Investing in Southwark
southwark
Strong in SE1
Civic pride Modern art, leisure and fitness, community cohesion – investment in new public buildings
Regeneration location London Bridge station, Guy’s Cancer Centre and the new Science Gallery – world-class projects
Urban beats Exploring the new public spaces being created through the renewal of neighbourhoods
Bend it like Peckham Nurturing the existing community, sharing the benefits of positive change in the area
We’re here too Leaders of large organisations discuss why Southwark is their ideal choice for relocation
southwark Issue 15 Summer 2016
Issue 15 Summer 2016
Unlocking potential
SPACES & PLACES REINVIGORATED
Where people visit for health, entertainment, culture or learning – investment for communities, indoors and outside
Introducing Duchess Walk, a new street for London Berkeley Homes is proud to present One Tower Bridge, a unique development that has been designed and finished to the highest of standards and is due for completion in Summer 2017. As well as creating over 400 new homes and new public gardens, we are delighted to introduce Duchess Walk; a new street that will bring shops, restaurants and other commercial opportunities to this corner of London.
Duchess Walk will help to reinvigorate the area, bringing passing trade to existing businesses and with The London Theatre Company and The Ivy choosing One Tower Bridge as its home, Duchess Walk is set to become one of the most exciting and dynamic new streets in London.
At One Tower Bridge we are: • Creating over 200 new jobs • 14 new leisure and retail units including The Ivy restaurant which will sit on the riverfront • Over 1 acre of public gardens
To find out more about the commercial opportunities available, please contact James on 020 7317 3708 or Richard on 020 7317 3706 To live at One Tower Bridge, please call our Sales team on 020 3773 9158 Email onetowerbridge@berkeleygroup.co.uk Details are correct at time of going to press and subject to apartment type and availability. Computer generated image depicts One Tower Bridge and is indicative only.
Barratt London
Creating a new space in Southwark
Blackfriars Circus, SE1 Computer generated images are for illustrative purposes only
Blackfriars Circus, SE1
Barratt London is the market-leading residential developer in the Capital. With over 30 years’ experience we’ve helped – literally – shape one of the world’s most exciting, diverse and dynamic cities. Blackfriars Circus will deliver 336 new homes, two new public squares and space for a range of new shops, cafés and small businesses. We are keen to help restore the area as a busy, vibrant part of the City’s fabric, contributing to Southwark’s ambitious regeneration plans.
barrattlondon.com
Working with the London Borough of Southwark to create an exciting mixed use development at Canada Water Find out more at: www.canadawatermasterplan.com www.britishland.com
southwark
contents 18 new public places From community gardens and nimble thinking around transport hubs, to libraries and even a BMX track, Southwark is packed with much-cherished public spaces. Consultation is valued highly, and it shows. After all, truly successful regeneration schemes deliver far more than just buildings.
09 contacts Who to talk to about regeneration in Southwark. 12 news Updates on the development projects and initiatives unfolding across the borough. 37 map and projects A summary of the schemes ongoing and in the pipeline: Where are the opportunities?
46 business relocators The global firms in fields from media to engineering that have opted to be in Southwark. 55 peckham It boasts a village feel but cultural treasures in spades too: we take a snapshot of Peckham. 62 sitematch Southwark Council seeks partners for housebuilding.
28 public buildings Southwark has invested tens of millions in its best-known buildings. We discover how the borough’s commitment is reaping rewards.
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Siobhán Crozier ASSISTANT EDITOR James Wood CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Lucy Purdy REPORTER Marco Cillario HEAD OF DESIGN Rachael Schofield DESIGN Smallfury PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Christopher Hazeldine BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Paul Gussar PROJECT MANAGER Sue Mapara SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Simon Maxwell MANAGING DIRECTOR Toby Fox PRINTED BY Tradewinds COVER IMAGE The Castle Centre by Peter Durant IMAGES Peter Durant, British Land, Acorn Property Group, Robin Savage, Southwark Council, Carl Turner Architects, Tim Soar, Mickey Lee, Potters Fields Park Management Trust, Network Rail, Barry Herman, Science Gallery London, Sellar, Delancey, Lendlease, London & Regional, Mercato Metropolitano, Copeland Park, Carl Turner Architects/Mountview, Katherine Leedale, Landolt + Brown, Amritpal Virdi, Mondrian London, Richard Powers, Shangri-La at The Shard Southbank House, Black Prince Road, London SE1 7SJ PUBLISHED BY T 020 7978 6840 W 3foxinternational.com SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FEEDBACK southwarkmagazine.com southwarkmagazine.com
©3Fox International Limited 2016 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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Committed to creating a positive legacy in Southwark We are proud to be supporting the restoration of Southwark’s statute of Thomas Guy in partnership with Heritage of London. Mount Anvil is Central London’s specialist, multi-award winning residential developer. Creating design-led homes people love since 1991, adding to London’s world-class reputation. To find out more:
MOUNTANVIL.COM / 020 7205 2649
KEYBRIDGE – 441 new homes and one-acre of new public space created in the Borough of Lambeth, designed by award winning architects Allies and Morrison.
THE EAGLE - 271 new homes and Tech City’s largest start-up hub providing affordable office space. Art deco inspired development designed by world renowned Farrell’s in the Borough of Hackney, adding to the skyline of London.
THE FILAMENTS - 416 new homes and hub for local small business created in the Borough of Wandsworth, helping to establish Wandsworth Town Centre as a residential, retail and business destination.
LEXICON – 307 new homes, providing tranquil waterside living and the tallest residential tower in the Borough of Islington.
Computer Generated Images are indicative only.
C E N T R A L L O N D O N L U X U R Y H O M E S PARTNER
southwark A LASTING LEGACY Regeneration is about finding as many ways as possible to create lasting benefits for our residents. What better example than The Castle Centre, which has just opened with state-of-the-art leisure facilities? In this edition, we celebrate the fantastic new public buildings that are being created by regeneration, including Camberwell Library, The Green community centre in Nunhead and the learning suites in the new Tate Modern extension. As well as enjoying world-class facilities, we are also proud of the job opportunities we are creating in some of the best companies in the world. Southwark is now firmly established as one of central London’s prime commercial districts and we explore the variety of amazing brands which have decided to relocate here. Creative programmes are in place to help local people find the skills and access to employment in these new companies. The key to successful regeneration is to take the time to carefully listen to our communities. In this magazine, we focus on the organic change taking place in Peckham, with an innovative Peckham CoDesign process, creative temporary projects such as Peckham Levels, and the exciting new home for the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Councillor Peter John Leader of Southwark Council
CONTACT Dan Taylor / Chief Executive’s Department Southwark Council / 160 Tooley Street / SE1 2QH regeninfo@southwark.gov.uk / 02075255450 southwarkmagazine.com
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A MAJOR PARTNERSHIP FOR LENDLEASE AND SOUTHWARK
Our partnerships enhance our performance, spark innovation, sustain our communities and deliver lasting value. This has guided us to create successful partnerships based on trust and mutual understanding. At Elephant Park, Lendlease is proud to be Southwark Council’s regeneration partner as we re-establish Elephant & Castle’s status as a desirable and successful Central London destination.
Together at Elephant Park, over the next 10 years we are delivering:
11 acres 3000 of high quality public space
new tenureblind homes
6000 1 of 19 £125,000 40+
new jobs plus Construction Skills Centre Climate Positive developments worldwide
contributed to Elephant & Castle Community Fund
temporary business spaces at Artworks Elephant
For more info visit:
elephantpark.co.uk
“LENDLEASE HAS PROVEN ITSELF TO BE A KEY PARTNER OF THE COUNCIL, WITH THE CAPABILITY AND SKILL SET TO DRIVE THE PROJECT FORWARD AND DELIVER OUR SHARED VISION.” Eleanor Kelly, Chief Executive, Southwark Council
the news
WHAT’S NEW AND HAPPENING IN SOUTHWARK
PECKHAM LIBRARY SQUARE OPPORTUNITY Southwark Council is seeking a gallery operator to manage and programme a new non-commercial gallery space on Peckham Library Square. The 337sq m space is part of a mixed development on the ground floor of a new residential site at the entrance into the square from Peckham High Street. The gallery is set to provide a yearround public engagement programme of high quality exhibitions, artist residencies and events – a platform for established and emerging artists – and forms part of a hub of cultural and creative activity. The operator will have demonstrable knowledge of running a gallery venue, a ‘strong and sustainable’ business plan and evidence of the impact that its work will have on residents, audiences and artistic and cultural communities.
ROOM FOR INNOVATION
TATE MODERN EXTENSION OPENS A three-day celebration marked the opening of a £260 million, 10-storey extension of Tate Modern in June 2016. More than 100,000 visits were recorded during the first two days of the pyramidlike structure, Switch House, which increases the art gallery’s capacity by 60%, adding 2,000sq m. The celebrations included a performance by a 500-strong choir of singers from across the capital, installations by emerging artists and a series of interactive activities. The new building includes a performance space at basement level, The Tanks, which is the world’s first museum gallery permanently dedicated to live art. On the top floor, a roof terrace offers a 360-degree panoramic view over London. 12 issue 15 summer 2016
Works by Picasso, Rothko and a range of other artists occupy the remaining levels. The extension also incorporates a learning space, built with the support of a £1 million contribution by Southwark Council. Workshops, conferences, courses, film screenings and debates will be hosted in the new cultural facility. The extension was designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the same architect which conceived the original plan to transform the disused power station into one of the major hubs for modern art in the world. Tate Modern opened in 2000 and generated £150 million for the local economy in its first year of activity alone. Since then, it has attracted five million visitors a year and created 1,500 jobs.
A business incubator in London Bridge is offering co-working space and tools to startups in the clean technology sector. Sustainable Bridges, in Shand Street, provides 650sq m of office space to businesses that develop new technological tools to protect the environment. Prototyping space, flexible desks and meeting rooms are also available to resident companies in the four converted railway arches. Supported by Southwark Council, the incubator aims to help its members in the early stages of their development through knowledge sharing, network and resource collaboration. Since opening in October 2014, the project has created 85 jobs and raised £8 million, including an £18,000 investment from the mayor of London in September 2015, as part of the £9 million High Street Fund, supporting creativity and innovation in the capital. Prices start at £50 per month for a hot desk. The 15 ventures currently using the space include E-Car, the UK’s first entirely electric pay-per-use car club; Powervault, which works on projects using the energy generated by solar panels; and SafetyNet, a company that is developing an environmentally friendly fishing trawling system.
What’s new and happening in Southwark
Read up-to-date news stories about Southwark’s regeneration online at southwarkmagazine.com
HOMES FOR CATHEDRALS Cathedrals ward is to see 60 homes built and 800sq m of office space created on a site that was formerly part of Lewisham Southwark College campus. Southwark Council granted planning permission in May 2016 to an application submitted by the Acorn Property Group for a 0.4-ha site on Ufford Street, 500m from Waterloo station. Former college buildings on the site will be demolished to make room for two apartment blocks of five and seven storeys, located to the south of a new college building which is nearing completion. A new public pedestrian street will link the development to The Cut to the north and a public open space will be created between the buildings.
