Canning Town & Custom House: re-stitch regen

The Canning Town & Custom House area has fantastic transport infrastructure– with the DLR, Underground and National Rail services and easy access to the A13. Ironically, these are also the things that sever the area from its key areas of economic activity such as the Excel Centre and Barking Road; leaving an economically desolate no-go area of primarily council homes. So it makes sense that the regeneration plans seek to re-stitch the areas by relocating the A13 slip roads and removing the roundabout beneath the overpass and by ensuring the new Crossrail station at Custom House, which is due 2017, brings tangible economic benefit.

As Helen Fisher (LB Newham), the scheme’s programme director, outlined the regeneration plans also hope to tackle the area’s socioeconomic isolation through an ambitious but primarily physical regeneration programme which seeks to – dare I say it – rebrand the area by creating 2 new retail centres (with up to 70,000 m2 of retail, office and leisure space), investing in environmental improvement and social facilities such as a new school and health centre and developing over 10,000 new mixed tenure homes. All in hope of pulling the growth in London eastwards by 2023.

That kind of ambition always screams “GENTRIFICATION!!!” to me but I’m willing to withhold judgement for now because the scheme makes a concentrated effort to minimise displacement. For example, it proposes no loss/reduction in social rented units, gives tenants the right to return to the area if they wish and there was even mention of pepper-potting. Likewise, there is an effort to not displace existing local enterprise and employment skills training does not focus primarily on construction apprenticeships and entry-level service jobs but also on workplace experience through out the entire supply chain (e.g. finance, architecture, town planning, etc). More needs to be done to link in higher education and enterprise but Helen and her team recognise this. So perhaps the gentry here will be home grown as well as imported, which is far more sustainable.

The jury is also out on the likely success of Newham’s intention for the scheme to largely self-finance AND produce surplus receipts. There has already been a substantial amount of public subsidy into the first phase of the scheme but as Richard Fagg from Bouygue, one of the schemes development partners, pointed out: Newham has a clear and well considered vision and strategy for the transformation area that has full buy-in within the authority and the community, which gives developers confidence. Also because commercial viability is a top priority, the values of the sites are more anchored to long term capital growth resulting from the areas regeneration then they are to general market conditions. As such, Newham have strategies in place for interim uses of cleared sites, like allotments or temporary art spaces, that also facilitate its place shaping agenda. With the imminent deep cuts to the public purse, this may well be the only truly viable way forward.

Nnenna Urum-Eke
LB Southwark

The view of localism from a Rising Star

Future of London's events continued apace this morning on the subject of Localism in London. Assembled on the panel were Colin Wilson (GLA), Stephen Hill (RICS / C20), David Cox (SNR Denton) and Ben Harrison (Chair – FOL Executive Director).

As I left my home in Edmonton on this crisp October morning, the concept of localism and the devolution of power to the people sitting around me on a crammed southbound train to the City wasn’t sitting too comfortably in my mind. I wondered whether my fellow workers would really have the time outside of trying to make ends meet in an age of austerity to participate in local politics.

Being completely honest I was also thinking about breakfast, but this was not to be as a not very clever ‘smart’ phone took me to Mount Pleasant sorting office rather than to the offices of SNR Denton a couple of miles down the road.

Making the venue just in time for the start of the seminar, I was surprised to see the glamorous Tesco’s at Edmonton being used by Colin Wilson as an example of planning for a new community under an agenda for localism, illustrating the quandary about how to determine local priorities for a community that does not exist. Colin went on to showcase a number of developments across London, focussing upon designated Opportunity Areas within the London Plan to outline mechanisms such as Tax Increment Financing (TIF) that may be used to bring forward new development.

What struck me about the content of Stephen Hill’s presentation is that localism is a concept that has been knocking around for some time and the rhetoric of the Coalition does not differ to a great degree to that of New Labour. Stephen illustrated that a number of the tools to empower local communities are already in existence as a result of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 but will be rebranded in the Localism Bill to come forward later this year, including modified Local Development Orders being rebadged, supplementing the word ‘local’ for ‘neighbourhood’….clever.

