Issue 01
Lambeth
Eat Drink Work
Startup, big business and serial entrepreneurs seek out Lambeth
Cultural, creative, commercial
Spring 2017
WATERLOO SUNSET Tech enterprise and major developments
SNACK OR FEASTING From street food to Hix and Hirst’s Pharmacy2
RIVER SIDE Emergence of destination Vauxhall
www.stjames.co.uk Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies
Creating great places in Lambeth St James, a member of the Berkeley Group of companies, is proud to be part of Lambeth. Our head office is located in Vauxhall and we are building three major developments on Albert Embankment.We welcome the community and we value our ongoing partnership with the local businesses. Together, our developments on Albert Embankment will generate 486 new homes, 0.8 acres of public open space, 38,397 sq ft of commercial space and £32 million in Section 106 contributions, to be invested in the local community. This delivers 174 affordable homes across Albert Embankment, as well as family council homes at St Oswald’s Place. Although our aim is to create fantastic homes in amazing places, we are just as committed to taking an active role in the local community. Our school education programme in Lambeth has hosted 19 work placements and 100 students on site visits, while the developments on Albert Embankment have created over 500 new jobs. Through the Berkeley Foundation, we lend support to charities. In partnership with Lambeth Council, St James is creating exceptional new facilities at Vauxhall City Farm, which is one of our designated charities. We welcome the opportunity to work with local businesses. If you would like to work with us please contact: Rachel Hall 020 7840 6350. Rachel.hall@stjames.co.uk
developing a great britain
DOWNING – DEVELOPING A GREAT BRITAIN developing a great britain
Proud supporters of the London Borough of Lambeth For over three decades, Downing has steadily built its education portfolio creating inspirational student accommodation and facilities. With £1 billion of developments successfully completed, Downing is now significantly expanding its presence across the UK and is delivering in excess of £700m new landmark schemes in the UK’s most prestigious cities. This commitment to quality and innovation is one we share with the London Borough of Lambeth and we’re proud to be investing in Lambeth.
HOLBROOK HOUSE North Acton, Ealing, W3 This landmark 24 storey Ealing development blends contemporary, sustainable student accommodation and retail in the heart of West London, within the Old Oak & Park Royal Opportunity Area. Responding to ambitions for the area, the building’s striking design features glass cladding that forms a rich pattern, designed to complement the surroundings and act as a local landmark. Designed by award-winning architects SimpsonHaugh and Partners, the site houses 498 student bedrooms.
0151 707 2666 | www.downing.com
| www.downingstudents.com
ATLAS Vauxhall, Lambeth, SW8 With a 25 metre swimming pool and a 32nd floor roof garden overlooking London’s vibrant skyline, the Atlas development is a striking addition to Downing’s student accommodation portfolio. The development will transform a vacant brownfield site in the heart of Vauxhall and Nine Elms in Zone One once completed in 2018. Designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects, Feilden Clegg Bradley, the building houses 570 student bedrooms, alongside a public leisure centre, which is accessible to the local community.
LAMBETH ROAD Lambeth, SE1 Situated in the heart of Lambeth’s historic Palace Conservation Area in Zone One, our Lambeth Road scheme gives residents fantastic views over the Houses of Parliament and Archbishops Park. Its student residents are able to make the most of their prime city centre location, while enjoying the benefits of enviable outside spaces, which include a courtyard, outdoor terrace, and garden area. The development is located close to London’s leading higher education institutions and provides high-quality, sustainable, accessible studio accommodation for 133 student residents together with a new office facility.
PROUD TO BE INVESTING IN LAMBETH A SELECTION OF OUR CURRENT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
STREATHAM HILL, SW2
CANADA WATER, SE16
CALEDONIAN ROAD, N7
BERMONDSEY, SE1
NEW KINGS ROAD, SW6
STAINES UPON THAMES, TW18
ISLEWORTH, TW7
London Square focuses on prime locations with good transport links – places where people want to live. In the London Borough of Lambeth, we are creating a new landmark development of studios, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, set to be the hottest new address in SW2. London Square Streatham Hill incorporates the Art Deco façade of a former cinema, with its private landscaped courtyard gardens, concierge service and residents’ gym, is a tranquil oasis on the busy high street. Residents have some excellent transport connections nearby: it is only 50 metres to Streatham Hill station. With a £2 billion development pipeline, we are on target to dominate the London market, building 1,000 homes a year, ranging from homes for first-time buyers, to cool city apartments, smart family homes, grand restorations and conversions. Each scheme is bespoke, combining inspiring architecture, clever design and specification, and the highest standards of energy efficiency. For more information on our portfolio or to join our award winning team, please contact us. CALL 01895 627333 OR VISIT WWW.LONDONSQUARE.CO.UK
www.londonsquare.co.uk Computer generated images depict London Square Streatham Hill, London Square Canada Water, London Square Caledonian Road, London Square Bermondsey, London Square New Kings Road, London Square Staines upon Thames, London Square Isleworth and are indicative only. Travel times sourced from google maps. Details are correct at time of going to press – February 2017.
contents
Lambeth 08
39
News
Projects
David Bowie is remembered, and the Northern line extension has begun
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Residential inside gaswork frames, and new railway retail destinations are taking shape
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46
Brixton
Creative companies are flooding in, while mixed-use development reaches a high
Waterloo
Health, digital and startup companies are finding a home near the transport hub
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Vauxhall
From Nine Elms to its gyratory, the area is to benefit from a multimillion pound makeover
Connectivity
With 23 stations, Lambeth still plans to improve its infrastructure
Lambeth borough in numbers 54 Leisure is a growing sector, with new eateries opening, and the hotel market taking off 58
Sitematch
36
From north to south, the latest schemes are plotted throughout the borough
Editorial director Siobhán Crozier Editor Noella Pio Kivlehan Assistant editor James Wood News and digital editor Marco Cillario Production manager Christopher Hazeldine Design Kate Monument Business development director Paul Gussar Project manager Sue Mapara Subscriptions manager Simon Maxwell Managing director Toby Fox
Markets
Food and drink
32
Map
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Investment sought for the 1980s-built International House
54
Cover image: Damien Hirst and Mark Hix provided by Prudence Cuming Associates © 2H Restaurant Images: Camille Mack, The Cut, Brian Duffy, This Ain’t Rock and Roll, Squire + Partners, © Transport for London, Network Rail, Lambeth Council, Sharron Wallace Photography, Ungry Young Man – flickr.com/markusunger, TEDx Brixton, Champion Agency, Vauxwall Climbing Centre, David Windmill, Mount Anvil / Keybridge, Prudence Cuming Associates © 2H Restaurant, Aurelien Guichard – flickr.com/aguichard, Distillated – flickr.com/distillated, Andy Barker, Metropolitan Workshop, Peter Matthews, James Barrett / Alamy Stock Photo, Rachel Cherry, Matt Clayton Printed by Park Communications. Published by 3Fox International, Sunley House, Bedford Park, Croydon CR0 2AP W 3foxinternational.com Subscriptions & feedback: lambethmagazine.com © 2017 3Fox International Limited. All material is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the written permission of 3Fox International Ltd is strictly forbidden. The greatest care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information in this magazine at time of going to press, but we accept no responsibility for omissions or errors. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of 3Fox International Ltd.
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An old favourite gets a new look, and extra retail planned for Waterloo
NEWS Waterloo Leake Street arches get first new tenants
Brixton Bowie memorial launched Fans and international media gathered at the David Bowie mural in Brixton in January to mark the first anniversary of his death. The musician died on 10 January 2016, two days after his 69th birthday. The mural, on the side of Morley’s department store, in Tunstall Road, was originally unveiled in June 2013. There is currently a crowdfunding campaign,
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LEISURE LEADS T H E WAY I N T H E A RC H E S
launched in February, to create a permanent memorial to the singer in Brixton, his place of birth, based on the lightning flash from his Aladdin Sane album cover. Designed by This Ain’t Rock’n’Roll, the founders hope to raise £900,000 for the threestorey steel construction, to be located at Tunstall Road, opposite Brixton Underground and five streets from the singer’s birthplace on Stansfield Road.
A pub, a music venue and a dining music and food experience outlet are the first three tenants signed to London and Continental Railways’ (LCR) 2,160sq m Leake Street Arches retail scheme below Waterloo station. The first of the flagship operators is chain craft beer pub The Italian Job. It will be its first central London venue. The second is music venue Aures. With 175 seats, Aures claims to be the UK’s first custom-built acoustic event space. Squint Opera, the operator of the Doodle Bar in Bermondsey, will also take a unit, for what it describes as “a collaboration between London’s most exciting chefs, artists, musicians and producers”. LCR is also close to signing a French bistro, which hopes to launch its first London restaurant at the scheme when it opens in the summer. “It’s exciting to contribute to the regeneration of the area by opening up unused spaces,” said Duko Frankhuizen, development manager at LCR. The arches were formerly home to a bonded whisky warehouse and are located next to London’s largest legal graffiti wall in the Leake Street Tunnel. The Vaults Theatre, and music and skate venue House of Vans were the first to use the devoid space. The arches are part of the wider 12,540sq m redevelopment of the former Eurostar platforms at Waterloo by LCR, the Department for Transport and Network Rail.