CANADA WATER MASTERPLAN UNVEILED TO PUBLIC British Land has unveiled its masterplan for a 18.6ha development in Canada Water. Proposals for the scheme, which incorporates the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Surrey Quays Leisure Park and the SE16 Printworks site, were unveiled for the public to view in a series of consultation events. The plans include more than 3,000 homes, 185,800sq m of workspace and 92,900sq m of retail, restaurant and cultural space. They also propose a replacement for the Seven Islands Leisure Centre. Roger Madelin, head of the Canada Water development for British Land, said: “Our vision for Canada Water is to develop a high quality urban environment that will create a unique place to live, work and visit, building on the area’s history as well as looking towards the future.” More than 2,200 people attended the consultation events, feedback from which will help inform the proposals. British Land’s project team will return in autumn 2016 with updated proposals. In the meantime, the developer announced that the part of the site known as Robert’s Close is to be brought into use for around two years for community activity. Clearing has started, and the developer is in talks with organisations that specialise in working with the local community towards meanwhile uses on the site. One of these companies will be appointed to develop the plans. southwarkmagazine.com
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What’s new and happening in Southwark
PECKHAM RYE STATION PLANS APPROVED Southwark Council has approved architect Landolt + Brown’s designs for Peckham Rye station square. The plan, which will see a new public square created as well as the regeneration of railway arches, was approved by the planning committee in March. Southwark Council leader Peter John said: “This has been a long and, at times, difficult process. But the co-design work the architects have undertaken with Peckham people from all walks of life has resulted in a fantastic proposal that will provide a more open, inviting retail area in this important gateway to Peckham, while remaining sympathetic to the historic buildings around it. This is an important step for the regeneration of the area.”
£20M LEISURE FACILITY OPENS A new £20 million leisure centre opened its doors on St Gabriel Walk in spring 2016. Funded by Southwark Council’s local regeneration programme, The Castle Centre is set over three levels. It features a 25 metre, six-lane swimming pool, learner pool with movable floor, sauna and steam rooms, sports hall, gym and dedicated spinning studio, two exercise studios, a creche and a cafe. The centre also has full disabled access and specialist equipment throughout. Southwark Council leader Peter John said: “Delivering a facility like this – which I think competes with any leisure centre in London – shows what a progressive Labour council, taking advantage of the benefits of regeneration, is all about.” He said the facility is likely to be paid for by Section 106 contributions from developments in the nearby Elephant and Castle regeneration area. Berkeley Group’s chairman Tony Pidgley praised the centre: “Since Peter and Eleanor [Kelly, chief executive at Southwark Council] took up the helm, the borough has led the way. The leisure centre is for the people and when you bring the people of any borough with you and have leaders who engage, then you achieve success.” 14 issue 15 summer 2016
NEW HOME FOR THEATRE ACADEMY The respected Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts will move from north London to Peckham after a lease was agreed with Southwark Council. After searching for new premises for more than five years, the organisation will take up residence on a site next to Peckham Library. Stephen Jameson, principal and artistic director of Mountview, described Peckham as an “absolutely perfect match” for the organisation. The Mountview Academy caters for around 400 students; actors, actor musicians, directors and musical directors. Students can take their pick of three courses to prepare them for careers in theatre, live performance, television and film. A planning application is expected to be filed imminently. If approved, Mountview will move to its Peckham home in September 2018.
What’s new and happening in Southwark
ANOTHER LEVEL
HOUSING ZONES ANNOUNCED FOR SOUTHWARK Two areas in Southwark have been identified as housing zones. Old Kent Road and Peckham, and Canada Water, were among the 11 new zones announced by former mayor of London Boris Johnson in March 2016. Canada Water is set to provide 1,000 new units and Old Kent Road and Peckham 1,300. Housing zones are designated to speed up housebuilding, regeneration of brownfield sites and development of supporting
infrastructure through a range of planning and financial measures. The newly announced zones will provide 24,554 new homes. London now has 31 housing zones, for which £600 million in funding has been made available. They are estimated to collectively deliver 77,000 new properties, 34% of which are allocated as affordable, and create 150,000 jobs over the next 10 years as well as £31 billion in investment.
SOUTHWARK PARTNERSHIP WORKS OUT A decade-long relationship between publisher 3Fox International and Southwark Council was celebrated at The Castle Centre in Elephant and Castle. The event in March marked the launch of the 14th edition of Southwark magazine – a 10-year retrospective edition – and was attended by 103 delegates. Those present included senior figures from the developers, housebuilders and architects who have helped shape Southwark’s regeneration. They were welcomed to The Castle Centre by Southwark Council leader Peter John who said: “You’re here because you’re part of the exciting story which is regeneration and investment in our borough, as recorded faithfully over the last 10 years by Southwark magazine.” The special issue of the publication looked back at some of the schemes that have dramatically altered perceptions of the borough during the last decade, as well as southwarkmagazine.com
regeneration projects that are continuing the transformation. Speaking at the event, chief executive of Southwark Council, Eleanor Kelly, said: “Our confidence is well placed and rooted in our ability to use regeneration in the right way and for the right reasons. We wouldn’t be able to do that without all the developers, architects and housebuilders in the room. You’re a huge part of our success story – and as everyone knows, we’re not finished yet. “If you look around Southwark, regeneration is the right thing to do. If we didn’t do it, we’d be missing an enormous opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing, lives and livelihoods of thousands of people.” Chairman of the Berkeley Group, Tony Pidgley, also spoke on the evening, to praise the progress Southwark Council has made in the last decade.
Make Shift (formerly Pop Community) has revealed its final design proposals to transform Peckham’s car park into space for artists and entrepreneurs. The Peckham Levels project (pictured below) will see 1,858sq m of artists’ studios created – and the same allocation for gallery and performance space. Around 600 jobs will be created throughout the course of the project. Community groups will use the space for 25% of the time. Southwark Council appointed Make Shift – a collaboration between architect Carl Turner and property startup The Collective – to the project in November 2015. The group formerly delivered a similar scheme, Pop Brixton. Consultation with the public saw final design proposals revealed in February. Carl Turner said: “Amazing feedback from the local community has informed our latest proposals which we will now take forward into planning. We’ve a great team working to bring the vision to life as quickly as possible.” Pop Community will continue to engage with the public up until the launch of the project in October 2016. Subsidised rents will be available on 10 to 20% of the studios. A 10th of profits will be used to create a community fund. Arts organisation Bold Tendencies, and the rooftop bar Frank’s Cafe, will continue to operate from the upper floors of the car park and the Peckhamplex cinema will remain on the lower levels. Councillor Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes, said: “Despite receiving a lot of interesting ideas for the car park, we felt this proposal was the best fit for Peckham. I am looking forward to seeing new life being breathed into the car park.”
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Grosvenor has a vested interest in the future shape of our city. Our aim is to create and manage attractive and vibrant places where people choose to live and work.
NEW SPACE FOR GROWING BUSINESSES Grosvenor Britain & Ireland has begun delivery of a new business centre at The Biscuit Factory in Bermondsey. Workspace Group will continue to own and operate the building, which is designed by Stirling Prize-winning architects Alford Hall Monaghan Morris and is being built by McLaren Construction. When fully let the 48,000 sq ft scheme will provide space for approximately 80 new and growing companies employing around 300 people. Grosvenor is in the early stages of developing plans for the wider 12-acre site, which are expected to include new homes, a secondary school, community amenities, employment and retail space, and new and improved streets and public spaces.
WORKING TOGETHER TO PLAN FOR THE FUTURE Grosvenor has joined forces with The Blue Bermondsey Busines Improvement District to ask local businesses and residents for their views on the area’s future. By visiting bluebermondsey.commonplace.is businesses and residents can click on any location on the area map, add their comments, and select what they would like to see more or less of in the Blue Bermondsey area.
Scan this QR code with your phone to take part in the survey
URBAN BEATS Open space in the city can be a treat – or a threat, while public buildings can be limited in use. Original thinking about multiple purposes contributes to create new Southwark spaces, indoors and outdoors, that people love to use. Kirsty MacAulay explores
REGENERATION IS NOT all about putting up the biggest and best new buildings, it is essentially about the impact they have on the community and the people who use them. The number of public buildings and spaces in a city, how well kept and used they are, can be a good indication of the extent to which a city values its residents. Southwark’s public places were created with the people who will use them at the core of their design. This is clearly illustrated by the visitor numbers and, on an emotional level, the extent to which members of the public have taken them to their hearts. The majority of Southwark’s libraries are open seven days a week; which is unusual but demonstrates perfectly the importance being placed on making the buildings fully available to the public. And it works; in many parts of the UK, local authorities are closing libraries, 18 issue 15 summer 2016
in Southwark however, they are thriving. Libraries today offer much more than books, as Southwark Council’s senior project manager for south regeneration, Jessica Caruth notes: “There will always be a role for hard copies of books but it’s as much a space for those who are not in work and for kids after school who may not have room at home to study. Libraries are social hubs and that should be encouraged. “When Camberwell Library was designed we wanted a large meeting room for different clubs to use. The building is open plan, so we need fewer staff to manage the space, and modern technology enabling visitors to book items out allows us to open late and seven days a week. “The number of visitors is more than double what was expected with a new building. The youth library is very popular,
almost too busy, which is lovely to see. We always hoped it would be well-loved.” And it’s not just locals who love it. Camberwell Library has been shortlisted for a RIBA prize, not the first of Southwark’s libraries to come under RIBA’s scrutiny. Peckham Library won the institute’s Stirling Prize for architectural innovation in 2000 – the only library to do so. It’s not only Southwark’s buildings but also public spaces that have won awards. Potters Fields Park was shortlisted for Best New Public Space at the London Planning Awards in 2008 and Burgess Park’s BMX track won Principal Winner for a Restoration and Regeneration Scheme at the British Association of Landscape Industries in 2014. The BMX track was established within the park when it was refurbished in 2013 and has proved popular. The track, which is close to
the Aylesbury estate, is open six days a week to anyone who wants to try out a spot of twowheeled travel, BMX-style. A mix of free ‘rock up and ride’ sessions are available alongside club sessions, which are paid for and booked in advance. Bikes, helmets and other accessories are available to hire making the sport fully accessible to the local community. Young and old are welcome and some of the children involved in the club now take part in competitions across the country, which is particularly impressive given that this is an area where pressure to join gangs is a real challenge. CK Flash, whose real name is Michael Pusey, the MBE-owning founder of Peckham BMX Club, says: “It’s helped a lot of kids and families come together. The local community benefits from the track as people know the kids are in a safe place.” Creating green areas can be difficult in cities where space is at a premium but it was successfully achieved in Gibbon’s Rent. The set of back alleyways was transformed into a green oasis with the help of Andrew Burns Architects, landscape gardener Sarah Eberle and local community members. Eberle says: “I felt honoured to be selected to work with the community in creating a ‘green lung’ for the city. I was instantly inspired by the narrow lane and the towering buildings either side culminating in views of The Shard.” Local residents and workers helped deliver the project, getting involved with the placing and planting of pots. A sense of community can sometimes seem elusive in a big city. Southwark Council’s use of the co-design concept encourages the community to get together and get involved in the area’s regeneration, taking public consultation to the next level. This concept has been used for projects such as Peckham Square, in which the library sits, and Queens Road Peckham station, giving residents the power to voice their opinions and help create a plan to suit their needs and tastes through a series of collaborative workshops and consultations. Queens Road Peckham station development will deliver more than just a station. The opportunity that new transport hubs present transcends transport, offering the chance of a new public space for residents, workers and commuters to enjoy. Transport hubs can become destinations in their own right, somewhere people go not just to travel but to meet people, shop, eat or work. The hub obviously needs to provide effective travel links but the onus is on making it attractive and safe, with good design and facilities, to create a sense of place, a public space of which the community can be proud. southwarkmagazine.com
OPPOSITE: Prices Street, next to the new Bankside Hilton, is just moments away from Borough Market and the South Bank. LEFT: Works on Sumner Street finished in time for the events to mark the opening of the Tate Modern extension.