Coming from a legal perspective, David Cox questioned whether localism has a role in London and used the Nine Elms as an example of an area that may benefit from TIF or Local Infrastructure Tariff mechanism. However, David also drew attention to the tension between local and sub-regional priorities and the risk that neighbouring areas outside of a designated regeneration zone could be drained of perfectly successful businesses, who may choose to relocate into a regeneration area with more attractive business rates.

As the seminar concluded, I reflected upon what I had heard. Localism is undoubtedly an exciting concept and on the face of it has the potential to transform the areas that have the ability to embrace it. However, I remain to be convinced as to whether those it could really benefit will have the voice, inclination or time to participate in influencing an agenda for their local area and on the flipside whether those who do participate use their voice to say anything other than ‘no’ to development.

Tom Dewey
LB Waltham Forest

Redeveloping South Kilburn

On Thursday 30th September, the FoL site visits programme went to South Kilburn. The site visit group met at the offices of the South Kilburn Partnership (SKP) where we given a short presentation by Mike Wilson, Chief Executive of SKP and Andy Rowland from London & Quadrant, one of the leading development partners on the regeneration project. The South Kilburn Partnership programme was born out of the South Kilburn New Deal for Communities. In 2000 £56 million came to South Kilburn for socio-economic regeneration. £20 million of this funding pot was set aside for housing. This is the NDC’s final year and the South Kilburn Neighbourhood Trust will lead the succession strategy and continue to carry the masterplan forward.

After a lively discussion amongst the group, we toured the area. Construction of the first phase of the masterplan is well underway. Continual community engagement has produced a close bond between the contractors and the local residents and the disruption to the residents is aimed to be kept to a minimum during development.

The existing over engineered Carlton Vale roundabout on the boundary of the masterplan area, bordering Brent and Westminster will be innovatively redeveloped for housing by London & Quadrant as an ‘early win’. The proposal will realise the high land value of one of the sites within the NDC area. Underground combined heat and power located beneath a local pocket park is proposed on the site of an existing housing block. We learnt that Alison Brooks Architects have been secured to design 45 mixed tenure flats on the site of the existing Ely Court. Alison Brooks won the Stirling Prize in 2008 for the Accordia development in Cambridge.

The Partnership has also learnt from their mistakes. A relocation of a new pocket park currently located behind the award winning Granville homes by Levitt Bernstein is proposed because attracts anti social behaviour due not being overlooked by the new homes. More community infrastructure is proposed in the later phases of the project to transform the regeneration area into a vibrant community and to ‘put the heart’ back into the area.

Shelley Browne
LB Waltham Forest

Olympic sights from a rising star

An overcast September afternoon saw about 10 rising stars from across London arrive at the Stratford Olympic Site in Newham. Armed with two forms of identification (strict security controls!), we boarded the designated bus and were whisked away towards the Olympic site. Our guide was Delia Beddis form the Olympic Park Legacy Company, the public sector organisation responsible for the long-term planning, development, management and maintenance of the Olympic Park and its facilities after the London 2012 Games).

Those lucky enough to get a window seat were rewarded with panoramic views of Maryland and Leyton as we made our way to the Northern entrance of the Olympic Park near Eastway. The cascading of investment has just started to make a mark in some of these areas. Aside from the Olympics, Stratford is undergoing immense development at Stratford City, which together with surrounding development will create 2.9 million sq ft retail and leisure space, 1.3 million sq ft hotel space, a large 6.6 million sq ft commercial district (up to 30,000 jobs), and 16,400 new homes, and the scale of building work was evident.