LAMBETH LAUDS DIGITAL SECTORS In December, Lambeth launched its latest initiative to stimulate inclusive economic growth. The council’s Investment & Growth team, together with South Bank BID, commissioned the development of a study and growth strategy for fast growing Lambeth’s creative and digital tech economy opportunity in these sectors and how best to support them.
DAV I D B OW I E
1947-2016
SALE OF ELIZABETH HOUSE
Brixton Old favourite revamped Another part of Brixton’s famous history is being restored and will be ready for business in May. An annex next to Bon Marche store, which was first opened in 1877 and is credited with being the UK’s first purpose built department store, is being refurbished by architect firm Squire and Partners. Based on Ferndale Road, the practice plans to use most of the site as its new studios: it will move from current location Kings Cross
London & Regional and Chelsfield are considering selling a stake in their £1.3 billion Elizabeth House project next to Waterloo station. The project will be an office-led 130,000sq m development known as One Waterloo. And the site at 39 York Road is expected to be valued by potential investors up to £300 million. The scheme has planning permission for two main buildings, one of 29 and 14 storeys and the other of 11 storeys. Proposals also include 142 flats.
Nine Elms Next phase of line extension started The Northern line extension scheme took a step closer to completion just before Christmas. Piling works forming the foundations of the new Nine Elms station were completed, the equipment removed. The scheme is extending the Northern line to Battersea, and regeneration in the area will support 25,000 new jobs and more than 20,000 new homes. Two new stations are being built at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station and will complete in 2020.
to Brixton in May, bringing over 200 new jobs. The scheme will also include an independent bar or restaurant that will be owned by Squire and Partners, alongside further local creative businesses. This space is part of a wider development. It now houses leading small batch roaster Volcano Coffee and the Brixton Post Office in the refurbished former Fire Station and Stables that form part of the scheme.
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DI S U S E D P L AT F OR M S 2 0 - 2 4 S E T TO R E OP E N
25 YEARS OF SUCCESS
Shopping bonanza for Waterloo agreed
Last year, South Bank Employers Group (SBEG) celebrated 25 years. The partnership of 18 major organisations in South Bank, Waterloo and Blackfrairs, including ITV and King’s College London, is credited with transforming the area into one of London’s most vibrant destinations.
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A London retail and leisure destination is set to be created at Waterloo station. In November, Lambeth Council approved plans by London and Continental Railways (LCR), backed by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Network Rail, to bring the former Eurostar terminal back into use as a shopping and eating attraction after almost a decade standing derelict. The redevelopment will create 12,540sq m of independent, high street and food stores, across three floors, and a mezzanine level. Several western entrances will also be built to accommodate anticipated growth in passenger numbers on the routes serving
the station in the next few decades. The space is under the existing five former Eurostar platforms - 20 to 24, which are being worked on to bring into full use for commuter trains. Around 100 million passengers a year pass through the main railway station. LCR, DfT and Network Rail intend the retail offer at Waterloo station to match the quality of St Pancras International and Birmingham New Street stations, in providing modern retail facilities for commuters and the South Bank and Lambeth communities. The development is also set to create up to 700 new jobs when it is completed and will provide links to Leake Street and Lower Marsh.
Nic Durston, chief executive of SBEG, said: “It is a real success story in showing what businesses and employers can achieve through collaboration, commitment and innovation.”
* For the full interview with Nic Durston, go to Lambethmagazine.com
MOUNT ANVIL AND PARTNERS: DELIVERING OUTSTANDING LONDON COMMUNITIES Proudly supporting London Borough of Lambeth’s regeneration
LEXICON
KEYBRIDGE
A Mount Anvil and Affinity Sutton joint venture.
A Mount Anvil and FABRICA by A2Dominion joint venture.
“ Your Islington and Shoreditch schemes are inspirational, and taught me a lot about the culture and values of your organisation.”
“ We have been extremely impressed by Mount Anvil… capability, along with their values-led approach, makes them exactly the type of partner that we want to work with.”
ISLINGTON , EC 1
David Lunts, Greater London Authority
This year, we celebrate 25 years of building homes and communities across London through partnership. 5 years. 6 partners. 15 schemes.
THE EAGLE
VAUXHALL, SW8
OLD STREET, EC 1
Graeme Craig, Commercial Development Director, TfL
DOLLAR BAY ISLE OF DOGS , E 14
A Mount Anvil and Citystyle Homes joint venture.
“Our experience of working with Mount Anvil confirms their reputation for design excellence. They are hugely committed to leaving a positive legacy.” Sir Terry Farrell CBE RIBA, Farrells
Developer of the Year (up to 1,000 homes) Winner
“Mount Anvil understands what it means to be a partner. Open, collaborative, hard working. We look forward to our next joint venture with them.” Mick Sweeney, Group Chief Executive, One Housing Group
Located on the doorstep of Waterloo Station and facing one of the station’s main entrances, Bourne Capital’s Waterloo Estate dominates an entire island block on Waterloo Road comprising six office buildings and a significant retail parade. In 2016, Bourne capital embarked on a major refurbishment of the Waterloo Estate. In conjunction with the revamp, Bourne Capital rebranded it’s serviced office business as Local London.
Bourne Capital 020 7960 4141 www.bournecapital.com
Local London provides creative and inspiring workspaces. From on-demand meeting rooms to large private offices we can accommodate your business. With over 130,000 sq ft, Local London offers the largest collection of flexible office spaces in a single location in Central London. All of our buildings have been designed to cultivate productivity and growth and to make the work place more enjoyable. We look forward to welcoming tenants to our new facilities.
For all leasing enquires please contact
Local London 020 7313 4197 info@local-london.co.uk www.local-london.co.uk
Words by NOE L L A P IO KIVLEHAN
Brixton ENTERPRISE
Another Brixton the wall Building on its central London transport connections, Brixton has become one of the capital’s latest hotspots for developers and businesses. But at what cost to the existing local population, and what do those who are based there, or are set to move in, really think of the area?
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Left: The proposed David Bowie memorial at Stansfield Road. Above: The famous Electric Avenue sign, home to the UK’s first street market lit by electric lights.
t was two pop stars who threw Brixton into the media spotlight in 2016. The untimely death in January 2016 of lauded music genius David Bowie, brought international journalists flocking to his birthplace. Their destination was to photograph a mural of the singer on Turnstall Road that quickly became a shrine for mourning fans: a permanent memorial based on his Aladdin Sane lightning bolt album cover was launched last month. Then in October, and just across the road from the Bowie mural, reggae pop singer Eddie Grant was invited to turn on the lights in Brixton’s famous market on Electric Avenue following a £1 million refurbishment. Grant immortalised the street – the first market to have electric lights – in his 1981 hit song. While musicians grabbed headlines, Brixton’s attraction to other groups has become very clear. Over the last few years, residential developers, businesses and people realising the area’s potential, have amassed there. Brixton’s connectivity to central London through the underground, buses, roads and overland trains is just one of its draws. The creative and digital industries are making one of the biggest impacts, with many startups housed in Pop Brixton – the temporary shipping container village opened in 2015 (see panel on page 17). And Brixton’s popularity is only set to grow. Over the next 20 years, according to Lambeth Council, 40,000 new jobs and office spaces, and 32,000 homes are planned for the borough. Waterloo and Brixton alone will provide 14,000 new homes over the next 15 years. With this phenomenal development and influx of new ‘affluent’ residents, existing residents are worried about what they see as the gentrification of the area. Rising rents have seen locals claiming Brixton has become unaffordable: figures from property 15
Lambeth
Above: Brixton’s famous street market on Electric Avenue. Above right: Singer Eddie Grant, who switched on the lights in the street following major public realm refurbishment.
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website, Zoopla, show Brixton property prices rising by 76% in the last 10 years. Richard Kalmar, of Kalmars estate agency, says: “There is always a risk of [local residents and existing businesses] being priced out when an area becomes more popular. However, Brixton still benefits from a great tenant mix, which comprises an abundance of independent local businesses. Local businesses really do contribute to the success of the area and are a key driver in attracting consumers and visitors.” The change in Brixton is nothing new, says Michael Davis, head of London Unlimited at global financial and professional services firm, JLL. “Brixton has always been considered a creative cluster, originally focused on music and the arts in the 70s and 80s. More recently, the revival of Brixton Village Market has repurposed the market area and given birth to a number of popular food and beverage brands, which trade well and attract visitors from across London.” And it would be a mistake to think existing businesses aren’t also succeeding from the influx and attraction of the area. For instance, the famed Ritzy independent picture house, one of south London’s oldest, having opened in 1911, has been substantially refurbished and now attracts an affluent day crowd to its trendy frontof-house cafe/restaurant. Then there is the revered grandmother of Brixton’s retail scene, department store Morley’s of Brixton, trading since 1880. It sits very happily with the relatively new
retail incomers – H&M, New Look and Marks & Spencer – to such an extent that Morley’s store manager, Rai Holdsworth would actually welcome more retailers into the area (see panel on page 18). JLL’s Davis warns, however, that the attractiveness of Brixton could be its undoing, specifically in terms of office space. “Brixton is mainly formed of lowrise buildings with only a handful of buildings offering meaningful amounts of space. “We have witnessed a number of requirements for companies who would contemplate a move to Brixton (and/or
Lambeth Left: Pop Brixton, designed by Carl Turner Architects, is a temporary pop-up community development set to last until 2018.
