The times, they are a changin’ on St Martins Lane.

The lower half has always scrubbed up a bit better than the top half, what with the glass-fronted St Martins Lane Hotel and its usually reliable Light Bar, fusion favourite Asia de Cuba and celebrity-friendly Bungalow 8.

However, Upper St Martins Lane has always been a kind of London no man’s land. With a sprinkling of blink-and-you’ll-miss-them shops and restaurants and er, Stringfellow’s, the new Kingly Club location seems like a bit of a diamond in the stripper-friendly rough. But we have to confess, when the club first opened we were confused - why were they putting it there, of all places?

But now we’re biting our tongues, because we’ve just learned that there’s a brand new development underway for the poor, neglected Upper St Martins Lane.

Property gurus Shaftesbury PLC are in the midst of planning St Martin’s Courtyard, a two-acre retail complex set to open in winter 2009. Besides the mix of high street shops and independent boutiques, there’ll also be a host of restaurants and bars – we’re not quite sure how many yet, but apparently they’re planning 30,000 square feet worth, so it’s bound to be more than a cafe or two. There’ll also be a joint courtyard area where you can dine alfresco in the summer months.

We’ll keep you updated on details as soon as we hear them but in the meantime, long live St Martins Lane!