SUMNER STREET Completed: May 2016 Cost: £1 million Southwark Council has worked closely with Tate Modern and Better Bankside to create a world-class gateway into the new art gallery extension on the south side of the building. It is expected to drive footfall into the heart of Southwark. Sumner Street has been closed to vehicles and a new high quality plaza has been created with cycle parking and cycle hire facilities. The project provides a valuable new amenity and social space for the enjoyment of residents, workers and visitors. Works finished in time for opening events around the Tate Modern extension in June.
PRICES STREET Completed: October 2015 Cost: £300,000 The council joined forces with the developers of the new Bankside Hilton and Better Bankside to develop plans for the closure and landscaping of Prices Street. The streetscape improvements create a high quality pedestrian route through the area, with trees, planting and seating. The new level of the public space has enabled disabled access into the rear of the Grade II*-listed Kirkaldy Testing Works, one of Southwark’s hidden gems.
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public places SPA GARDENS AND ST JAMES CHURCHYARD St James Churchyard Completed: 2013 Cost: £100,000 A historic open space in the Bermondsey Spa regeneration area was refurbished to create a high-quality amenity for residents and businesses and an improved connection through to Bermondsey station.
NUNHEAD GREEN COMMUNITY CENTRE Completed: January 2016 Funding: Southwark Council Designers: AOC The Green is a community centre that serves local people, designed for multiple purposes and staffed by local volunteers. Tom Coward, AOC architects, says: “There has been a village green in Nunhead since 1882. These communal spaces are at the heart of London’s communities. Locating a new local landmark building on the green helps to establish a sense of place, and is an opportunity for people to come together. “Part of the scheme’s success is the journey we have been on with the local community, co-designing the building to suit their needs and business plan. Community group Nunhead’s Voice wanted a vital resource – a public house for ‘different people to do different activities in the same place at the same time’.” Since opening in January 2016, The Green has hosted a diverse range of activities. Flexible programming allows single uses to take over the whole centre during different times. Coward hopes The Green will “evolve into a viable ecology of different people, uses and stories”. “The Green is a modest yet generous building, designed to have low energy use and negligible running costs, but we hope that it will accommodate and actively nurture 21st century civic life in Nunhead.”
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Spa Gardens The park was refurbished in 2006 as part of the Bermondsey masterplan. It now has park seating, lighting, a play area, a multiuse games area, a 333m running track, a plaza and the Ellen Brown Children’s Centre adventure playground. RIGHT: St James Churchyard has been refurbished. BELOW: The spa gardens now feature a wide range of facilities.
GIBBON’S RENT Completed: June 2012 Cost: £50,000 Funding: Southwark Council, Team London Bridge, the Architecture Foundation, the Peter De Haan Charitable Trust, NSW Architects Registration Board, Farebrother chartered surveyors, Superuse Studios Designers: Andrew Burns Architects, Sarah Eberle Landscape Design
LEFT AND BELOW: A vibrant community garden has sprung up at Gibbon’s Rent in Bermondsey, uniting residents in transforming the space.
This pocket park has transformed a series of back alleyways into an urban oasis creating a true community garden. Local residents and workers helped with the project, planting and placing the pots that have shaped the space they now enjoy. Events and activities are held at the site, bringing together the community in the space they helped to create.
southwarkmagazine.com
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public places
LONDON RIVERSIDE WALK Completed: June 2012 Cost: ÂŁ3.4 million Funding: Mayor of London, Southwark Council Designers: Witherford Watson Mann Architects The popular riverside walk from London Bridge to the Oxo Tower has been upgraded, linking major tourist attractions and making it fully accessible to all.
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FLAT IRON SQUARE Completed: August 2013 Cost: £474,000 Funding: Mayor of London, Southwark Council Designers: Witherford Watson Mann Architects
ABOVE: Trees and a green roof provide a surprise injection of nature at Flat Iron Square, part of Bankside Urban Forest.
Part of the Bankside Urban Forest programme, this new urban square, created by closing a road to connect a parade of shops to a former toilet block, brings greenery to the urban setting through a massive green roof. The green oak timber frame holds a 100sq m wildflower meadow – a pleasant surprise for passersby.
POTTERS FIELDS PARK Completed: 2007 Cost: £4 million Funding: Southwark Council, More London (via Section 106 agreement), London Development Agency Designers: Gross Max The creation of this riverside park adjacent to Tower Bridge has transformed the area into an inviting green space with plentiful seating to enjoy the river and iconic views. The planting was designed by the world famous landscape gardener Piet Oudolf and the vast benches are inlaid with Delft pottery, which was produced near the site many centuries ago. southwarkmagazine.com
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public places
BURGESS PARK BMX Completed: August 2013 Cost: £1.1 million Funding: British Cycling, Mayor of London, London Marathon Charitable Trust, Southwark Council, Olympic Legacy Fund Designers: LDA Design Installed during the redevelopment of Burgess Park, the 350m BMX track was an Olympic legacy project. The aim of creating the track, which is open six days a week, was to encourage local people to get involved in a fun, physical activity and it has certainly delivered – during the school holidays, 20-30 new riders sign up every day.
CAMBERWELL LIBRARY AND SQUARE Completed: 2015/16 Cost: £1.9 million Funding: Transport for London, as part of the Pocket Spaces programme, Southwark Council Designers: John McAslan + Partners This new library, which is currently being considered for a RIBA prize, is set within a completely redeveloped public park. The building and the park are complementary; they were designed as interlinking public spaces. The library’s picture windows, which were designed for sitting next to, look out on to soft planting. Extra trees and increased green space as well as improved lighting and a new square to house a regular farmers’ market make it more inviting. 24 issue 15 summer 2016
ELEPHANT & CASTLE
TOWN CENTRE REGENER ATION
ELEPHANT & CASTLE TOWN CENTRE The latest images and details on the emerging proposals for a new town centre at Elephant and Castle were revealed in June at a public exhibition. The vision for the new town centre will build on the existing diversity of this vibrant zone one location and bring a cultural and commercial focal point to the heart of Elephant and Castle. This will include: ·
An integrated campus for London College of Communication (part of University of the Arts London)
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108,000 sq ft of accessible public space
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Improved access, with wider walkways
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A 1,000 seat multi-screen cinema
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A new entrance and ticket-hall for the Northern Line
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A grass-roots music venue for an audience of 500
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Over 1,000 new homes for the rental market
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The creation of 170,000 sq ft of shops and restaurants
The proposed masterplan has been designed by architecture and urban planning practice Allies and Morrison. Public feedback on the design is now being reviewed as part of the final design process. A planning application is due to be submitted to Southwark Borough Council in early Autumn.
0208 341 2222 acorninfo@acornpg.org www.acornpropertygroup.org
Residential-led regeneration developers over 30 projects and 1000 homes in SE1 since 1995
different by design
CITY HALLS Budgetary constraints on local authorities mean investment in public buildings can be hard to find. But Southwark residents enjoy fine examples of new facilities, from the Tate Modern extension to a state-of-theart leisure centre, made possible by funding from the council, its partners or other organisations. Josh Surtees reports
AGAINST A BACKDROP of unprecedented cuts and austerity measures that have depleted funding for local authorities, Southwark Council has still managed to deliver cutting-edge public buildings for the benefit of local people. While some councils have little option but to pass the cuts on to residents by scaling back services, Southwark is in a position of strength because it owns a lot of land within the borough. The council works in partnership with developers to secure investment to enhance the borough's built environment. Using surpluses from joint venture agreements with the private sector, it has been possible to invest tens of millions into new buildings, spaces and facilities as part of an extensive regeneration programme. These projects, many of which have taken years to plan and design, are now being finalised, completed and delivered. For residents, the payoff of the wideranging construction work is substantial. They reap the benefits of brand new libraries, leisure centres and art galleries opening on their doorsteps, in the heart of their communities.
EXTENSIVE GAINS: The £260 million extension to Tate Modern will reaffirm the gallery as a key part of Southwark’s regeneration story.
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TATE MODERN EXTENSION Tate Modern, which opened in 2000, quickly established itself as an iconic, vital and internationally acclaimed centre for modern art, as well as an admired example of urban regeneration. During its development in the 1990s, Southwark Council contributed the first £1 million toward converting the derelict but imposing Bankside Power Station into a gallery that eventually cost £134 million to complete. Exceeding all expectations, Tate Modern has been both linchpin and catalyst for Southwark's regeneration. With five million visitors a year, 1,500 jobs generated and 64,000 people now working in the revitalised and vibrant Bankside area, Tate Modern generated £150 million for the local economy in its first year alone. On 17 June 2016, the vast £260 million extension opened, designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the architect which transformed the original disused power station into a cavernous art space. The 10-storey, pyramid-like structure increases the museum's capacity by 60%, adding 20,000sq m of space, making it one of London's most important cultural buildings of the 21st century. During construction of the extension, derelict oil tanks, each of which held one million gallons of oil in the building’s former life, were used to form the basement area – an example of ‘industrial archaeology’. Their giant caps were taken off and the pyramid structure built over the top. The visitor experience will be enhanced with a vast performance art space – the first of its kind – built on the site of the tanks, boasting a roof terrace on the top floor with 360-degree panoramic views. Works by Picasso, Rothko and an extensive, eclectic range of other artists will occupy the remaining levels, ensuring that much of the permanent collection can be displayed rather than stored. The Tate Modern extension is more than just an art gallery. It has a learning space and educational facility, to which Southwark Council also contributed £1 million – symbolically, the authority has paid the first and last million of the gallery's building costs. Southwark residents will be among the estimated 750,000 people a year to benefit from the workshops, conferences, courses, film screenings, interactive sessions, debates and employment opportunities that this remarkable, public cultural institution is set to provide.