Pop Brixton Opened in May 2015, Pop Brixton is an independent, community for startups and entrepreneurs. Using old shipping containers as space, the project is housed on disused land by Brixton Station, and will operate until 2018. Currently there are 225 businesses, made up of digital startups, street food traders, community projects, independent retailers and communal areas. The project is more ambitious than originally planned and has more
food and drink places, admits its designer, architect Carl Turner. “This was in response to the large amount of local people who came forward wanting space for those types of business, really building on Brixton’s reputation for hospitality and fun. In many respects the visitor numbers have greatly exceeded our expectations from the outset. We think Brixtonites have taken the space to heart,” he says. Turner says the project, built on what he calls a slightly forgotten corner of Brixton, creates a sense of place with around 15,000 people per week visiting the site during peak times. Also, the temporary development, which has 400 people working at the site, is having a strong beneficial effect on the surrounding area. “It pulls more people through Brixton market, creating more exciting spaces, and encourages more people to visit Brixton to enjoy the vibe. “By adding life and activity to what was an inhospitable part of Brixton, it has undoubtedly made the neighbouring streets feel safer especially after dark. Our spaces are targeted at local people and we hope we have made a real difference especially to young entrepreneurs who are now realising their dreams at Pop.”
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On the ground With the rapidly changing face of Brixton’s residents and commercial businesses, how do those who live and work in the area view the shift in demographics? And from the newcomers, why are they moving in?
Peckham), but there simply isn’t enough of the right kind of space. That is changing, as more schemes have been granted planning permission. Examples include Lambeth Council and Igloo’s £100 million development on Somerleyton Road that will house the Ovalhouse theatre, office and retail space. The council is also developing plans for around 7,000sq m of office space as part of its Brixton Central regeneration project. Despite all that is happening in Brixton, Scott Leonard, founder and artistic director of The Champion Agency, a media company based in Brixton for three years, believes “many things are missing from Brixton”. But, he adds: “It’s important they remain missing. Few places can boast the number of independent businesses, and we hope they remain.” Leonard concludes: “Failure will be a homogenised high street that is not diverse, nor vibrant in any capacity. Brixton was once dangerous, now it’s a destination with the second highest tube footfall to Oxford Circus – people come here to experience something different. One of the People’s Posters quoted – ‘The monoculture will be resisted’, it’s all our responsibility to make sure it never happens.” 18
Above: The Brixton Pound exhibit on the Brixton Design Trail with artist group This Ain’t Rock and Roll.
The retailer
Rai Holdstock, store manager, Morleys of Brixton Celebrating 137 years trading in Brixton, and 90 years under its present ownership, department store Morleys has seen a lot of changes. Although current store manager, Holdstock, has only been at the Brixton branch for 18 months – there are eight stores in the chain – he has already got to grips with the psyche of his customers and the culture of the area. And this has shone out through the stores changing fashion and make-up lines. “I have noticed the growth of our evening economy. Traditionally it was centred around pubs, clubs and restaurants, but the Brixton Village has done a lot to bring people in and we are getting the benefit.” For instance, in 2015 the store closed at 7pm, today it is 8pm. Holdstock is also noticing what he calls “an entirely different and increasing number of customers in their 20s and 30s coming in to the store. “Our fashion side has grown and our young demographic has grown in particular. The likes of fashion retailers Topshop and Miss Selfridge are very vibrant and are attracting the younger customer.”
Lambeth
The soonto-relocate
Local business owner
Binki Taylor, Brixton Design Trail (BDT), member of Brixton BID (Business Improvement District), chair of the Brixton Pound – the town’s currency – and owner of SNUGG bar and kitchen in Brixton Village. At the heart of Brixton’s identity is creativity. And Taylor wanted to build a platform to showcase individual work by Brixtonians. As a result, Brixton Design Trail was launched in 2014. BDT, where Taylor is co-producer, coach and creative consultant, holds workshops, family exhibitions, and houses Brixton Youth Design Trail. “We were six people in a room saying: ‘We know we have a lot of creative individuals, but no shape to the creative community.’ So, BDT was born,” says Taylor. Building on its success, BDT was launched as London Design Festival’s newest Design District in 2016, working with the local community and wider design world with installations, exhibitions and events. “Our plan is to keep on growing. 2016 was our first proper year and there’s pressure on us to do more, and do it better. There’s no limitation on it at the moment.” Taylor says the Brixton Pound (B£), a local currency working alongside sterling, community lottery, grassroots funder and a pay-what-youfeel cafe, was designed to support Brixton businesses and encourage local trade and production. Set up in 2009 around 250 businesses accept the paper B£ and 200 have pay-by-text.
Squire & Partners, architects
The social entrepreneur Scott Leonard is founder and creative director of the Champion Agency, which is based in the Piano House. Launched in 2012, the Champion Agency is described by Leonard, as “the UK’s only social enterprise and creative agency that champions young creative talent”. Given its philosophy, the burgeoning Brixton creative scene was the ideal place to base the growing business that initially started off north-east of the river in another (then new) creative hub, Shoreditch.
Leonard says: “We knew about the Piano House through mentoring on the Google Digital Experts programme through Livity. We saw and instantly signed up to the co-working space.” And Leonard adds the co-working element of the building “offers us exposure to a range of businesses of similar stature and ambition”. As for Brixton itself, Leonard, speaking about his 12-strong staff, says: We all appreciate the creativity of Brixton. There’s nowhere in London with a culture like Brixton, and we’re keen to do all we possibly can to keep it that way.”
Currently based in King’s Cross, Squire & Partners will be moving in June to a former Edwardian annex next to the Bon Marche store on Ferndale Road, called The Department Store. The practice is restoring the site where it will move into a 4,767sq m studio, more than doubling the size of its present base. The reason for the move is simple, says partner, Henry Squire: “Moving to Brixton allows us to have much more space than we could afford in King’s Cross, Shoreditch or London Bridge. “We were looking in a few different areas but essentially fell in love with The Department Store as it offered such an amazing building in which we could house everyone under one roof.” Financial aspects aside, transport links were a major factor for the company, while Brixton’s “inherent creative spirit was also a factor, and the strong sense of identity and community”, says Squire. Comparing which is better, Brixton or King’s Cross, another area to have undergone major regeneration in the last decade, Squire says the two are different because: “King’s Cross started as an industrial and transport hub:it never had the established community which makes Brixton’s history so unique.”
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CLS Holdings plc is proud to have worked with the London Borough of Lambeth for three decades. Successfully planning, delivering and managing buildings that transform the way people work & live
Our latest development, Vauxhall Square, is a striking mixed use scheme, situated just a few minutes from the existing Vauxhall transport interchange. The scheme is set to become a new commercial and community hub, providing over 3,000 jobs.
Spring Mews
Comprising two Grade A office buildings, 578 new homes, a 186 bedroom hotel together with retail, leisure and community facilities, all perfectly structured around a new landscaped public square. Find out more at www.vauxhallsquare.com
Vauxhall Square
www.clsholdings.com
Westminster Tower
Words by L UC Y C L A R K E
Focus VAU X H A L L
All change, please Refusing to stand still, Vauxhall is on the verge of becoming a key London destination as it plays upon its historic arches, cafes and green spaces, while boosting its housing stock, improving transport systems and providing new jobs
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Previous: Proposed changes to the Vauxhall station area. Below: Vauxwall Climbing Centre. Right: Royal Vauxhall Tavern and drag act Myra Dubois.
Vauxhall
could well be written off as one of the many tube stops Londoners jolt by on their way to work. With thousands of polished shoes, bike pedals and bus wheels turning over Vauxhall Bridge to the City each day, the district can fall victim to unfair dismissal; becoming a passing blur of rush-hour colour. But with a major regeneration project under way, a thriving arts and nightclub scene and a plethora of brick-clad pockets, rich with history and architectural acclaim, it is high time London started paying attention. With its roots dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, Vauxhall in 2017 is established as a central London destination: its art galleries, restaurants, cafes, green spaces, clubs, pubs and existing communities, all play a part in the re-emergence of a quirky riverside neighbourhood. “Over the last five years, we have achieved a phenomenal amount,” says Aseem Sheikh, chair of Vauxhall One, the Business Improvement District (BID) for Vauxhall since 2012. “We have attracted £1 million of external investment to the area, provided £150,000 of extra greening, including relocating a gold-medal 24
winning Chelsea show garden to the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, and we have set our aims high. We want to transform the public realm to create a stunning, welcoming and modern destination which does justice to Vauxhall’s rich history as a creative hotspot in the centre of London.” Lambeth and TfL are working in Partnership to invest £50 million on returning the gyratory road system in Vauxhall to two-way. The scheme features a new public square fronting the rail station and world class transport interchange, with work due to commence in 2019. Over the coming five years, Vauxhall One sees its key role as working with partners to support the changes coming forward and attracting new businesses, while protecting existing ones and
Lambeth 03
encouraging jobs for local people. Nonetheless, tall towers and corporate offices are not all that lie ahead, as changes in Vauxhall take place.
