O2 Centre

The O2 Centre is an indoor shopping and entertainment centre that is open for around 18 hours per day located on Finchley Road in North West London, near Hampstead, England.

It is now owned by Landsec, previously X Leisure, and opened in 1998. Despite the same name and originally very similar logo, it is no relation to the O2 telecommunications brand, which was launched four years later. The name was chosen as reference to the spacious feel of the building, as O2 is the chemical formula for dioxygen.

Development
The opening of the centre in 1998 came after many years of the site remaining derelict. In the early 1990s, the buildings along Finchley Road were demolished in preparation for the centre, but problems with planning permission, with concerns over traffic in particular, led to construction being delayed by many years. A great deal of consultation took place with local residents, including asking them to vote from a choice of 3 designs for the exterior of the building, relating to different kinds of periodic elements – and asking them to suggest a name. The O2 Centre opened with London's largest branch of Sainsbury's at the time, and a Warner Village cinema (now Vue). The Observer reported in 1999 that, at the time, the building was "quiet" and that "people don't seem to know it's there".

The original £15m budget for the build was exceeded in early 1997, causing a temporary delay in the build until additional capital investors could be found.

The centre contains a Sainsbury's, Aldi, Vue Cinema, Virgin Active, Waterstones and some restaurants such as Wagamama, Nandos, Zero Zero and Starbucks.

Proposed closure
In November 2020, following a year of losses for Landsec due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it announced it intended to sell over £4bn of assets in the next four to five years. In December 2020, Landsec announced it would be closing the O2 Centre, which would be demolished for new housing to be built, with limited retail included, in the future. In March 2023, the first phase of the redevelopment plans were improved by the Camden London Borough Council's local planning authority.

Transport
The closest tube station is Finchley Road, 100 yards south, served by the Jubilee and Metropolitan lines. Finchley Road & Frognal station served by the London Overground is a short walk away while West Hampstead Thameslink railway station, West Hampstead railway station and West Hampstead tube station are also in close proximity, accessed by walking along B510 West End Lane, to Blackburn Road to connect to a pedestrian and cycle path to the car park, next to the Homebase.

There are several bus and coach routes that stop right outside the O2 Centre including 13, 113, 187 and 268. Also close by on West End Lane are C11, 31, 46, 139, 328 and 603 bus stops. Local night buses are N113.

The redevelopment plans include a proposal to add a new entrance from the site to the Finchley Road tube station, potentially including making the station fully accessible.