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public buildings
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THE GREEN Upwardly mobile Nunhead, a socially diverse village on the south border of Southwark, has a new community centre, The Green, which boasts an unorthodox, progressive design by AOC architects. Tom Coward of AOC says: “There has been a village green in Nunhead since 1882. These communal spaces are at the heart of London communities – locating a new local landmark building on the green helps to establish a sense of place, and is an opportunity for people to come together. “Part of the scheme’s success is the journey we have been on with the local community, co-designing the building to suit their needs and business plan. Nunhead’s Voice [the local community group] wanted a vital resource – a public house in which groups could take part in different activities at the same time.” Coward adds that since opening in January 2016, The Green has hosted a diverse range of activities and events. “Hatha yoga, New Wave Taekwondo and under 5s football happily coexist under the same roof at the same time,” he says. “Flexible programming allows single uses to take over the whole centre, such as a range of concurrent dance classes for differing abilities run by an ex-Royal Ballet performer, as well as one-off secondhand markets, children’s parties and wakes. We look forward to seeing how the considerable and continued efforts of Nunhead’s Voice volunteers allows The Green to evolve into a viable ecology of different people, uses and stories.” A natural ventilation system to heat and cool the building is designed to keep heating and air-conditioning costs very low – possibly only £371 per year. “The Green is a modest yet generous building, designed to warrant low energy use and negligible running costs,” adds Coward. “But we hope that it will accommodate and actively nurture 21st century civic life in Nunhead.” The Green was built on a modest budget, with Southwark Council contributing £750,000. The project followed community consultation in which people were engaged at each stage of the design and conceptualisation, developing and adapting their hopes and expectations over time and in partnership with AOC at public workshops. So the specification is what people wanted – the quality of the building delivered may exceed expectations.
southwarkmagazine.com
LEFT: Striking design at The Green sets the scene for a wide range of community uses, from yoga and taekwondo to secondhand markets. RIGHT: A new library is the centrepiece of Camberwell’s £13 million Revitalise5 regeneration scheme.
CAMBERWELL LIBRARY A new John McAslan + Partners building forms the centrepiece of Camberwell’s £13 million Revitalise5 regeneration project. While many community libraries are being forced to close due to funding cuts, Camberwell has a brand new one. Angular, minimalist, light-filled and stocked with 27,000 new titles (1,000 of which were chosen specially by residents) the new Camberwell Library is a gem. The project rounds off the successful regeneration of the local area, with a pedestrianised zone, larger green spaces and a children’s playground featuring trees and wildflowers, a square for the farmers’ market and improved lighting. The library was constructed by Balfour Beatty and funded by renting out the old library. It is open every day and has study areas, meeting rooms, free Wi-Fi, a children’s library and regular weekly events for residents including homework clubs, knitting groups, social evenings for pensioners, poetry groups and book clubs. With a safer, welcoming, community feel to the town centre layout, Camberwell has had a facelift. issue
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public buildings THE CASTLE CENTRE At the heart of Elephant and Castle, Southwark Council has opened a £20 million state-of-the-art leisure centre that delivers 21st century gym facilities including a large sports hall and a brand new pool, at no cost to council taxpayers. For several years, Elephant and Castle has been a hive of regeneration projects but up until now, the old leisure centre remained partially derelict with a disused pool. The council entered a joint venture with Lendlease, which is building One The SHAPING UP: The Castle Centre is a £20 million stateof-the-art leisure centre, designed by architect John McAslan + Partners.
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Elephant at the front of the site – a mixed-use housing development with retail units on the ground floor. The capital receipts paid to the council from this project have been ploughed back into building the leisure centre, designed by architect John McAslan + Partners. With a six-lane, 25m swimming pool, steam rooms, a spa, four sports courts, a fully equipped gym, exercise studios, a spinning room, a cafe and a creche, the facility will revitalise the council’s leisure activity offerings in the heart of the borough.
CONSTRUCTION SKILLS CENTRE Regeneration is as much about jobs as it is about buildings and the council is keen to make employment opportunities in construction available to local people. A vital element of Southwark’s regeneration programme is a construction skills centre, initially sited at Elephant Park, in an area where multiple construction projects are taking place. The centre will train residents from across the borough in relevant skills and equip them with the qualifications and experience to get jobs within the sector. The centre will cost £1 million and has been granted planning permission with a view to the facility being up and running by midsummer 2016. The new Elephant Park housing and retail project by Lendlease will deliver more attractive streets, open spaces, green places and pedestrianised areas, close to an integrated transport hub. Investment of £1.5 billion is delivering the Elephant and Castle regeneration scheme, with construction of 2,700 new homes and other public buildings under way. To plug the skills shortage – a symptom of London’s development boom – and provide the labour force to complete projects, while offering training to hundreds of local people, Southwark is establishing the flexible skills centre right in the heart of Elephant Park. The main modular building will remain on-site for five years. The centre is a containerised (prefabricated) building that will be dropped into place and is temporary and fully movable. In five years it will move to a new regeneration area within the borough, at either the Aylesbury estate or Canada Water. Residents will be able to drop in, take short courses and attain basic training. It will also provide additional training for supervisors and offer specialist skills. Classrooms, a learning zone, offices, a breakout area, a workshop and an outdoor training area for practical sessions will feature at the centre. The courses and curriculum will be delivered in partnership with local schools, as well as Lewisham Southwark College in a co-operative move involving Lambeth and Lewisham local authorities to create courses across south London.
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public buildings BLACKFRIARS SETTLEMENT
COMMUNITY HUB: Blackfriars Settlement provides a main hall, meeting and computer rooms for a variety of community groups.
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In the far north of the borough, the historic 126-year-old Blackfriars Settlement charity has been based in Southwark for over a century delivering outreach programmes, youth services, older people’s services and mental health projects. Southwark Council helped to fund a new community building, delivered through a partnership with Notting Hill Housing Trust, which built 36 shared ownership flats above, providing funding to build a new centre on the ground floor. Offices owned by Blackfriars Settlement on the site have been partly rented out to another charity, bringing in rent revenue that is reinvested in local community services. Originally established as the Women’s University Settlement in 1887 to promote welfare for women and children in poorer areas of London through advancing their educational opportunities, the charity allowed women from colleges around London to live in the building rent-free. From 1950 onwards the charity’s remit extended to include the rehabilitation of
offenders, mentoring children with learning difficulties and developing ideas to provide community services to the elderly. From this time, local people became involved in the running of the charity. The newly developed site on Rushworth Street features a purpose-built community centre designed by Shepheard Epstein Hunter architects and accessible to all members of the community. It was officially opened by Princess Anne in December 2013. Its main hall has a sprung floor for karate, dance and exercise activities. Meeting rooms and computer rooms host training and skilldevelopment sessions. The large windows allow plenty of light into the building at all levels and the complex is surrounded by newbuild affordable housing apartments with balconies overlooking the street below. Blackfriars Settlement provides a vital hub for the community in north Southwark and is home to a variety of groups including the Blackfriars Nightingales choir which performs at events throughout the area, including at the top of The Shard.
Putting the meaning into meanwhile use.
Platform is a multi-discipline temporary project space with a mission to encourage and promote groundbreaking art, music and performance. Shortlisted for the New London Awards 2016 (The Temporary) and Estates Gazette Awards 2016 (Creative Spaces Award). www.platformsouthwark.co.uk @PlatformSthwrk Brought to you by:
Projects
projects Developers are making significant investments in Canada Water and Elephant and Castle, new homes are being built at the Aylesbury estate and Peckham’s improvements continue apace
Blackfriars Bridge
Bankside Waterloo East
Waterloo
1a London Bridge
1c 1b Southwark
Rotherhithe
Borough
4
2a
3c 3a
Canada Water
Bermondsey
Elephant and Castle
2b
3b
Kennington
South Bermondsey
5
Burgess Park
First Base has been developing in London Borough of Southwark for nearly a decade. Oval
Peckham
Our first scheme, Printworks consistedCamberwell of 164 private and affordable Queens Road homes and a significant amount of workspace. The scheme won numerous awards including the 'Building of the Year' in the British Homes Awards Peckham Rye and today, Printworks is a thriving community of residents and businesses in Elephant and Castle.
New Cross Gate
Rail / underground / Our latest development at 151 - 153 Tower Bridge Road in Bermondsey will deliver an iconic new building that is architecturally inspiring. Surrounded by a new public square will be an apart hotel, homes, workspace and cafes designed to add to the vitality and vibrancy of Bermondsey.
www.firstbase.com
1 CANADA WATER
@firstbaseurban 36 issue 15 summer 2016
2 PECKHAM SQUARE
3
ELEPHANT AND CASTLE DEVELOPMENTS
4
BANKSIDE QUARTER
5 AYLESBURY ESTATE
Map
projects From major works around London Bridge station to progress on masterplans for Elephant and Castle and Canada Water, we update the story of Southwark’s transformation
Blackfriars Bridge
Bankside
1a London Bridge
Waterloo East
Waterloo
1c 1b Southwark
Rotherhithe
Borough
4
2a
3c 3a
Canada Water
Bermondsey
Elephant and Castle
2b
3b
Kennington
South Bermondsey
5
Burgess Park Oval
Camberwell
New Cross Gate
Peckham Queens Road
Peckham Rye
1. LONDON BRIDGE
3. ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
Featured project
1a. London Bridge station 1b. Guy’s Cancer Centre 1c. Science Gallery
3a. Elephant and Castle town centre 3b. Elephant Park 3c. Skipton House
Rail / underground / overground station
2. CANADA WATER
4. BOROUGH
Canada Water Area Action Plan 2a. Sellar and Notting Hill Housing 2b. Canada Water Masterplan
Borough Triangle/Mercato Metropolitano
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5. OLD KENT ROAD issue
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Projects
PROUD TO BE INVESTING IN SOUTHWARK A SELECTION OF OUR CURRENT AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS
THE STAR AND GARTER, TW10 M1
STREATHAM HILL, SW2
CALEDONIAN ROAD, N7
M11
M25 M11 M1
M40
M25
M4 HEATHROW AIRPORT
M3
M20
M25
BERMONDSEY, SE1
TEDDINGTON, TW11
M26 M23
HAYES, BR2
M25
BASSETTS HOUSE, BR6
CANADA WATER, SE16
London Square focuses on prime locations with good transport links – places where people want to live. We have selected the London Borough of Southwark for two forthcoming high quality developments. London Square Bermondsey regenerates the Rich Industrial Estate with an exciting scheme that combines homes of all tenures, public realm and a commercial hub. London Square Canada Water will be a stunning collection of 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments, less than 10 minutes’ walk from Canada Water 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 38 issue 15 summer 2016 Computer generated images depict London Square Streatham Hill, London Square Bermondsey, London Square Canada Water, London Square Caledonian Road, London Square Bassetts House and The Star and Garter and are indicative only. Enhanced photography depicts landscaped garden square at London Square Teddington and London Square Hayes, BR2 and are indicative only. Details are correct at time of going to press – June 2016.