Art, nightlife and culture
In 2015, Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery opened. Nestled between the railway viaduct and council housing blocks, the gallery spans 3,700sq m and includes six exhibition spaces split over two levels. Designed by architect Caruso St John, the gallery looks like a block of luxury docklands apartments, which are in keeping with the brickwork that surrounds it. The construction of Newport Street Gallery involved the conversion of three listed buildings, built in 1913 to serve as scenery painting studios for the booming Victorian theatre industry in London’s
Above: A glimpse into the future as to how Vauxhall will look after the completion of all developments.
West End. With the addition of two new buildings, the gallery now spans half the length of the street, featuring work from artists such as Francis Bacon, Banksy, Tracey Emin and Picasso. Facing onto the railway with a giant LED panel above its entrance, the building won the 2016 RIBA Stirling Prize for the UK’s best new building. Over the next five years, Vauxhall One plans to grow the Vauxhall Gallery District, increasing the area’s reputation as a modern daytime destination. With co-sponsorship from the council, the BID plans to coordinate a programme of arts in Vauxhall under the banner Viva Vauxhall, which will involve artwork in public places, such as disused railway arches being used as pop-up galleries. In partnership with Lambeth 25
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Lambeth
It’s thriving clubbing scene and iconic LGBT+ venues, Vauxhall is a top night spot Council, Network Rail, developers and landowners, Vauxhall One has a serious focus on attracting new gallery space, eateries, creative industries and retail space. The BID, with partner Lambeth Council, also aims to increase footfall by facilitating and running pop-up events including screenplays, art installations and exercise classes. These will sit alongside existing favourites such as Kennington Lane’s independent shops, Italo Cafe in Bonnington Square, Vauxwall Climbing Centre, Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and the Tea House Theatre. Vauxhall already has a distinct character and identity, with a rich cultural history as an area of late-night entertainment and frivolity. According to London’s first night czar Amy Lamé, modern Vauxhall is an important and buzzing hotspot of pubs, gay bars, clubs and cabaret. Lamé, a US writer and broadcaster, was appointed to the job last month to reinvigorate London’s nightlife and cultural scene. “With its thriving clubbing scene and iconic LGBT+ venues, Vauxhall has really evolved as a top spot for a night out over the years,” Lamé says. “It’s close to my heart as I spend nearly every Saturday night at Duckie in the Royal Vauxhall Tavern.” Lamé had campaigned to save the iconic gay venue, which has changed ownership numerous times in the last few years. She adds: “With the night tube opening up more opportunities for the area, Vauxhall’s future is looking bright.” Keeping Vauxhall safe at night 26
has also become a top priority. Five years on from the inception of Vauxhall One, the area has a significantly improved crime rate and additional police presence. By introducing two Met Police officers and a team of street wardens who are dedicated solely to the area, focusing especially on night-time antisocial behaviour, crime rates have fallen by 30%.
Jobs, business and apprenticeships
Another of the BID’s programmes is built on identifying and leasing disused buildings to new entrepreneurs and start-up businesses. By using otherwise empty spaces to provide a work and retail environment, the group says a new lease of energy will be injected into Vauxhall’s infrastructure. Employment opportunities are multiplying in the area; once complete, the new developments in Vauxhall will provide up to 8,000 jobs. In April 2016, Mount Anvil, the Central London residential-led developer, announced its commitment to helping almost 100 young Londoners into jobs as it launched its National Skills Academy for Construction, supported by the then minister for housing and planning, Brandon Lewis. Based at Keybridge in Vauxhall, Lambeth – where Mount Anvil, in partnership with A2Dominon, is creating 441 new homes, employment space to support 500 to 1,000 jobs, and one acre (0.4ha) of new public open space – the National Skills Academy will provide almost 100 apprenticeships,
Lambeth Below: Newport Street Gallery and its Pharmacy2 bar/restaurant.
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Lambeth
work placements and work experience opportunities for young Londoners. Another 500 on-site learning opportunities for local schools and colleges will be provided to help encourage the next generation of talent into the industry. Lewis says: “Construction offers an exciting and rewarding career and we need to build a new generation of homegrown, talented, ambitious and highly skilled construction workers. That’s why we are increasing the number of young people doing apprenticeships and traineeships to ensure we have a pipeline of skilled workers.” At Albert Embankment, the developer St James, part of The Berkeley Group, which specialises in major urban regeneration schemes, has created many apprenticeships and work placements within the borough, connecting young people to opportunities in construction and development. “Through The Berkeley Foundation we have funded Outward Bound courses for local secondary school Lilian Baylis,” Sean Ellis, chairman of St James, St William and Berkeley Homes Eastern Counties says. 28
“We have fostered a long term relationship with the school and its headteacher Gary Philips, creating numerous apprenticeships and work placements for young local people.”
Homes and regeneration
Above and right: Improvements to Vauxhall City Farm are part of the major redevelopment of the Albert Embankment.
Housebuilding is well underway in the district, with over 3,500 new homes already in the pipeline, which exceeds the expectation outlined in the Mayor of London’s Opportunity Area Planning Framework (OAPF) 2012 for the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea area. Vauxhall Square forms part of this opportunity area in central London. The 139,354sq m scheme, launched by developer CLS, received planning permission in 2013 and will offer
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Lambeth
Nine Elms development will change the profile of Vauxhall and the wider areas
virtually everything from residential, offices, retail, a cinema and a new homeless hostel. Made up of seven main buildings and two pavilion structures, the development will form a new urban square, developers say, as well as a secondary community space with a children’s playground on Miles Street. Sten Mortstedt, executive chairman of CLS, says: “Our current intention is for the main site to be developed in two phases, the first of which could start in 2017 with the demolition of some existing buildings and the construction of a three-storey basement, including 17,500sq m of grade A offices and a residential tower. “We are working towards focusing on the commercial part of the scheme in which we have an established track record, and are considering a specialist partner for the development of the residential element.” Alongside the new urban square, developer St James has committed to transforming the stretch between Vauxhall and Lambeth Bridge into a waterfront community, with 433 homes, shops, cafes, restaurants,
along with a landscaped public realm. So far, over 75,000sq m of office, distribution and retail space, including space for cafes and restaurants has been approved by Lambeth Council, according to a report released in May entitled ‘Visioning Vauxhall’. The creation of the Albert Embankment Plaza – a new commercial hub for the area - aims to bring a thriving social aspect to Vauxhall by extending the South Bank’s renowned cultural scene and moving revellers up the river. St James has also pledged to deliver a total of 174 affordable homes as part of its wider regeneration project. A total of 102 affordable homes will be located on-site across three developments – Merano Residences, The Corniche and The Dumont. The developer has designated 84 affordable homes as specialist accommodation for over 55s which are designed to promote independence and active lifestyles for older people, while also offering full support where needed. “The Nine Elms development is going to transform this area of London,” Ellis says. “It will change the profile of Vauxhall and the wider areas so we have to be innovative and keep community benefits in mind at all times. People have to be at the forefront of the process.” Vauxhall City Farm, the registered charity in 1977, celebrated the opening of its brand new extension on 27 May 2016, with developer St James and Lambeth Council. The farm gives people the chance to learn about nature, biodiversity and animal care in a hands-on environment: important elements to St James. Vauxhall City Farm is part of the developer’s major regeneration of Albert Embankment, of which St Oswald’s Place forms a part. Development is due to be completed in 2017 and will have 40 residential apartments, commercial and retail space. So far St James has delivered eight new affordable family-sized homes at St Oswald’s Place alongside a new classroom, cafe and 29
Lambeth
ground floor office space for Vauxhall City Farm. The eight new affordable homes are the first to be completed as part of a 1,000 new homes pledge by Lambeth Council – a major milestone for Vauxhall’s community.
Gyratory system
Above: The Vauxhall gyratory as it is now is set for a change to turn the one-way road system to two-way roads to help improve safety.
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As London’s third busiest domestic bus station after Hammersmith and Kingston Cromwell, Vauxhall sees around 40,000 passengers board or alight every day. Public transport is key, and with 610,000 Londoners taking to the saddle daily, plans to improve safety for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike are under stringent and developing review. Working closely with Lambeth Council, TfL is proposing to return the one-way road system at Vauxhall to two-way roads, with the aim to improve pedestrian and cyclist provision and ultimately create a safer and less intimidating environment for vulnerable road users. According to TfL, the proposed changes would also help to improve connectivity throughout the area, and
create a better environment for people living, working and travelling through Vauxhall. The local government body says the junction is currently “one of the most threatening in London.” Cyclists make up almost a quarter of all rush-hour traffic through Vauxhall with 3,000 using the bridge in the morning and evening peaks. “These proposed radical changes would provide a safe and direct route to people travelling through Vauxhall on bicycle, whether they are commuting, exercising or just enjoying being on two wheels,” says Leon Daniels, TfL’s managing director of surface transport. The proposals follow an initial consultation in 2014 on the principles for the scheme and more detailed discussions followed in 2015. With 1,247 responses to the consultation, figures showed that 61% of respondents were positive towards the plans. Supportive comments included suggestions about improvements in the urban realm, pedestrian conditions, environment and cycling safety. But concerns from 31% who opposed included changes to the bus station – which was unveiled just 10 years ago – the potential for traffic congestion and inconvenience to motorists. After the second consultation, TfL is proceeding with proposals, having changed a number of elements of the scheme. Planning permission for the bus station will be submitted in 2017, while work could begin in 2019. “Vauxhall is changing,” says Sue Foster, strategic director of neighbourhoods and growth at Lambeth. “You can see that from the cranes and construction work going on. “But I know many people wonder what it will feel like in a few years, when the cranes have gone and there are thousands of new homes, new places to work, shop and eat, as well as places to visit such as new art galleries and a cinema. “The council wants to ensure people feel the benefit of the investment.”
