘Protected Lands’. Each application has to be decided within 15 working days or is otherwise deemed to have been granted approval.

A change of use could involve turning a fashion shop into a restaurant and an alteration might involve restoring buildings where they have eroded with time or the addition of (for example) a new pavilion to extend the Central Market (which is Grade II* listed and therefore unlikely to be approved).

The Trust Council meets every month to discuss applications and matters concerning Covent Garden generally. The freehold owners are invited to the meetings to explain changes or alterations to the trustees and trustees can ask questions. The Trust also benefits from advice from its own surveyor and solicitor.  

In addition to the Protected Lands, trustees take an interest in the whole of the Covent Garden area and are often consulted on planning applications from both Westminster City and Camden Councils.