Projects
GUY’S CANCER CENTRE
LONDON BRIDGE LONDON BRIDGE STATION London Bridge station is undergoing improvements that will increase its capacity by two-thirds, and when work is complete the station will cater for around 90 million passengers a year. The London Bridge area will see major changes over the next two years. A new concourse bigger than the pitch at Wembley Stadium, with access from Tooley Street and St Thomas Street, will unify the station for the first time, making all platforms accessible from one place and connecting the communities to the south of the station with the riverside to the north. It will be lined by 6,500sq m of retail and filled with natural light. Plans, designed by architects Grimshaw and lodged by Network Rail, were approved by Southwark Council in autumn 2011. Work started shortly after and has been carried out in phases, keeping the railway running during construction. A bus station was completed in summer 2012, and work at the station platforms began in spring 2013. Since then, platforms have been closed in phases to be demolished and rebuilt. Work on platforms 10 to 15 is now complete, while four to nine are currently being redeveloped, with completion expected in August 2016. A viaduct over Borough High Street and Borough Market was opened to trains travelling to the station at the end of 2015. The redevelopment of the station is due for completion in spring 2018. The regeneration is part of the Thameslink Programme, sponsored by the government, which will improve north-south travels through London, with new, larger trains every two to three minutes at peak times. The programme also includes improvements to Blackfriars station and Farringdon station. southwarkmagazine.com
A £160 million project will create a 14-storey cancer centre in London Bridge. Work on the Guy’s Cancer Centre started in February 2013 with the demolition of a building on the site. Contractor Laing O’Rourke started constructing the new structure the following year and the topping out ceremony took place in March 2015. Building is now in its final stage, and the centre is scheduled to open in autumn 2016. The southern end of Great Maze Pond has been redesigned as a public space that integrates the hospital with its neighbourhood by providing wider pedestrian areas, trees, benches and bicycle parking. The project is being developed and funded by partners including Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Essentia – which manages infrastructure for the trust – Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, King’s College London, Arup, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity. A fundraising appeal raised £5 million. It will be the first cancer centre in the UK to wholly locate its radiotherapy treatment facilities above ground floor level – a decision which should improve patients’ experience, giving them more access to natural light. Treatment and research will both be based in the building, which it is hoped will accelerate the development of new treatments and improve outcomes for patients. The centre will be made up of ‘villages’, each relating to a specific patient need and containing all the equipment required for a certain type of care. These include a welcome village at the main entrance, a radiotherapy village, a chemotherapy village and a ‘one-stop village’ for outpatients. A piece of public art, designed by Daniel Silver, will feature outside the new building to commemorate a Roman boat which was found by archaeologists beneath the site.
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Projects
SCIENCE GALLERY Boland House, part of the 18th century Guy’s Hospital in London Bridge, is being transformed to create a home for Science Gallery London. The structure will include exhibition galleries, a theatre, meeting spaces, a cafe and shop. Located directly opposite The Shard, the site is at the entrance to the King’s College London Guy’s Campus and incorporates a Georgian courtyard, which will be converted from a car park into a landscaped public square. Funded by Wellcome Trust, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity and Sellar, the free-to-enter venue is expected to attract more than 300,000 visitors a year, hosting exhibitions, events, performances, live experiments, open discussions and festivals, all with scientific engagement at their core. The gallery will employ 12 full-time staff, and some seasonal, catering and event workers. Planning permission to create Science Gallery London was granted by Southwark Council in December 2015. Work started in April, and the venue is expected to open in late 2017. Tim Henbrey, head of project delivery for the venue, said: “The gallery will provide fantastic new opportunities to connect young adults, researchers, artists and local communities with science, art and innovation.” Deborah Bull, assistant principal at King’s College London, said the gallery would generate “unique interactions” between King’s College and the communities around it and that it would be “a free-to-visit cultural venue and attraction that specifically looks at the needs and interests of 15 to 25-year-olds and draws on diverse research and innovative thinking from across the university”.
CANADA WATER SELLAR AND NOTTING HILL HOUSING’S MIXED-USE SCHEME Developer Sellar has started work on a 3.2-ha, mixed-used scheme at the water’s edge of the Canada Water basin, next to the underground station. This project will create more than 1,000 homes, jobs, retail space, public areas and landscaping. Sellar obtained planning permission in December 2013 and is working on the site in partnership with Notting Hill Housing. Phase one is under way. It will deliver 234 homes in a landscaped open space, a Decathlon store and a multi-use games area. It is expected to complete in 2018. James Sellar, CEO of the company, said it was a “really exciting scheme” in a “fantastic and relatively undiscovered area of London”. “The Sellar and Notting Hill Housing development has sparked significant regeneration in the wider area creating a fantastic new destination.”
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Projects
BRITISH LAND’S CANADA WATER MASTERPLAN Developer British Land is currently developing its Canada Water Masterplan. The plan refers to an 18.6-ha portion of the site, which incorporates the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, Surrey Quays Leisure Park and the SE16 Printworks. British Land owns the freehold of the leisure park and long leases on the shopping centre and the printworks, with Southwark Council as freeholder. British Land’s masterplan proposes to create more than 3,000 homes, 185,800sq m of workspace and 92,900sq m of retail, restaurant and cultural space. The plans also propose a replacement for the Seven Islands Leisure Centre.
Around 1,800 full-time construction roles will be generated over a 15-year development period, while the completed scheme is expected to provide up to 15,000 jobs. A series of events to get public feedback on the masterplan were attended by more than 2,200 people. The developer said the feedback received will help to inform the proposals and the project team will return in autumn 2016 with their updated thoughts. British Land plans to arrange themed focus sessions and exhibitions for further feedback ahead of a planning submission in 2017.
SOUTHWARK COUNCIL’S CANADA WATER AREA ACTION PLAN Canada Water in Rotherhithe is expected to deliver at least 4,500 new homes, a minimum of 1,000 allocated as affordable, no less than 12,000sq m of employment floor space, a cinema and leisure facilities, according to the Canada Water Area Action Plan, adopted by Southwark Council in November 2015. The action plan outlines the council’s policy for development in the area over the next 15 years. The site has been designated as an opportunity area by the Greater London Authority, and former mayor of London Boris Johnson included it in the 11 housing zones announced in March 2016 – designated to stimulate and speed up housebuilding, regeneration of brownfield sites and development of supporting infrastructure through a range of planning and financial measures. southwarkmagazine.com
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Projects
ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
ELEPHANT AND CASTLE TOWN CENTRE The masterplan for a new town centre at Elephant and Castle has been revealed. If approved, the scheme will deliver 1,000 new homes, along with an integrated campus for London College of Communication – part of the University of the Arts London (UAL) – a 1,000-seat multi-screen cinema, a music venue for an audience of 500 and 10,000sq m of public space surrounded by shops, bars, cafes and restaurants. Wider walkways along with a new entrance and ticket hall for the Northern line will also be created. Incorporating the redevelopment of the existing Elephant and Castle shopping centre, the plans feature the creation of around 5,600sq m of workspace for UAL head office, plus 12 innovation units for startups. The scheme will be developed by Delancey’s client fund DV4 and pension fund asset manager APG. The developers said the homes would be priced for a wide range of local earning levels, with the majority available to let on a long-term basis through Get Living London. Initial proposals for the scheme were 42 issue 15 summer 2016
put on public display in July 2015, with residents, businesses and stakeholders invited to comment. More than three-quarters of respondents supported the proposals and the feedback has been considered in shaping the new masterplan. Designed by architects and urban planning practice Allies and Morrison, the masterplan was exhibited at the shopping centre in May, in which feedback from members of the public was invited. It is the second phase of Delancey’s work in the area, following the completion of a residential and retail development on Elephant Road. This site incorporates more than 374 new homes, which will be available to rent later in 2016, alongside 272 student units across three buildings. Jamie Ritblat, on behalf of Delancey, DV4 and APG, said: “Our ambition is to create a new and improved town centre; one which complements, celebrates and builds upon the existing diversity and vibrancy that this key zone one location is already so renowned for. “Over the last three years we have been in ongoing discussions with local stakeholders,
the public and our partners at UAL in order to ensure we put culture, art, education and – most importantly – the needs of the local community, at the heart of our plans. We are confident that these proposals reflect this and look forward to receiving further feedback to help us deliver this vision.” Nigel Carrington, vice-chancellor of UAL, said the new proposals would make the area “south London’s most important business district for the next 50 years”. Councillor Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes at Southwark Council, said: “Elephant and Castle was once known as the ‘Piccadilly of the south’ and that’s what we want to bring back to the area. Southwark is leading on a programme that we hope will bring people from all over London to Elephant and Castle to enjoy top quality shopping, arts, culture and entertainment as well as benefits for local people such as new homes, our newly opened leisure centre and jobs.” He said the council was pleased to see such a range of new cultural facilities, especially a new music venue.
Projects
ELEPHANT PARK Developer Lendlease is working in partnership with Southwark Council on an 11.33-ha, £2 billion scheme for the centre of Elephant and Castle, including Trafalgar Place, One The Elephant, West Grove and South Gardens. By 2025, the Elephant Park project (below) will deliver almost 3,000 homes, more than 50 shops and restaurants and a new park. Lendlease has already employed almost 500 Southwark residents, and the regeneration is expected to drive forward the economic development of the area, creating more than 6,000 jobs. One of 19 projects from across the world chosen to be part of the Climate Positive Development Programme, the scheme is set to be among the most sustainable, low-carbon urban regeneration projects in the world. The first 519 homes are now complete. Trafalgar Place was finished in summer 2015, delivering 235 homes, 25% of which are allocated as affordable. Homes are now fully occupied, and the development has won Best New Place to Live and the Mayor’s Award for Planning Excellence at the 2016 London Planning Awards.
One The Elephant completed in June, offering 284 homes and 999sq m of retail space. It is one of the tallest UK residential buildings, designed to code for sustainable homes level 4. Residents are set to move in during the summer. Work has also started on the two latest phases of Elephant Park: West Grove, set to provide 593 homes and more than 3,716sq m of retail, and South Gardens, where 360 homes are being built and which is expected to be finished in 2017. A planning application has been submitted for the first phase of the new public park, located at the heart of the scheme. Lendlease wants to contribute towards creating “central London’s new green heart”. Within this programme, more than 400 trees have been planted in and around the development. As well as employing 476 residents since construction started in 2013, Lendlease has opened a construction skills centre in Southwark in partnership with the council. Situated in Elephant Park, it will give people the skills to be employed both within the project and on other construction sites in the borough.
SKIPTON HOUSE Plans for Skipton House (above) in Elephant and Castle include 39,020sq m of office space, 408 homes, and retail and leisure space, along with a 350-seat performance arts venue. The scheme also aims to create a publicly accessible rooftop garden and a pedestrian route on Skipton Street, offering new links to London South Bank University. The project is expected to create 3,500 jobs. A planning application for the 11.15-ha site was submitted in December 2015 and is awaiting approval. London and Regional Properties would develop the project, designed by Skidmore Owings and Merrill, along with engineers Norman Disney and Young, and Arup.
southwarkmagazine.com
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Projects
OLD KENT ROAD
BOROUGH BOROUGH TRIANGLE/ MERCATO METROPOLITANO A new 4,180sq m Italian food market will be launched in Borough Triangle at Newington Causeway in the summer of 2016. Mercato Metropolitano will open its first UK site in a disused paper factory owned by housing association Peabody. It lies between Borough and Elephant and Castle stations. The market, which opened its first sites in Milan and Turin in 2015, is a way for small producers, farmers and artisans to sell their products. Based on a sustainable economic model, it will host award-winning Italian and British food retailers and an outdoor street food area. Mercato Metropolitano will include a bakery, fishmongers, butchers, coffee roasters, pizzeria, artisan beer makers, fruit and vegetable growers and pasta producers. Workshops, talks and cultural events will also take place inside and surrounding the three-storey building. A cinema and a pop-up hotel will also be launched on the site, along with a 370sq m Sicilian supermarket Prezzemolo & Vitale, a barber shop, a boxing gym and a co-working space on the top floor, called MAX. Mercato Metropolitano founder, Andrea Rasca, said: “The western world has a growing dependence on products that are made in large volumes with a focus on sales, not quality. “But we need nutrients to make our bodies and minds work. And on a social level we need good and tasty food to share with our friends and family. That is what Mercato Metropolitano offers its customers.”