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Travel logged Despite misconceived impressions, Lambeth has a myriad of travel network connections. And the central London borough is now set to further improve its connectivity above and under ground, while adding to its pedal-power
I
t’s a longstanding myth that south London is a neglected backwater with lousy transport links. While relatively few tube lines were historically routed south of the river, ever since the opening of the Jubilee line extension in 1999, this part of London has been a focus for major new transport infrastructure. Other new routes such as the London Overground orbital network have opened; work has begun on extending the Northern line; and other schemes, such as the Bakerloo line extension and Crossrail 2, have been proposed and are under consideration. Perhaps nowhere is the notion of an isolated south London more mythical than in Lambeth. The borough is home to the busiest railway station by passenger volume in the UK, Waterloo, and in total there are 23 stations serving 10 tube and rail lines.
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Lambeth Council hopes to improve this connectivity yet further. Top of its agenda is building a new London Overground station at Brixton. Currently, the orbital loop stops at Wandsworth Road and Clapham High Street, but passes over Brixton on a viaduct without stopping. A new station would provide an alternative route to major employment centres such as Canary Wharf and help relieve congestion in central London. One rail improvement scheme already going ahead is the Northern line extension linking Kennington to two new stations at Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station. The extension is crucial to supporting 20,000 homes and 25,000 jobs set to be created there, and means people living in Lambeth will be a key beneficiary of Nine Elms, London’s major new employment and leisure hub.
Lambeth Pictured: CS7 takes cyclists through Lambeth on its route into the city.
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Perhaps nowhere is the notion of an isolated south London more mythical than in Lambeth
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Lambeth
The Northern line, along with the Victoria and Jubilee lines, is one of three underground lines in Lambeth running Night Tube services, boosting the borough’s evening economy. Above ground, sustainable travel is another council priority. In 2013 it launched the Lambeth Cycling Strategy, stating its ambition to make the borough “the most cycle-friendly in London”. An important strategy implemented last year is a 20mph limit on all Lambeth streets to help improve road safety. CS7, a major cycle route linking Clapham to the City, was one of the first Cycle Superhighways to open in London and was last year significantly upgraded, including a new cycle-friendly junction at Stockwell. Work is now also under way on the creation of a series of Quietways for cyclists using residential streets in the capital, and one of the first seven of these due to open this year will run the length of Lambeth, from Norbury to Waterloo. Another will link Clapham to Wimbledon. The council has been working with Transport for London (TfL) for several years on the reconfiguration of Vauxhall gyratory to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists, and two public 34
consultations on designs for this work have already been staged. It is hoped work will begin in 2019, completing the upgrade in 2021. Key components of the scheme are the removal of the one-way traffic system and creation of a public square between Vauxhall underground and Vauxhall rail stations. TfL believes this would help improve connectivity, while creating a better environment. Another mode of transport serving Lambeth is the river bus, which stops alongside the London Eye in Waterloo. The service, operated by Thames Clippers, has been enjoying a boom in popularity in recent years, with passenger numbers up to record levels, and there are plans to increase capacity on boat services by 30% during 2017. Whichever way you travel, Lambeth has it covered.
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Clockwise from left: Vauxhall Gyratory, the Northern line extension drilling machine and the Brixton roundel celebrating the opening of the night tube.
Another mode of transport serving Lambeth is the river bus, which stops at the London Eye
Lambeth is a world of opportunity. For investment. For inclusive growth. Stretching into the heart of London, Lambeth is well connected and well networked. It has a skilled and creative workforce ready for growth. With a wealth of opportunities for enterprise, we work closely with investors and developers to achieve rewarding outcomes. We want benefits for business and our local communities to go hand in hand. You’ll find that Lambeth today is proactive, collaborative and inclusive. Come and talk to us. Let’s make the future happen. lambethnow.co.uk invest@lambeth.gov.uk
Lambeth map
Lambeth
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Economic development and regeneration in Lambeth, highlights of major schemes are plotted here with more detail in the following pages.
Underground & railway Railway Station Underground
Lambeth
THE SOUTHBANK 04 08 W A T E R L O O 09
02
03
01 01 Vauxhall
VAU X H A L L
Sky Gardens Nine Elms 02 Vauxhall
Vauxhall Cross CLAPHAM
03 Oval & Kennington
05
Development Area
06
04 Waterloo
BRIX TON
Imax Roundabout/ City Hub 05 Brixton
Brixton Central
06 Brixton
Brixton general
07 South Lambeth WEST NORWOOD 07 S T RE AT H A M
West Norwood 08 Waterloo
114-118 Lower Marsh and Granby Space 09 Waterloo
Waterloo Station & International Terminal
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Your New Town Hall
A mixed-use scheme being delivered by Muse Developments in partnership with Lambeth Council. Muse is Lambeth Council’s partner for a project across three sites in Brixton town centre, delivering a new 120,000 sq ft civic office and customer service centre, refurbishment of the Grade II listed town hall, public realm and new homes. The redevelopment of Town Hall Parade, Hambrook House and Olive Morris House, along with the refurbishment of Ivor House and the town hall, will deliver: A preserved and enhanced Grade II listed town
hall, more open and accessible to residents A new, energy efficient civic building with much
improved customer centre and council offices
194 new homes New retail & restaurant units A new cycle hub New landscaped public areas
www.musedevelopments.com
Words by NOE L L A P IO KIVLEHAN
Lambeth P RO J E C T S
Projects
From the top of the borough to the bottom, developments in Lambeth cover multimillion projects, to smaller community schemes, with all making an impact on locals lives
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Lambeth 01
02
Vauxhall
Vauxhall
Sky Gardens Nine Elms
Vauxhall Cross
Sky Gardens, which is part of the Vauxhall-Nine ElmsBattersea regeneration area in London is soon to be nearing completion. The 35-storey tower was developed by Frasers Property Group and designed by Amin Taha & Carey Jones. Future occupiers of the 196 residential apartments and commercial space will be connected to the rest of London by two new tube stations: Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station. Extensions on the Northern line are due for completion in 2020. Influential neighbours will include the New London American Embassy and Battersea Power Station. The one and two-bed apartments are designed by international firm, Yoo. Those on the higher floors start from £750,000 and £1,100,000. The communal gardens, on the eighth and 35th floors are designed by Gillespies. Services include a 24-hour concierge and gym. Office investment units start from 116sq m from the first floor to the seventh. A low-rise eight-storey building providing affordable space is also part of Sky Gardens. The scheme is marketed by Strawberry Star.
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The huge gyratory road system that currently dominates Vauxhall is to be completely revised, and is designed to transform the area into a new town centre. The busy interchange around the tube and train stations will become more conducive to consumers and businesses; new shops, bars and eateries have been moving to Vauxhall in recent years, sitting alongside existing outlets. With thousands of people working in the area and additional homes being built, there is the potential for a new town centre to be established in the emerging high street. All this change will be underpinned by transformation of the road system. As part of the major regeneration around Vauxhall and Nine Elms, Lambeth Council and Transport for London are working together to turn the Vauxhall Cross gyratory into a civic space at the heart of a more connected town centre. This will provide improved accessibility and connectivity between the river bus, rail, underground and local bus services. It will make the area easier to navigate and safer for workers, residents and visitors, particularly for those walking or cycling. Plans will also be submitted this year for a new bus station and public spaces, with an aim to start construction in 2019, completing in 2021.
01 03
02
Lambeth 03 Oval & Kennington
Development Area Berkeley Group, working with Lambeth Council, has been consulting the local community over plans to allow mixed-use development of the Oval Gas Works and 16 surrounding parcels. The gasworks are at the heart of the five-hectare masterplan area and were its catalyst following Scotia Gas Networks announcing in 2013 it would be decommissioning the site. The gas holders are disused following the Oval Gas Works decommissioning in 2014: nearly 70% of the gasworks site is occupied by the gas holders and is not suitable for any other use. The Oval and Kennington Development Area (OAKDA) draft masterplan, aims to reclaim a large brownfield site and integrate it back into the Kennington and Oval neighbourhoods. Situated between two other Lambeth opportunity areas: The Vauxhall Nine Elms Battersea Opportunity Area
04
to the west and Waterloo to the north, OAKDA will feature 1,250 apartments of mixed sizes, with plans to include affordable units. The commercial aspect of the scheme has the potential to support up to 1,430 jobs. Almost one hectare of new public space will include two new public squares: Gas Holder Place and The Lime Grove, as well as tree-lined streets and landscapes. The Grade II-listed gas holder will be preserved, with a new residential building built inside its frame. Plans include space for community use, such as a library, sports hall, health centre or dentist. Routes and space prioritise pedestrians, followed by cyclists, with allowance for essential vehicles. Retail is proposed along Kennington Lane and Cutler’s Way to support Kennington Cross and Vauxhall. A new food store will replace the existing store. The OAKDA also included the Beefeater gin distillery, which will remain untouched by development. The council spokesperson said this is “dependent on planning approval and de-designation of the Key Industrial Business Area status”.
