Southwark magazine #22 by 3Fox

southwark

LANDMARK COURT

Low Line aims high A musical journey along the railway line shows the breadth of Southwark’s cultural offer

Something for everyone New hotels are serving local people – bringing jobs, community facilities and tourist pounds

A medical millennium Streets where Florence Nightingale practised are nursing a new generation of medical pioneers

New for Old Old Kent Road’s renewal: 20,000 homes, 10,000 jobs, parks and schools, and the Underground

Plays, plants and parades Blackfriars Stories takes a wry look at history – and connects people to the road’s future

southwark

WE LOVE SOUTHWARK STREET

Issue 22 Winter 2019

At the heart of Southwark Street lies a forgotten place. Empty and dormant for over 30 years, the site where we will build Landmark Court has been unable to take its rightful place in this thriving area. It’s the last piece in the puzzle of one of London’s most successful streets. Landmark Court, the missing piece of Southwark Street. landmarkcourtsouthwark.co.uk Issue 22 Winter 2019

A STEP CHANGE IN DEVELOPMENT

A London Bridge medical science cluster, cultural attractions on Bankside, and development opportunities on Old Kent Road are taking the borough’s regeneration to the next level

MALT STREET LONDON SE1

These organisations attend Sitematch London to meet new development and investment partners...

One Public Estate

An exciting new green place for everyone www.berkeleygroup.co.uk Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies

Prices and details correct at time of going to press. Computer Generated Image is indicative only.

Berkeley are passionate about creating amazing new spaces to live, work and enjoy.

Our plans for...take our new sitewith along theatOld Kent RoadLONDON will deliver toa1,300 a seat them SITEMATCH 2020upfor series of one-to-one speed dating style meetings, workshops and discussion panels featuring new homes, many of them affordable homes, alongside 75,000 sq ft of senior public sector figures. industrial, commercial and retail space and a 250m long brand new linear FEBRUARY 2020,Over 155half BISHOPSGATE, park for the whole6community to enjoy. of the site will beLIVERPOOL public open STREET, EC2M 3YD space with a large central piazza and green streets to enhance pedestrian Delegate and networking available. Contact and cyclist permeability in the area. We passes are alsonow creating generous newus now to secure your place. employment spaces to provide a 400% increase in jobs on site. 020 7978 6840 | sitematchlondon.com We are proud to be working with Southwark Council to create a fantastic new place for all.

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Our plans for our new site along the Old Kent Road will deliver up to 1,300 new homes, many of them affordable homes, alongside 75,000 sq ft of industrial, commercial and retail space and a 250m long brand new linear park for the whole community to enjoy. Over half of the site will be public open space with a large central piazza and green streets to enhance pedestrian and cyclist permeability in the area. We are also creating generous new employment spaces to provide a 400% increase in jobs on site. We are proud to be working with Southwark Council to create a fantastic new place for all.

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Working with the London Borough of Southwark to create a vibrant, inclusive, mixed-use development at Canada Water slurC

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Find out more at: www.canadawatermasterplan.com www.britishland.com M

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PROUD TO BE INVESTING IN SOUTHWARK INTRODUCING LONDON SQUARE BERMONDSEY

London Square focuses on prime locations with good transport links – places where people want to live. London Square Bermondsey is a perfect example, regenerating the Rich Industrial Estate with an exciting scheme that spans 4.7 acres, and combines homes of all tenures, public realm and a commercial hub. The Sales Suite and Show Apartments are now open and showcase the new build and warehouse style 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments exceptionally. For more information on our portfolio or to join our award winning team, please contact us.

CALL 01895 627 333 OR VISIT WWW.LONDONSQUARE.CO.UK Computer generated image depicts London Square Bermondsey and is indicative only. Photography depicts the Sales Suite and The Crosse Show Apartment at London Square Bermondsey. Details are correct at time of going to press – March 2019.

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10 news Consultations, awards, building the new and protecting the old.

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24 hotels How new hotels can benefit local people and businesses as well as visitors to Southwark. 35 medical hub Guy’s and KCL are building a high-tech medical science cluster.

40 old kent road As the area’s regeneration gets underway we walk the road, examine the plans, and learn how the council is addressing local people’s concerns. 48 santa’s helpers Profiling a very unusual business tucked away in the industrial estates off Old Kent Road. 52 projects New buildings for Southwark residents, students, businesses, autistic kids – and farm animals.

15 the low line Exploring some of the cultural hotspots linked together by an innovative musical project.