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The area action plan for Old Kent Road includes the creation of 20,000 homes, 5,000 jobs, schools, parks and two underground stations. The first draft of the plan for the road and the surrounding area was approved by Southwark Council’s cabinet in June 2016. It lays out how the area will develop over the next 20 years. Surrounded by rapidly changing areas such as Elephant and Castle and Canada Water to the north and Peckham, New Cross and Deptford to the south, Old Kent Road is to be transformed with new shops, cafes, restaurants, as well as homes sitting on top of them. The 20,000 new properties will include council homes and private rented homes in mixed-use neighbourhoods. The Bakerloo line will be extended with two new stations along the road, and New Bermondsey will be provided with an overground station. Improvements will be made to bus infrastructure and public realm for pedestrians and cyclists, and paths linking the surrounding neighbourhoods built. Employment clusters providing office and managed workspace, as well as hybrid, light industrial and low cost space will be created in Mandela Way, Hatcham Road, Latona Road, Sandgate Street, St James’s Road and south-east Bermondsey, contributing to the generation of 5,000 jobs. Up to two primary schools and potentially one secondary school will be built by 2025. Further schools will be provided later in the 20-year plan period. Proposals also include a new health centre serving the area south of the road and a new community sports centre on Surrey Canal Road, as well as new parks at Mandela Way and the gasworks site. Old Kent Road was included as an opportunity area in the London Plan in March 2015, and the council worked with Transport for London, the Greater London Authority and residents to prepare the area action plan, which was unveiled in June 2016. The draft plan is now available for consultation until 23 September 2016, and a series of events will be held to gather public feedback. The final version of the plan will be drafted in 2017. After the last round of consultations, it will be submitted to the secretary of state for an examination in public held by an independent planning inspector.
LINDEN HOME S. PROUD TO BE PA RT OF S OU T H WA RK Bermondsey | Blackfriars
As an established provider of high-quality homes and jobs across Southwark and South London, Linden Homes is proud to be part of the community. For details of our London developments in key locations across the capital, visit our website. london.lindenhomes.co.uk
Computer generated image shows The Residence. Photograph shows local area.
Business relocators
DESTINATION SOUTHWARK The north of Southwark is now firmly established as one of central London’s prime commercial districts. Estates Gazette markets editor Noella Pio Kivlehan reports on the rapid transformation of the area via a host of ambitious developments, and meets the occupiers who have made it home
46 issue 15 summer 2016
Business relocators
THE MONTH IS NOVEMBER 1965. The time is 5am and Terry Carney is setting off for his shift at Cotton’s Wharf on Tooley Street, Bermondsey. A resident of the borough, Carney was one of the hundreds of workers toiling in north Southwark’s docks, which at the time formed part of the Port of London’s docks – once the world’s largest port. The docks took in parts of Tower Hamlets, Lewisham, Newham and Greenwich. The work, says Carney, was tough and laborious given the freezing early morning wind coming off the Thames. “But we had great camaraderie. Everyone had a nickname. One guy was called Wonder Boy – he’d look at each crate and say, ‘wonder what’s in there’!” Cotton’s Wharf was in Upper Pool, the name for the area that stretched from London Bridge to Tower Bridge. It is long gone, as are all the other docks. Some fixtures and fittings remain, while the warehouses have been turned into trendy flats. Fast forward to the 21st century and the area has become a magnet for businesses, attracting not only some of the UK’s biggest corporate names but international firms too. Significant developments include The Shard, which is now fully let to 23 firms from 13 sectors; More London, which has brought in more than 20,000 jobs; The Place (now The News Building); 240 Blackfriars and the Greater London Authority (GLA) headquarters. While the significance of the commercial aspect cannot be underestimated, it was culture and the arts that kicked off the redevelopment of what was essentially derelict land. “The Tate coming to Bankside Power Station was the catalyst,” says councillor Ian Wingfield, who is cabinet member for environment and the public realm and has sat on Southwark Council for almost 27 years. Not only does it make him one of the longest serving members, but also a witness of the borough’s dramatic transformation. Wingfield did not foresee these changes 27 years ago. Sitting in the council’s Tooley Street headquarters, he says: “I remember getting off the tube at Surrey Docks and it was like being on the moon. The landscape was bare and barren and there were rows of isolated terraced houses – the borough was bombed quite heavily during the second world war. It was the 1980s, but the area still had that postwar feel about it.” Changes began with a government report about redevelopment, published in 1971. It coined the name ‘London Docklands’ by which the area is now well known. This was the decade the docks began to decline, which gathered momentum after the closure in the 1960s of the Hay’s Wharf group, owner of the majority of Upper Pool. But, it wasn’t until the 1990s that real development began. It took that long, says Wingfield, “because land wasn’t worth that much. It would have cost a lot to invest and clear the derelict land and London was declining in population. In the early 1990s, the economy went down again and there wasn’t the money to go around. It meant that we had to think creatively about what would kickstart the regeneration. “The director of regeneration at the time was Fred Manson, an American. He came up with the idea, after seeing it in the United States, of arts-led development of waterfronts. It would be like a cultural renaissance, spearheading the regeneration. Once the Tate took over Bankside Power Station, the thought was that a ripple southwarkmagazine.com
HE CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF ARTS-LED DEVELOPMENT OF WATERFRONTS. IT WOULD BE LIKE A CULTURAL RENAISSANCE
LEFT: Red Bull switched its UK headquarters from Soho in the West End to Tooley Street Square in 2009. ABOVE: The Shard has become one of the capital’s most recognisable landmarks.
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Business relocators
effect would spread, first across the immediate area and then further afield.” Wingfield says Southwark Council then started to court developers to come to the area, with More London and Sellar, which built the iconic 87-storey Shard, among them. “On every tourist’s picture of London, The Shard is there, and that’s Southwark,” says Wingfield. While clearly proud of the mix of businesses that have made the borough home, Wingfield says there was no agenda as to preferred occupiers. “We weren’t trying to recreate the City number two.” For example, back in 2009, Red Bull made a surprise move from its UK head office in Soho to 10 More London in Tooley Street. Another development that helped attract occupiers was the Jubilee line extension. Previously it ended at Charing Cross but the extension, which runs through the likes of London Bridge and Canary Wharf stations before terminating at Stratford, opened in stages from May to December of 1999, making the entire area more accessible. Transport and location are important, but employees
need amenities. While Borough Market is perhaps the most famous, and oldest, retail outlet, Wingfield says it was important to bring other shops and restaurants in. Hay’s Galleria, and More London have numerous outlets: familiar high street names such as Boots and Pret A Manger, alongside independent retailers. The area looks set to keep developing. “We have lots in the pipeline and there are numerous developments already under way, such as at Blackfriars Road and Elephant and Castle. There’s Skipton House, a former NHS building at Elephant and Castle and towards Bermondsey developments by British Land and Sellar are planned.” Looking forward, the next area earmarked for development, says Wingfield, is one of London’s major trunk roads, the A2, which takes in the Old Kent Road towards New Cross. It has been proposed to get a Bakerloo line extension beginning at Harrow and Wealdstone in north London, currently ending at Elephant and Castle. Suggested since the 1920s, Wingfield says of the extension: “The government and the GLA are committed to it. We are working on the assumption it will remain in place irrespective of any political changes. It’s a GLA-designated opportunity area so it’s been actively worked up in terms of mixed residential and commercial development. There will be lots of opportunities for companies to move there.” There’s no doubting the ambition and drive of Southwark Council, and its determination to do what it pledges. As Terry Carney, who still lives in the area, puts it: “I am nostalgic and surprised at how much it has changed, but pleased. Time can’t stand still, but I do wish the number of pubs hadn’t changed.”
GIVING BACK Since the mid 1990s, Southwark has undergone a transformation from a rundown former docks to a sought-after commercial, retail and residential district. While bringing businesses into the borough was crucial, the council wanted to ensure local people benefited too. “We set up a business forum for the major corporates because we are fully aware that they have corporate social responsibility policies and a lot of them were approaching us to do more things locally,” says Councillor Ian Wingfield. Southwark Council has established several schemes to encourage businesses to take on apprentices. For example, developer Lendlease, which is transforming Elephant and Castle, agreed to take on apprentices as part of the project. The council-led Southwark Works programme aims to get 5,000 residents into employment by 2019 as well as creating 2,000 apprenticeships. Engagement with schools takes place through the Southwark Education Business Alliance. SEEDS (Southwark Employment and Enterprise Development Scheme) aims to helps small, local businesses give young Southwark residents one-year job opportunities or apprenticeships paid at the London living wage. 48 issue 15 summer 2016
Business relocators
THE OCCUPIERS
OPPOSITE: Global law firm Gowling WLG moved from offices on the Strand to More London in 2007. LEFT: News UK relocated to “buzzing” London Bridge in 2014, a cultural shift for the organisation.
Numerous companies have chosen to move into the newly developed commercial area in north Southwark. Why did they choose the borough?
GOWLING WLG Wragge Lawrence Graham, as it then was, relocated from the Strand to More London in May 2007, explains Hugh Maule, head of Gowling WLG’s corporate, finance and private capital group. “The move was important in repositioning us as a modern, outward-looking law firm, housed in a wonderful Foster + Partners-designed building overlooking the river. Almost 10 years ago, the location south of the river, albeit overlooking the City, was considered a bit of a fringe spot. Translated from estate agent speak, that means better value but less prestigious. “Some 10 years later, and Southwark and the area around London Bridge has been transformed into a compelling blend of historic and modern, with outstanding new residential and commercial developments. Our choice of location was certainly prescient as more and more world-class companies, restaurants and retailers are now choosing Southwark.”