04 Waterloo
Imax Roundabout/ City Hub Transport for London (TfL), working with Lambeth Council, is developing proposals for the peninsularisation of the iconic IMAX cinema at the confluence of Waterloo Bridge and Waterloo Road – close to Waterloo Station, the UK’s busiest rail hub. Following the peninsularisation of the Elephant and Castle gyratory, emerging plans propose to envelope the cinema with new swathes of public realm, transforming the exit from Waterloo station and giving right-of-way to pedestrians and cyclists. Severance between the station and South Bank and the Thames look set to be greatly improved, giving a boost to business. The £25 million ‘Better Junctions’ scheme has now been adopted into TfL’s business plan – bringing greater certainty on its deliverability. The project may get under way as soon as 2019 and is due to complete by 2022. Before that, a detailed consultation will seek feedback from key local stakeholders, including landowners, businesses and residents. The scheme will boost the area’s development, with South Bank Place (formerly Shell Centre) currently under construction and the nearby Elizabeth House, by Waterloo station, one step closer to redevelopment, with owners Chelsfield and London & Regional on the verge of a deal with new investors.
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Lambeth
05 Brixton
Brixton Central Two major landowners, Lambeth Council and Network Rail, have been working on long-term plans for the area that takes in several of Brixton’s major landmarks: the former ice rink, the train station, Brixton Station Road, and the land in between Valentia Place. Collectively called Brixton Central, engineering firm AECOM, and Fluid Architects, have drawn up the masterplan. Part of the site is currently home to the temporary sea container village, Pop Brixton, which opened to the public in 2015. Pop Brixton houses a mix of businesses, affordable workspaces, innovation and community schemes, along with food and drink and retail outlets. Implementation of the masterplan would cost around £350 million. Proposals include over 250 new homes, 40% of which should be affordable. It is hoped these will bring in an extra £1 million annual spend into the local economy. There is also potential between Brixton Road and Pope’s Road for 6,000sq m of commercial space, which includes development above the station, on the former ice rink site and a new covered space in-between the viaducts. Improvements will also be made to public spaces along Pope’s Road and on Brixton station. Meanwhile, Brixton Rec is to be refurbished and enhanced.
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07
06
07
Brixton
West Norwood & Tulse Hill
Brixton general
Masterplan
Along with Brixton Central, other areas have been identified for change and regeneration in the Brixton SPD. On Somerleyton Road, acting as its own developer, Lambeth Council is providing the land for a £300 million development that will deliver 304 new homes, with more than 120 at council rent levels, a new home for Ovalhouse theatre, community and employment space and the opportunity for the council to establish a housing co-operative. Brixton-based Zac Monro, leads the refurbishment of locally-listed Carlton Mansion giving much-needed workspace for Brixton’s creative businesses. Your New Town Hall, which is a £70 million project by Muse, that was given the go-ahead in September 2015, is for the redevelopment of Olive Morris House, Hambrook House and Ivor House, alongside construction of a new civic office building and the refurbishment of the Grade II-listed Town Hall. As a consequence of all the redevelopment, Lambeth council will be cutting the number of buildings it uses. These will go down from 14 to two, saving around £4.5 million a year. Also included in the plans are 194 new homes including 40% which have been allocated as affordable. The project is set to provide space for over 2,000 jobs in Brixton. The scheme is expected be completed in September 2018.
In 2009, a masterplan outlined details for a new leisure centre, a primary school, a refurbished or redeveloped library and additional retail. The area provides opportunities for investment – independent offer, commercial space, good transport links and a newly established BID. The masterplan sits alongside planned improvements to the public realm, with streets, pavements and open spaces to be upgraded. Plans are now becoming reality. In March 2016, planning permission was granted to build a joint library-cinema project. This includes a new four-screen Picturehouse Cinema and cafe, which is set to open in September 2017. West Norwood Health and Leisure Centre was opened on Devane Way in 2014. It includes a full-sized swimming pool, community space, with health resources including GP, as well as dental services. Improvements have been made to shop fronts, and a new fire station has been opened. Plans are in place to improve West Norwood train station and its surroundings. Meanwhile, in 2015 an updated Lambeth Local Plan designated West Norwood Commercial Area as a “key industrial and business area”. There are currently around 40 to 50 businesses in the commercial area, employing 700 people: around half of these jobs are connected to the Norwood Bus Garage.
06
Somerleyton Road will be undergoing a ÂŁ300 million development, which will provide 304 homes and a new home for Ovalhouse theatre.
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Lambeth 08
08 Waterloo
114-118 Lower Marsh and Granby Space Following the relocation and reincarnation of Waterloo Library at the nearby Oasis Centre on Kennington Road, 114-118 Lower Marsh in Waterloo has been transformed into Granby Space – an affordable office and co-working space within the area’s distinctive independent and specialist shopping area behind Waterloo Station, the UK’s busiest rail hub. Redesigned and reconfigured by IF_DO Architects and operated by Meanwhile Space Community Interest Company, Granby Space provides accessible, low-cost contemporary workspace to creative and tech-based businesses looking to grow. Performing arts company Heritage Arts was among the first to sign up in Autumn 2016. Several other businesses have also agreed to move in, including Walulel, a data-science startup developing local insightsbased app software. Sponsored by Lambeth Council, Granby Space has been set up as a meanwhile project to support enterprise and employment, while 114-118 Lower Marsh is redeveloped over the next two years. Architects Conran & Partners has been appointed to work with the council and others locally to develop designs for a mixed-use development on the site, which has a potential to provide up to 1,600sq m of new floorspace.
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09 09 Waterloo
Waterloo Station & International Terminal In order to meet passenger demand – the station has 100 million people passing through the station annually – Waterloo is undergoing a major upgrade to increase train capacity by 40%. Network Rail is creating five new platforms, extending existing platforms, building a new passenger concourse, improving commuter access and bringing the former Eurostar international terminal back into use after a 10 year hiatus. With Eurostar operating from St Pancras since 2007, London and Continental Railways, backed by the Department for Transport and approved by Lambeth Council, are transforming the station’s former international terminal into a major new
retail and leisure hub in the heart of Waterloo. This capitalises on its bus, tube, boat and cycle links and proximity to world class cultural and visitor attractions on the South Bank of the River Thames. Over 120,000sq m of new retail leisure facilities will be added to the former international terminal over three floors. This will create 700 jobs and deliver a district centre size retail offer that is likely to include major concessions, providing competition for the West End, as well as much needed facilities to resident communities. These plans will add to the economy of the Waterloo area supporting wider planned commercial and housing development.
Above: Waterloo station is set for further transformation when a new major retail hub is built on the platforms used by the former Eurostar service.
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Regeneration alliance Delivering 11,000 new council homes by 2043 takes solid relationships with effective partners
Choose life Residents choice of healthy options can begin to reduce pressure on health services
Stage play London’s theatre land moves south – academy, performance spaces and a new 900-seater
Back to our routes Transport infrastructure is changing in Southwark – getting around is easier by bike, train and tube
Learning curve The best ever results in Southwark schools – and one of the highest improving boroughs
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THE HERITAGE OF LONDON TRUST IS DELIGHTED THAT MOUNT ANVIL IS SUPPORTING THE RESTORATION OF THE THOMAS GUY STATUE. MONUMENTS LIKE THESE ARE PART OF LONDON’S FANTASTIC CULTURAL HERITAGE. MOUNT ANVIL IS A DEVELOPER WITH A REAL COMMITMENT TO MAKING LONDON A WORLD-CLASS CITY.
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Issue 5 2016
Plans are currently in place for residents’ gym. Travel times taken from TfL. Help to Buy is a Government-backed nitiative in partnership with housebuilders. Available on selected plots, subject to status, terms and conditions. Help to Buy cannot be used in conjunction with any other scheme. It is highly advised, for a swift, smooth transaction that an IFA/Solicitor advised by Redrow Homes is used. Offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other Redrow offer. CGI image is indicative only. Prices correct at time of going to press. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on a mortgage or any other debt secured on it. Check that this mortgage will meet your needs if you want to move or sell your home or you want your family to inherit it. If you are in any doubt, seek independent advice.
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LONDON’S HOTSPOT: EAST LONDON ISSUE FOUR_2014
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25 minutes to King’s Cross St. Pancras Fully integrated kitchens All apartments have private outdoor space Residents’ only gym1 and concierge service
Lyon Square is a distinctive collection of high specification homes located within walking distance from the sought after area of Harrow On The Hill, North London.