Within the Park, venues and facilities have risen, however the Olympic site is still as much a building site as last time I was here (6 months ago!), there are still more venues to come, lots of infrastructure and much fitting out to be completed. Nevertheless, for those who recall the dodgy ‘markets’, long vacant dog track and bus depots of Waterden Road, or the fridge mountain of Carpenter’s Road and the ‘marginal’ businesses of Marshgate Lane, these organic uses have been swept away. In their place is an 80,000 seat athletics stadium, the residential blocks of the Olympic Village (for 15,000 athletes), the shell of the Aquatics centre, with a huge temporary banking for 17,500 seats, the steel structure of the Velodrome (6000 seats), the concrete columns of the Handball Arena (7000 seats), a large tin shed to house the IBC/MPC (Broadcasting and Press facilities) and a multi-storey car park. Oh yes, and early structures of what will become temporary venues for Hockey (15,000) and Basketball (12,000).

An encouraging sight was the effort being put in to try and make best use of the waterways that permeate the site, integrating these into the wider environment. In some places both hard and soft landscaping was already in place and is being vigorously protected. This should mature well by Games time and subsequently for any legacy. On our way out of the site, at a southern exit, evidence of further non-Olympic investment was clear, in the shape of multiple high rise residential developments either side of High St and a Porsche dealership – surely a sign of increasing prosperity for the area?

After the site visit we were whisked away for a spot of tea at the Olympic Park Legacy Company in West Ham. Dr Simon Bell, Delia and her colleague from Convergence (a partnership of the five host boroughs), provided us with some interesting background information on the Stratford Olympic site and an overview of the challenges of delivering a lasting Olympic Legacy. The afternoon ended with Q&A’s and prep for the Sustainable Communities Master class, which is underway next week. Overall it was a very interesting informative afternoon and I look forward to future site visits.

Gabriella Richard
TfL

Rising Stars 2 launch

Round 2 of the Rising Stars programme kicked off with a vibrant evening of networking and debate at the RICS on Tuesday. Mentors and Round 1 participants welcomed eleven new faces and invited them to use the programme to pool their expertise and develop into Uber Urbanists.

The event was introduced on behalf of the RICS by community based regeneration expert Stephen Hill, who explained the action learning philosophy of the programme to build knowledge and capabilities – highlighting the need in times of uncertainity and austerity to draw on the tricks of the trade of regeneration practitioners with delivery experience from previous challenging economic eras.

The pearls of wisdom from mentors Seema Manchanda and Nigel Goodall were well received by the audience with diverse backgrounds across planning, economic development, housing and transport. But it was Rising Stars Round 1 candidate Nnenna Urum Eke who sang the praises of the initiative and urged the new intake to take full advantage of the opportunity to explore the interrelationships between regeneration disciplines, to build their network and to challenge each other.

Following debate about the challenges for the regeneration sector and the scope for creative public private collaboration to unlock regeneration opportunities, the discussion continued over drinks. The energy and enthusiasm for the Rising Stars programme from mentors and candidates alike provided a glimpse of the potential that might be unlocked between the site visit to the Olympic Park on 24 September and completion of the programme.

Liz Willis
LB Greenwich

Sustainable legacies

On Friday, 17th of September the first group of Rising Stars were treated to an informative tour of the Olympic Park site by Delia Beddis from the Olympic Legacy Company and a thought provoking discussion by Dr Simon Bell, whom will be leading the much anticipated Sustainability Masterclass in October.

We viewed the construction progress of the amazing facilities that are being provided in the Olympic Park for when the spot light is on the East End during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012; however the real focus for the tour was around the ‘legacy’ regeneration opportunities that the park presents.

A strong ‘sustainable’ theme resounded through the discussions on legacy opportunities and the importance for these opportunities to transform into sustainable communities for the host Boroughs both individually and collectively post 2012.

This appreciation set the scene for our Sustainability Masterclass where we will learn through discussion and exchange of ideas on the 2012 Olympic Case Study:

• What is/are the communities?
• What is sustainability?
• How will we know when we have achieved sustainable communities in the future?


Brodie McKean

LB Hackney