NEWS UK “The move to the News Building has been extremely positive,” says Sean Hamilton, deputy head of content at The Sun. “The London Bridge area is buzzing. It has been a big cultural change from working at our old office in Wapping. It is much easier for people to get into work and to travel on to other places. “There are loads of great places to meet contacts for drinks or for dinner. The area has an amazing sense of history but there is lots of exciting new development going on. “With News UK taking out a 30-year lease on the building, we are confident that newspapers will be created in Southwark for many years to come,” Hamilton adds. Opened by former London mayor Boris Johnson and News Corp executive chairman Rupert Murdoch in September 2014, the News Building holds around 4,000 employees. They work across News Corp companies including Dow Jones and HarperCollins along with News UK, which includes The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times and The Times Literary Supplement. As part of its commitment to being “a good neighbour in the community” News UK donated 88 Nexus and iPad tablets to eight libraries in Southwark, pre-loaded with The Times and The Sunday Times. The company also lets its building for conferences and events, including its News Academy to help train the next generation of journalists. “Since News UK moved into its new building, the dean of Southwark, Andrew Nunn, and his team have made all News UK, HarperCollins and Dow Jones staff feel very welcome,” adds Len Moore of News UK Christian Fellowship society. “It started with the dean blessing our new building and continued with an invitation to host our annual carol service at Southwark Cathedral, an event that was very well attended.” southwarkmagazine.com
SOUTHWARK HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A COMPELLING BLEND OF HISTORIC AND MODERN, WITH OUTSTANDING DEVELOPMENTS
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RAMBOLL Ramboll is a leading engineering, design and consultancy company founded in Denmark in 1945. Project director, Ann Gordon, says: “We employ 12,800 experts and have a significant presence in Northern Europe, India and the Middle East. We have recently moved our UK headquarters to 240 Blackfriars in the thriving South Bank district. “The office serves as home to 400 employees who can take advantage of the excellent transport links, with short walks to Waterloo, Southwark and Blackfriars stations. Outside of the office, employees and visitors are spoiled for choice in terms of eateries and entertainment with a great selection of cafes, theatres and exhibitions. “Much of the surrounding area is undergoing redevelopment, bringing a continuous stream of new restaurants and areas to explore ensuring that the needs of our staff and visitors will be met for many years to come.”
LONELY PLANET Travel publisher Lonely Planet moved to Bankside in May 2015, taking a floor at 240 Blackfriars Road. “This was an important move for us as we had recently returned to private ownership after several years as part of BBC Worldwide,” says Lonely Planet editorial director Tom Hall. “We were keen to relocate more centrally in London, but also to be somewhere that felt like a fresh start for a new chapter in our 43-year history. “Bankside appealed for many reasons. The transport links are excellent from all directions and the location by the river made for an easy sell to everyone who works for us. The building was a step-up from our previous offices, and the wonderful views of St Paul’s Cathedral and the river are also big pluses, and add a memorable backdrop to team meetings and catch-ups. “Lonely Planet has a lively social scene and the many pubs, bars and places to eat, as well as cultural attractions like Tate Modern, appealed hugely to all of us. Borough Market and Lower Marsh are close by, and visitors from overseas are impressed at the variety and quality of what we have on our doorstep. “Being in this part of London has given rise to some new habits that are a popular part of working here. We have yoga in the office twice a week, and football once a month on nearby pitches. As we’re a travel content business, everyone who works here is curious about their surroundings. We’ve explored the area during themed lunchtime walks. It has so much history.”
BANKSIDE APPEALED FOR MANY REASONS. THE TRANSPORT LINKS ARE EXCELLENT FROM ALL DIRECTIONS. IT WAS AN EASY SELL TO EVERYONE WHO WORKS FOR US 50 issue 15 summer 2016
Business relocators
PWC “Southwark is a borough of contrasts and challenges,” says David Adair, head of community affairs at PwC. “When PwC became involved in Southwark in the early 1990s, based in Southwark Towers where The Shard now stands, it was a key moment in the borough’s development. PwC remains deeply involved in regeneration and development projects focused on improving the social and physical infrastructure of the borough. And, more importantly, the life chances of the vibrant multicultural mix of residents within it. “Southwark had not previously attracted significant investment or regeneration initiatives from private companies. PwC’s involvement began just as this situation started to change, focusing primarily on raising the educational achievement and employability skills of the borough’s young people. It has since extended to support
social enterprise and employability prospects of all in the borough through our 7 More London building and The Fire Station, PwC’s social enterprise hub on Tooley Street, which houses the School for Social Entrepreneurs and Social Enterprise UK. Our social enterprise restaurant and venue space Brigade trains those at risk of homelessness in culinary skills. It is now almost five years old and has worked with more than 1,000 homeless people. “PwC employees share their skills with local schools, working with Southwark Education Business Alliance on mentoring programmes in secondary schools.” Adair also chairs the council’s Southwark Business Forum, engaging corporates to offer skills and time. “Our staff enjoy working, volunteering, fundraising and socialising in such a lively, pulsating borough. We’ve been delighted to play a part in the transformation of Southwark and look forward to seeing it develop and grow.” OPPOSITE: Engineering giant Ramboll and travel publisher Lonely Planet both now occupy space at 240 Blackfriars Road. LEFT: PwC’s offices at 7 More London. The firm helped kickstart renewed interest in Southwark.
southwarkmagazine.com
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ABOVE: Mondrian London were keen to build a hotel in a new “unique environment”. RIGHT: “Affordable luxury” is on offer at the CitizenM hotel in Southwark. FAR RIGHT: The Shangri-La hotel at The Shard.
52 issue 15 summer 2016
MONDRIAN HOTEL
SHANGRI-LA AT THE SHARD
“Our first two properties in London, St Martins Lane and Sanderson, were the first boutique hotels in their respective locations and where they led, others followed; not just hotels but other businesses,” says Anne Golden, general manager at Mondrian London. “After the success of these hotels, we were keen to introduce our Mondrian brand to a new location and audience in London where we could again be part of a unique environment. We found this on the South Bank. “To be part of the development of the Sea Containers House building, which is itself part of a very exciting regeneration of the South Bank and Southwark, has been tremendously exciting. “We are also committed to working closely with local businesses and the community to ensure the development of the area retains the integrity and characteristics that originally drew us to the South Bank.”
The Shangri-La hotel – on floors 34 to 52 of The Shard – opened in May 2014. It was the 83rd hotel for Hong Kongbased Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and the company’s first property in the UK. Offering unrivalled views in every direction, London’s first high-rise hotel overlooks the likes of the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral. It is also located minutes from the City of London.
CITIZENM CitizenM offers ‘affordable luxury’ for what the hotel calls the smart new breed of international traveler. “They need accommodation in a good location, and they could do without unnecessary or hidden costs.” The Bankside hotel offers 370 rooms. The CitizenM group aims to offer stylish design, good value and a social atmosphere, in prime locations in metropolitan cities.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE FORMER SOUTHWARK TOWN HALL BY ALUMNO DEMONSTRATES THAT PLACEMAKING BELONGS TO EVERYONE Alumno and their main contractor HG Construction continue the radical and visionary redesign of the former Southwark Town Hall. The images highlight how this approach to placemaking, drives a process through which we work together to shape our public spaces. The Alumno approach is rooted in community-based participation, and involves the planning, design, management and programming of shared use spaces. We have successfully delivered student housing and mixed used developments throughout the UK for the past 10 years and we have used this experience to fully realize the potential of the town hall building. Alumno more than just designed the spaces, our placemaking strategy for the town hall brings together diverse people and organizations to improve a community’s cultural, economic and social offering. We have ensured that the key principles are adhered to; making the building visionary, adaptable, inclusive, creating a destination, and putting function before form. The town hall aims to make a place and demonstrate that people of all ages, abilities, and socio-economic backgrounds can not only access and enjoy a place, but also play a key role in its identity, creation and ongoing sustainability. Opening in September, the Former Town Hall will provide a new home for students studying at the world famous Goldsmiths University, affordable artists studios managed by SPACE studios and a café / gallery operated by local not for profit company “HOTEL ELEPHANT”. The building will also provide a new, modern and state of the art children’s theatre for “Theatre Peckham”. This will include a fully functional auditorium and theatre space and new large rehearsal studios. Theatre Peckham will continue to provide and run courses and workshops which offers significant opportunities to local young people to engage with creative arts at an early age.
Alumno Developments Ltd 2nd Floor, 10 Frith Street London W1D 3JF T. 020 7434 2384
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HIGHER LEVELS
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The transformation of Peckham is one of London’s major talking points. James Wood explores how developers are engaging with the area’s diverse community to spur further positive change in this exciting part of Southwark
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LONDONERS LOOKING TO SETTLE in a new area – particularly those in their 20s and early 30s – are likely to hear the words “up and coming” when being persuaded of the virtues of a place formerly considered to be out in the suburbs. It is widely acknowledged by those with an interest in the changing face of the capital that Peckham has been transformed from a rundown suburb to a bustling centre, now popular with artists and featuring an array of fashionable bars, restaurants and music southwarkmagazine.com
venues. Peckham is also praised, however, for the retention of its village feel, with the likes of Bellenden Road home to various artisan bakers and butchers. Despite the benefits of these improvements, there has been talk in recent years about the potential of ostracising and even forcing out families who may have lived in Peckham for generations. As house prices and the costs of living soar, some of these Southwark residents struggle with the area’s dramatic changes.
ABOVE: Industrial buildings at Copeland Park in Peckham Rye have been transformed to make way for artists’ studios, live music venues, bars, restaurants and a rooftop cinema.
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Peckham
PECKHAM IS SINGULARLY THE MOST CULTURALLY EXCITING AREA IN LONDON. AN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT MATCH FOR OUR IDENTITY AS AN INSTITUTION
MOUNTVIEW ACADEMY OF THEATRE ARTS
Southwark Council acknowledges this and is keen to nurture the existing community. It is achieving this by bringing about gradual change rather than imposing development. To ask the district’s residents their views on regeneration projects, Peckham Co-Design was set up in 2014. The council commissioned creative teams including Ash Sakula, what if: projects and Landolt + Brown to engage with the community over plans to revamp and modernise the area around Peckham Rye station. It worked very well and led to further community engagement by Carl Turner Associates over plans to transform Peckham Library Square (page 58). Southwark Council also ran the Pocket Places scheme between 2013 and 2015, in partnership with sustainable transport charity 56 issue 15 summer 2016
Sustrans, to improve people’s experience of high streets in Peckham. Residents were invited to suggest ideas for unused space along Rye Lane and art installations, graffiti and pop-up ventures were commissioned in areas such as Bournemouth Close and Moncrieff Place. As the area becomes popular with a wider demographic – students are now just as likely to be found living here as third and fourth generation residents – some of the most popular and talked-about places to visit in London, such as Frank’s Cafe (see Peckham Levels opposite), have revitalised Peckham. To sustain the positivity, the borough’s council and other organisations invested in the area are now engaging people through various initiatives. Southwark magazine looks at some of the best.
“This is the most wonderful opportunity to have become available to us in the 75 years that this organisation has existed.” Stephen Jameson, principal and artistic director of the respected Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts, is clearly excited about the organisation’s move from north London to a site right next to the RIBA Stirling Prizewinning Peckham Library. The search for new premises has taken almost six years. Jameson feels that the wait has been worth it: “Peckham is singularly the most culturally exciting area in London. It is an absolutely perfect match for our identity as an institution.” How they did choose the site? He puts it down to a twist of fate. “Matthew Turnbull, our commercial director, was speaking to somebody at a party who suggested we get in touch with Southwark Council. We put in a phone call about 14 months ago and before we knew it, we were sitting in a meeting with the regeneration and arts and culture people. It turned out that they could offer us a facility that was ideal for our needs.” The council was looking for a company that was keen to involve the community and Jameson’s enthusiasm for local engagement is remarkable. Not only will the academy put on specially commissioned performances by respected playwrights for people to enjoy, but will offer a host of other opportunities, particularly for the younger generation. “We will have fantastic access to younger people in the community and we’re passionate about discovering hidden talent,” he says. “We plan to engage about 200 local kids through workshops and classes at weekends, and a provision for 16 to 24-year-olds on four evenings a week. On top of that, students will
Peckham
OPPOSITE: Mountview could move its base to Peckham by September 2018. ABOVE: Hair and beauty at Peckham Palms. BELOW: Up to 600 members could eventually find a home at Peckham Levels.
be going out and about to Peckham schools and colleges to engage kids. The teachers absolutely love it too.” Mountview is highly respected in the UK and caters for around 400 students; actors, actor musicians, musical theatre actors, directors and musical directors. The institution offers three courses – a two-year foundation, a three-year BA and a one-year diploma, training young actors in preparation for roles in theatre, live performance, television and film. Jameson is proud that students come from all over the world to attend Mountview. “There is such incredible diversity,” he says. If all goes well and planning permission is approved to develop the venue, Mountview will move to its Peckham base in September 2018. The academy will become part of a place that Jameson believes will be “a crucible of creativity”.