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DISCOVER 16
Building to work, Toand explore your development opportunities conserve create
Exciting plans for the west of the borough include:
ENJOY LIFE IN STYLE
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Shifting landscape
Inspiring harrow – Architecture for the future
LONDON’S HOTSPOT: EAST LONDON ISSUE FOUR_2014
Drawing on design
y contemporary g Is Set In Stone – idge is rich in nd leisure facilities e at Ilford next big opportunity connections ridge stations rack for even nnectivity
EALING IN LONDON
prising ducated
Words by DAV I D T H A M E
Workspace E M P LOY M E N T
Waterloo sunset
From statement developments to the latest in tech startups, Waterloo and its station are on track to become one of London’s most vibrant areas
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Lambeth
W
aterloo is changing fast. You only need to stand on Lower Marsh to witness the transformation. But it is changing into what? Mighty and imposing projects like the 130,000sq m office-led redevelopment of York Road’s Elizabeth House, the £800 million-plus refashioning of Waterloo station, and the £1.3 billion South Bank Place (Shell Centre), have drawn the spotlight away from smaller niche projects which point to the future. None is more evocative than the 334sq m Health Foundry. The co-working venue, which opened in September 2016 and quickly signed up nearly 40 company members, shows how Waterloo could be reborn as London’s health-tech hub. So says Health Foundry startup manager Sinead Mac Manus. The Health Foundry is a co-working space to help grow new digital solutions in health, sponsored and funded by the Guys & St Thomas’ Charity Trust, with the aim to help digital health
startups connect with the NHS and others. Offering a collaborative space, facilitating networks and other support, Health Foundry allows entrepreneurs to create mainstream digital solutions for health and care challenges – from apps that promoting healthy habits to medical tests that are a click away. Located opposite St Thomas’ Hospital, the space, which in November secured £3.5 million of European Regional Development Fund, is the first of its kind in the area but possibly not the last. Mac Manus explains: “We’re beginning to see regeneration of the area between Lower Marsh and Archbishop Park, helping to link the two together, and I hope this can be the start of a long-term ambition to create an innovation park here. That’s for the future, but today the area is already a lot livelier; it’s exciting. I hope this is the start of Waterloo’s future as a digital health hub, perhaps to match areas like Shoreditch which are established as tech hubs.” 47
Lambeth Towering ambition The 130,000sq m redevelopment of Elizabeth House, the former Department of Education offices at York Road, could be about to move forward. In December 2016, owners London & Regional and Chelsfield, disclosed they were considering bids from international property developers interested in buying the site outright, or becoming involved as partners. Ten bids received by advisers CBRE were described by a spokesman as “substantial proposals…. from cross sections of international developers.” However, there is no timetable for turning the long list into a shortlist, and no indication of when a final decision will be taken. The project, renamed One Waterloo, would complement the £800 million remodelling of Waterloo station. The site has planning permission for a 29-storey main building along with 142 apartments. Included is a new civic space, known as Victory Square, in front of the station entrance. The shape of workspace to come – the Health Foundry offers flexible spaces for digital businesses developing solutions for the NHS.
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She adds: “Through Health Foundry, we want to provide the right conditions for those with bright ideas to meet the needs of today’s people and health professionals, and to bring the NHS into the 21st century.” The Health Foundry has 40 permanent desk spaces and 20 flexible spaces, along with meeting rooms and shared space. Occupiers include digital health businesses specialising in managing appointments at GPs’ surgeries, and others allowing mental health patients to share information and thoughts with their therapists between sessions. “It’s really very varied. We’re providing a real focus for local health and digital health concerns, and the meeting rooms are now 70% occupied.” Nearby redevelopment by London Continental Railways of the Leake Street Arches helps make the changed mood visible. The arches, famously decorated by renowned graffiti artist Banksy in 2008, are being
Lambeth
Build Studios Lambeth is proving to be the birthplace of another office hub. Build Studios Waterloo is a coworking and events space for the architecture and built environment sector. Brokered and part-sponsored by Lambeth Council, Build Studios opened last October and is based at Westminster Bridge Road. It was developed by the WeAreWaterloo BID with the space provided by developer Urbanest, as part of its Section 106 commitments on a new student housing development in the Waterloo area.
transformed into 2,300sq m of new restaurants and bars. This is being carefully curated, to fit the streets urban culture. Co-working provides a theme at Health Foundry, and it is also the key to nearby Build Studios. Promoted by Lambeth Council and WeAreWaterloo, managers of the local business improvement district, Build Studios is the first co-working and events space aimed specifically at those working across the built environment. Ben Stephenson, chief executive at WeAreWaterloo, says: “Build Studios plugs a hole in the built environment sector by bringing together the most creative young businesses to work in an affordable central London setting.” The studios include 32 fixed desks, 25 hotdesking spaces, meeting rooms and support services (see panel). Waterloo has always been fast moving: how could it be otherwise? But with projects like Health Foundry and Build Studios moving fast into a new economic future.
THE COMMUNITY PAY BAC K M ODE L M I R ROR S P OP B R I X TON
Build Studios Waterloo’s director, Helen Santer, says the space is for companies in the architecture and built environment sector, and offers room for talks and seminars. For members, there is a choice of flexible or fixed desks, with access to business support services. Build Studios space is offered below market rates for members. Businesses will be required to participate in a programme to help broaden access to the sector. This includes working with local schools to raise awareness of careers in architecture and the built environment. The model mirrors spaces such as Pop Brixton, where tenants give time to support development of the space. Membership with a flexible desk is £95 per annum, plus £20 per month for one day’s access. Membership and fixed desk is £95 for an annual membership fee, £325 per month in year one, and £425 in year two going forward.
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Lambeth
Waterloo hotspots Grainger, the UK’s largest listed residential landlord, has submitted a planning application to Lambeth Council for an estate regeneration scheme of more than 200 homes close to Waterloo station. The scheme, which will include a 12-storey tower, will see the phased demolition of the OCCC estate. The Old Vic theatre will take 650sq m on the ground floor for rehearsal space. Granby Space is a new temporary creative hub – providing affordable workspace in the former home of Waterloo Library. The space opened in October 2016 providing small offices and co-working desks. Meanwhile Space and Lambeth Council are behind the project at Lower Marsh. Urbanest’s £50 million student housing scheme at Westminster Bridge Road is now complete. Designed by award-winning architects AHMM, the scheme will deliver 1,093 student bedrooms, a 60,380sq m school and 372sq m of flexible, affordable workspace for small local and startup companies – alongside a gym and swimming pool. The 490-bed Park Plaza Hotel has been created in a former government building at Hercules Road. Designs by ESA architects involved stripping the nine-storey office building back to its concrete frame and adding an extension. The operator is PPHE Hotel Group.
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Station gets moving The November 2016 approval by Lambeth Council of plans for another 12,500sq m of retail floorspace at the former Waterloo International Terminal added yet more momentum to the £800 million plans to refashion the mainline station. Passengers numbers are expected to grow by 40% in the next 30 years – meaning change can’t come too soon. The package of improvements will increase capacity and improve over half-a-million daily journeys through the station, which is both Britain’s busiest – with over 99 million passengers passing through last year – and the main transport hub for one of the busiest railways in Britain.
It is the biggest investment in London Waterloo for decades and will deliver a 30% increase in peak-time capacity by 2019. The latest plan from LCR, the Department for Transport and Network Rail will bring the former Eurostar terminal into use after almost a decade. The plans set out the construction of 12,500sq m of space for an ambitious mix of independent, high street and food stores, spread across three floors, including a new mezzanine level. The development is also set to deliver Lambeth’s largest ever shopping centre and create 700 new jobs, as well as hundreds more throughout the construction period, and to
generate significant local investment. The restoration of the Eurostar terminal will benefit the local area by creating improved links to Leake Street and Lower Marsh. The new facilities will also complement local businesses and the wider regeneration of the Southbank and West Waterloo, where LCR and the Department for Transport are bringing old railway arches back into use next to the Leake Street graffiti tunnel. Cushman & Wakefield and Union Street Partners are acting as joint leasing agents for LCR.
How to Set Up a Local Housing Company is the definitive guide on this topic and includes expert advice and guidance from specialist Mark Baigent and case studies from pioneering local authorities. Learn about good practice, governance, delivery and potential pitfalls. To receive a copy of the guide or to find out more about the next event in the series please contact Harry Seal – harry@3foxinternational.com
Lambeth
On the Horizon
Sources L A M B E T H C OU NC I L / Z O OP L A
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In terms of infrastructure, Waterloo, Westminster, Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges are all partly located within Lambeth’s boundaries. Waterloo station is the busiest in the country, serving 100 million passengers annually. The borough has key sections of the south circular passing through it, as well as the A3 and A23. There are two cycle super highways and two Quietways.
A ÂŁ36 million upgrade to the Southbank Centre 5,000+ events pa
318,000
With notable key developments under way or planned in the borough, Lambeth is set to undergo a dramatic transformation in the next decade. Here we showcase some of those major projects
Lambeth population
Lambeth
House prices, Jan 2017: Average value: £738,424 Terraced house: £208,393 Semidetached: £230,128. Overall property prices increased by 4.8% since January 2016. Affordable housing: 2197 units under construction.
Lambeth is one of seven councils making up the central London subregion. It measures seven miles north to south, and about two and a half miles east to west.