PECKHAM LEVELS It may seem unlikely but a multi-storey car park in Peckham has become famous in London, mainly for its rooftop. Frank’s Cafe opened in 2008, offering spectacular views of London and Campari as its main choice of drink to curious punters. The car park has also served as an exhibition space for artists during this time. Run by not-for-profit organisation Bold Tendencies, these summer pop-up ventures are still going strong in what is now their 10th year. In 2015, Southwark Council southwarkmagazine.com
invited bids for further creative uses of the building. The authority selected Peckham Levels in November 2015, which will provide temporary workspace for artists, designers and makers. The team behind the successful bid, formerly named Pop Community, is now known as Make Shift, a partnership between Carl Turner Architects and property developer The Collective. Construction work started in June 2016. When established later this year, the project will run for five years and cater for up to 600 creative members, who will make use of artists’ studios and community space over seven levels. According to Make Shift, members will be selected based on their “positivity, ethos and desire for collaboration”. The initiative will be brought forward gradually, with the shared workspaces, studios and office units scheduled to open in the autumn, and exhibition, lecture and community event space expected to emerge on levels five and six in early 2017. Work spaces on levels three and four will focus on the design, technology and media sectors, with facilities including recording, editing and photography suites. Below this, space will be dedicated to ‘art and making’ – with members able to use print facilities, kiln rooms, and fabrication and design equipment. It is hoped that these areas will be available to community groups for at least 25% of the time. The basement of the car park will become an underground events space for music and theatre. To engage the community while inspiring and supporting local talent is a key aim of the project, and rental costs will be subsidised to help businesses and entrepreneurs just starting out. Make Shift says that at least 70% of members will be Southwark residents and a condition of membership is for an hour each week to be devoted to local projects, community groups and causes. A 10th of all profits will be used to create a community fund to be invested in the local economy and social projects.
PECKHAM PALMS Peckham’s numerous hair and beauty salons, run predominantly by African-Caribbean hairdressers and nail-bar owners, have been a prominent feature of the area for years. As a result of the Gateway to Peckham project – a new public square in front of Peckham Rye station (page 58) – Southwark Council believes it is crucial to help these businesses relocate and grow without reducing the number of customers coming through their doors. Instead of moving the hairdressers and beauty parlours to different units across issue
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Peckham, the council has opted to establish a row of commercial units on Bournemouth Close, creating a hair and beauty destination. The project is called Peckham Palms – a ‘specially designed, palm tree-themed beauty boulevard’, which can accommodate around 40 workers. Councillor Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes, explains: “In the beginning, Peckham Palms was a creative solution to help the many hair and beauty businesses around the station find new premises during the construction. “However, we now have a more ambitious vision. We want the businesses relocating to Peckham Palms not only to get the full 58 issue 15 summer 2016
business and marketing support they need, but to grow and make it London’s number one spot for African-Caribbean hair and beauty.” The council is now appointing an organisation to run the venture. Subject to planning permission, Peckham Palms will open in winter 2016.
GATEWAY TO PECKHAM Plans to renovate the area surrounding Peckham Rye station were first mooted in 2012. The council has provided £10 million towards the project and secured £5.25 million through the Greater London Authority’s London Regeneration Fund. In early 2015, the authority appointed
architect Landolt + Brown to develop the proposals through a co-design process, engaging with the public. Four workshops were held between April and July 2015. A planning application, submitted in October 2015, was granted approval in March 2016. It is anticipated that a start will be made on-site by the end of 2016.
PECKHAM LIBRARY SQUARE A RIBA Stirling Prize-winning building requires the area fronting it to match its quality of architecture. The Peckham CoDesign process for the square redevelopment in front of Peckham Library, which was awarded the prestigious architecture prize in
Peckham
2000, involved a series of workshops. Carl Turner Architects has been appointed to work on the concept design, using these sessions in 2015 to discuss options with the public, such as a new canopy for the square. The ideas will feed into the final plans. A planning application is expected to be submitted shortly. Meanwhile, Southwark Council is seeking a gallery operator to manage and programme a new non-commercial gallery space. The local authority wants to find an operator that engages with the cultural industries present in Peckham. The new gallery space, with a
OPPOSITE PAGE: Southwark Council has contributed £10 million towards redeveloping the area surrounding Peckham Rye station. THIS PAGE: The Flaxyards and Sumner House development will help meet a target of 11,000 council homes by 2043.
footprint of 337sq m, will feature year-round exhibitions and various artists’ residencies. When awarding the library the Stirling Prize 16 years ago, judges called it a “building full of bravado” that had captured the hearts of people living nearby. They added: “Libraries do not usually attract as much attention as this one in south London. Its unusual shape and striking colours make for an eye-catching building. The young people of Peckham flock into their library every day. In the end, this is a building to make you smile: more architecture should do that.”
FLAXING PECKHAM’S MUSCLES Southwark Council is planning to provide 11,000 council homes in the borough by 2043; 1,500 of which are scheduled for delivery by 2018. In Peckham, the second public consultation on Flaxyards and Sumner House took place in May 2016. The scheme on Sumner Road is a residential development with green and commercial spaces, and would include around 330 homes of mixed tenure: private sale, intermediate housing and social rent. A planning application is scheduled for later in 2016. In Peckham town centre, new homes, retail and leisure are planned on the Aylesham southwarkmagazine.com
shopping centre site on Rye Lane. A planning application is being prepared by Tiger Developments and hedge fund BlackRock for submission within the next year. It is expected to also include around 32,500sq m of retail and commercial space. Elsewhere, developer Notting Hill Housing started work on its Wooddene development in Peckham in 2015. The scheme includes 333 mixed social rent, market rent, private sale and shared ownership homes. The development also features an energy centre and commercial space, and is expected to be completed in 2018.
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COPELAND PARK A series of old industrial buildings at Copeland Park, minutes from Peckham Rye station, are home to a range of creative, artistic, fitness and faith groups. Occupiers are mainly to be found in the 19th century Bussey Building, which is named after the sporting goods manufacturer George Bussey. The building was originally used for developing sports equipment, particularly cricket bats. Copeland Park now attracts a vast range of uses, including artists’ studios, rehearsal space for theatre groups, live music venues, a summer rooftop cinema, fitness studios, bars and restaurants, and space for faith groups. It also features a small commercial arcade, which houses a record shop, cafe, broadcasting space and a hair salon.
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WORKING TOGETHER Building regulations? No problem – we’re here to help Whether you’re building a dwelling extension or a complex skyscraper Southwark Council’s building control team can help you. > We have dedicated and experienced building control surveyors > We provide advice and support for our clients and design teams > We take the complexity out of the technical > We promote and support innovative design solutions Peter Card, head of building control 020 7525 5588 Simon Harvey, group manager 020 7525 5586 building.control@southwark.gov.uk www.southwark.gov.uk/buildingcontrol
Southwark’s regional winners in the 2015 LABC London Building Excellence Awards
Image: Peter Durant
Mickey Lee
Best domestic extension – Frank Dixon Way, Dulwich
Best large housing development – Neo, Bankside
Best large commercial and best technical innovation – The Shard, Borough
www.southwark.gov.uk
Sitematch
HOMEWARD BOUND Sitematch research manager Huub Nieuwstadt unpicks the opportunities in Southwark Council’s Regeneration in Partnership Programme SEEDS OF CHANGE: Flaxyards is one of the packages available as part of the Southwark Regeneration in Partnership Programme.
London is facing a huge challenge in the coming years: how will enough affordable homes be provided for an increasing population? Southwark Council is tackling the issue by putting itself in a leading position as a housebuilding council, setting an ambitious target of 11,000 council homes by 2043, including 1,500 homes by 2018. These properties will be delivered through a combination of redeveloping existing estates, purchasing homes directly from developers and transforming council-owned land through the Southwark Regeneration in Partnership Programme (SRPP). Approved by the council’s cabinet in October 2015, the SRPP’s aim is to deliver more than 1,500 homes of mixed tenure, by packaging small underutilised or redundant sites to create new opportunities that are 62 issue 15 summer 2016
brought to market through the Greater London Authority’s London Development Panel. Working closely with the developers on this panel, the council is able to maximise quality, utility and value while redeveloping its assets. To this end, the council organised a bidders day in November 2015, where the partners of the London Development Panel learned about the SRPP and related opportunities. On 3 March 2016, the council’s cabinet decided to approve the tender process of two lots. Bids to redevelop these have been received by the council and a partner is currently being selected. The packages include Sumner Road/ Flaxyards and Parkhouse Street in Camberwell. Some sites will deliver mixeduse schemes, while others focus exclusively
on residential. The council is looking to have these projects on-site in 2016. Later this year, developers will be invited to submit bids for further lots. Similarly, these lots will contain a number of smaller sites grouped together to form an attractive proposition to developers. The council will announce further details shortly. For further information, contact Bruce Glockling, Southwark Council’s head of regeneration, at bruce.glockling@southwark.gov.uk Sitematch London is an event that enables public sector landowners to engage with private sector developers, investors and occupiers. For more information visit sitematchlondon.com
“We are keen to meet with potential partners to help build 11,000 council homes and a range of new community facilities. We look forward to hosting the next Sitematch London in Southwark” Eleanor Kelly, chief executive, Southwark Council
8 FEBRUARY 2017, THE SHARD, LONDON VISIT SITEMATCHLONDON.COM OR CONTACT PAUL GUSSAR PAUL@3FOXINTERNATIONAL.COM OR 0207 978 6840 Advisers
Organiser
Partners
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Capita Real Estate
Investing in Southwark
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Strong in SE1
Civic pride Modern art, leisure and fitness, community cohesion – investment in new public buildings
Regeneration location London Bridge station, Guy’s Cancer Centre and the new Science Gallery – world-class projects
Urban beats Exploring the new public spaces being created through the renewal of neighbourhoods
Bend it like Peckham Nurturing the existing community, sharing the benefits of positive change in the area
We’re here too Leaders of large organisations discuss why Southwark is their ideal choice for relocation
southwark Issue 15 Summer 2016
Issue 15 Summer 2016
Unlocking potential
SPACES & PLACES REINVIGORATED
Where people visit for health, entertainment, culture or learning – investment for communities, indoors and outside