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7 minutes
new Lambeth schemes with planning permission.
By 2035 – 40,000 jobs will be created and 32,000 homes built.
Lambeth is the largest inner London borough. Approximately 132 languages are spoken: 34% of the population are from ethnic minorities - the seventh highest of all London boroughs.
to London Victoria.
Designated opportunity areas: Vauxhall and Waterloo have the greatest density of jobs and businesses. Strategic and local development opportunities in Lambeth: Waterloo, Vauxhall, Stockwell, Brixton, Clapham, Norwood and Streatham.
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green flag open spaces. 53
Words by NOE L L A P IO KIVLEHAN
Project header F O OD & DR I N K
Southern hospitality
Home to one of London’s most popular eating-out towns, Brixton, Lambeth is making a name for itself as a food-lovers’ destination as it attracts famous chefs, and exports homegrown food names. Meanwhile, the borough’s hotel market is gradually on the rise
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rom pizza to hamburgers, to Chinese and Indian cuisine, and of course, Caribbean food, Brixton has it all. With a population of more than 78,000, the town hosts around 600 food traders that include council-registered food businesses, and market traders. So many in fact that a cap on food outlets has had to be put in place in Brixton Village and Market Row. “Brixton is among the most thriving London neighbourhoods and pioneering food and beverage operators are nothing new for Brixton, which has been on the foodie radar for years,” says Jake Bernstone, retail and leisure – London Unlimited at global surveying practice, JLL. Eating out in Lambeth is not limited to Brixton, of course, as the borough boasts 2,200 culinary businesses listed with the Food Standards Agency. Among the standout names, are celebrity chef Mark Hix and artist Damien Hirst’s Pharmacy2 at the Newport Street Gallery, which opened last year – places Bernstone describes as destination eateries. “Pharmacy2 was the perfect collaboration for Damien and me, bringing together our shared passion for art and food,” says Hix. He adds: “I guess it’s a good fit for Damien given that he studied south of the River at Goldsmiths College and had studios there. For me the connection [with Lambeth] was more about the opportunity to work with Damien, but I’ve recently moved near here, so the partnership now makes even more 55
E AT E R I E S A N D BA R S A R E ON THE UP
Jamaican treat High Flying Birds It is 1pm, the lights are out and tables are empty at one-year-old Three Little Birds cafe, boutique and rum bar on Coldharbour Lane. But this is not a bad sign. It is more a statement on the uniqueness of Brixton where a lack of large businesses means the flow of people at lunchtime differs from other parts of the capital. And Three Little Birds, named after the famous Bob Marley song, is doing very nicely, thank you. So nicely in fact that owner April Jackson, a former Miss Jamaica Universe and the Apprentice star (series 11), is already on the hunt for her second site in London. Choosing Brixton for her first site, was easy for the native Jamaican given the town’s historically strong connections with the Caribbean island. “I have been lucky in
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having lots of loyal customers who come even in your slow periods during the week, as well as the people who visit Brixton because it is now a destination – weekends are lively, with people who maybe 10 years ago wouldn’t have come here.” Jackson believes the new businesses coming into the area sit well with the existing ones. She says: “Because I am a newcomer to Brixton I’m not offended by [chains] coming in to Brixton, but I do understand why it rubs people the wrong way. “As a small business owner, I look at [the chains] more positively because they have the money to market their brand, and by marketing their brands – you can piggyback off the back of that.” One effect the chains do have is that increased demand for sites pushes up rent. “Rents are crazy,” says Jackson, adding, “Obviously when you have big rents and bigger businesses taking sites it does affect the diversity.”
sense and I’m enjoying getting to know the Lambeth area.” The pub scene is also on the rise. “Great independent restaurants and pubs have established themselves alongside an excellent offer of theatre, cinema and hotel,” says Nicolai Outzen, general manager at the 10-year-old The Cut at the Young Vic theatre on its namesake, The Cut by Waterloo Station. Outzen says the area has really changed in the last decade. “There are more people working in the area. As in any place on the up, several restaurant chains and supermarkets have budged in too. I think most of the local businesses don’t mind that, as we feel we offer something more inventive and true to taste.” But, the heart of Lambeth’s food scene has, and will continue to be, the 20th century-built Brixton Market. The covered market place in the centre of the town, is described by Bernstone as “a carefully curated culinary adventure, which has proven to be the launch pad for many larger brands today.” From the market emerged Honest Burger – now with 18 London outlets, and pizzeria Franco Manca with 29 restaurants in the capital. “Its policy of only tenanting new companies had made it an exciting conveyor belt of local new food and beverage talent attracting Londoners from far and wide,” says Bernstone. Even with the eclectic mix of food outlets, there is one word constantly mentioned when talking about any aspect of Brixton today: gentrification. And Bernstone is no exception as he believes the number of destination
No room for doubt
Over: Pharmacy2 at the Newport Street Gallery Right: The first Franco Manca in Brixton Market. Below: Healthy Eaters owner, Stafford Geohagen.
eateries reflects Brixton’s changing demographics. He says: “These restaurateurs are looking to attract an aspirational crowd.” Gentrification is, however, different for everyone, as local restaurateur Stafford Geohagen, and member of the Brixton BID, points out. As owner and founder of the 13-year-old Healthy Eaters on Brixton’s famous Electric Avenue, immortalised in song in 1983 by singer Eddie Grant, gentrification “all depends on what side of the fence you are on.” Also co-chair of the Market Row and Brixton Village Traders
Association, Geohagen says a lot of businesses have benefited from the Future Brixton exercise, following a masterplan which was published by Lambeth Council in July 2009. Geohagen, who has ambitious plans to expand his own restaurant nationally, adds: “You have loads of new businesses that have come to town with a different sort of offering. There are plus and negative sides here, certainly. But as a resident and business person I have more or less managed to be one of the more fortunate ones to be on the benefiting side of what has been happening.”
It’s fair to say, the wider hospitality scene hasn’t quite matured in the same way as the food and beverage offer in Lambeth, particularly in hotels. As Jake Bernstone, retail and leisure – London Unlimited, for JLL points out: “Shoreditch and Hackney are now populated with trendy hotels that have cool bars and restaurants, Brixton, and Lambeth in general, hasn’t quite captured this audience… yet.” Existing supply is mainly in the Waterloo-VauxhallKennington triangle – the heart of the Central Activities Zone. While it lacks hotel stock, Lambeth does sport international names such as Travelodge, Park Plaza, Novotel, Days Inn, Staybridge Suites, Hampton by Hilton and Marriott, ranging from five-star through to budget. Bernstone adds: “The Nine Elms redevelopment at Battersea will bring some fivestar hotels into the area.” Independent boutique hotels are performing well across the rest of the capital. David Harper, managing director of hotel consultancy firm, Leisure Property Services, says: “A proportion of hotel demand in Lambeth is currently pricesensitive, but there is definite room to attract additional higher spenders... with an experience on top of meeting the basic requirements of the guest.” Bernstone believes this will happen: “It is a matter of time until trendier hotel spots pop up in Brixton – these do have a time lag behind the food and beverage, which initially secures an area as a go-to location.”
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Lambeth Words by NOE L L A P IO KIVLEHAN
Sitematch I N T E R N AT ION A L HOU S E
International opportunity Lambeth Council is looking to investors to take on the 1980s International House in Brixton as demand for space is becoming key in the area
A
key site in the forthcoming Brixton Central Masterplan, the London borough of Lambeth is set to explore the future of its International House with investors looking to create more economic space in an area experiencing high demand for office space. The influx of creative and technology industries attracted to Brixton due to its lower rents, diverse cultural and leisure offer, has meant an increase in the need for space. International House was designed in the 1970s and completed in the 1980s, and sits in the heart of Brixton, next to pop-up foodie and office landmark Pop Brixton. The 11-storey building, built at the same time as the recently Grade II-listed Brixton Recreation Centre, has 5,000sq m of space, and is one of the tallest and largest buildings in the area. 58
Currently home to Lambeth Council’s children and young people services department, the Your New Town Hall project will see the council bring together office functions into two sites; the refurbished Lambeth Town Hall and the purpose-built Civic Centre. The council describes International House as “a superb opportunity to be part of one of the London’s most exciting areas”.
Sitematch London is an event enabling public sector landowners to engage with private sector developers, investors and occupiers. More information on sitematchlondon.com
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SITEMATCH LONDON 2017 WAS THE BIGGEST AND BEST EVER. 93% of delegates surveyed were confident the event will lead to further meetings/discussions
The next Sitematch London is taking place at 155 Bishopsgate on Thursday 8 February 2018. To find out about booking meetings with local authorities, networking passes and attending briefing sessions contact Josie Brewer josie@3foxinternational.com To attend as a local authority, become an adviser or sponsor contact Paul Gussar paul@3foxinternational.com
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In 2016 we were selected as the development partner for 8 Albert Embankment, the London Fire Brigade’s original headquarters. As part of our meanwhile use activity, we’ve opened The Workshop, a temporary community and events space on site. Alongside the London Fire Brigade pop up museum, the space is home to charities, social and start up enterprises and artists, all with creativity at their heart. theworkshoplondon.com uandiplc.com