EDITOR Matt Ross DESIGN Smallfury PRODUCTION MANAGER Christopher Hazeldine BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Paul Gussar PROJECT MANAGER Sue Mapara SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Simon Maxwell MANAGING DIRECTOR Toby Fox PRINTED BY The Manson Group

COVER IMAGE citizenM hotel, Bankside IMAGES Neil Fraser, Niklas Hallen, Portlandrevibe.com, Alex Harvey-Brown / Savannah Photographic, British Land, Kilian O’Sullivan / © View Pictures Ltd, © Sam Mellish, © Lydia Evans, © Richard Powers Photographer, Southwark Council, Rajvi Vaya, Richard Lakos Sunley House, Bedford Park, Croydon CR0 2AP PUBLISHED BY T 020 7978 6840 W 3foxinternational.com SUBSCRIPTIONS AND FEEDBACK southwarkmagazine.com southwarkmagazine.com

©3Fox International Limited 2019. 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. issue

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09 Introduction What to expect in Southwark.

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29 blackfriars stories How new developments along Blackfriars Road created an opportunity for cultural regeneration – bringing life back to one of London’s key thoroughfares.

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PROUD TO BE SUPPORTING

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Southwark Council and the community in the regeneration of the London Bridge area.

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southwark PRESENT AT BIRTH San Francisco, Boston, Southwark. All these are global hubs of medical excellence, and we’re proud of our growing cluster at London Bridge – driven by King’s College and Guy’s Hospital. After nearly 1000 years as a medical centre, the campus is becoming a giant maternity unit for biomedical sciences, giving birth to ground-breaking medical research and high-tech companies. As the campus expands, we’re building a medi-cultural district, with attractions including the new Science Gallery London (pictured) – which is inspiring 300,000 young people every year. We want our residents to benefit from the latest technologies in healthcare, and to access opportunities in world-class facilities. Exciting new community spaces like Science Gallery London are the start of this journey. That theme of building on our heritage continues just to the west, where the fiveyear-old Blackfriars Stories programme – built around quirky events – is bringing history to life as it supports regeneration. And linking them together is a new walking route adjacent to the railway viaduct, where people can visit the attractions springing up: New York may have the High Line, but Southwark has the Low Line. When the Tate Modern opened, most visitors nipped down to Southwark from hotels in the West End. Today they stay here, and spend their money in our local economy. We tell the story of the new hotels which are opening, and our work to ensure that we get the best quality developments and maximise community benefits for our local residents. Finally, we take a trip down the Old Kent Road to update you on the plans for a new neighbourhood with 20,000 homes and 10,000 jobs, and focus on the new business space coming forward. Medical, cultural, hospitality and construction: there are so many growing employment sectors in Southwark. We are all about ensuring that our residents get the best possible choice and opportunities. Councillor Peter John OBE Leader of Southwark Council

CONTACT Dan Taylor / Chief Executive’s Department Southwark Council / 160 Tooley Street / SE1 2QH regen.info@southwark.gov.uk / 020 7525 5450 southwarkmagazine.com

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The Blue is in between all those places. And it’s the right time for it to happen now.” Councillor Stephanie Cryan, who holds the business portfolio for Southwark Council, praised local residents’ and businesses’ work to secure funding and develop plans for the marketplace’s regeneration. “Our local high streets, town centres and markets are the life’s blood of the borough, and at Southwark we want to help all our local businesses thrive,” she said. “I am excited to be working with such a dedicated group of local people to put this historic part of Bermondsey back on the map.”

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market into a thriving area, building on The Blue’s identity as the ‘Larder of London.’ “This is a 15-year-old dream that is starting to happen,” said Russell Dryden, who’s on the Blue BID’s board and has run a fish and seafood stall at the marketplace for the last 35 years. “There’s been a design team set up, as well as a client group and a steering group, and we have all been working together collecting suggestions. It’s now happening at a time when other things are occurring including the Low Line (see p15), Canada Water [redevelopment] and Old Kent Road [regeneration]. “People are now seeing what a good hub

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The £2 million revamp of Bermondsey’s historic town centre, The Blue, moved a step forward in mid-September as consultations began on the regeneration scheme. The consultation ended in mid-October, with work set to be completed by March 2021. In July the Blue BID, a local business network which is running the consultation, appointed Bermondsey-based architects Hayatsu to lead the overhaul. The firm will be working with design studio Assemble. The redevelopment of The Blue, where there has been a market for more than 100 years, is supported by a grant from a mayoral fund. The aim is to turn the centre and street

BERMONDSEY BID CONSULTS ON THE BLUE REVIVAL

WHAT’S NEW AND HAPPENING IN SOUTHWARK

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COUNCIL CONSULTS ON SOCIAL BENEFITS OF OLD KENT ROAD REGENERATION Residents have been giving their views on how regeneration along Old Kent Road (see p41) should bring benefits to local people, as the council develops its Social Regeneration Charter for the area. The council began six weeks of consultation after its Cabinet approved a draft version of the Charter in September. The document includes ten promises to local people, pledging that the regeneration programme will bring benefits including better air quality, more open space, 10,000 new jobs, 5,000 new social rented homes, and the Bakerloo Line Extension. Councillor Leo Pollak, cabinet member for social regeneration, great estates and new council homes, said: “The regeneration plans for the Old Kent Road will define the borough for generations to come, which is why we have to be sure it works for all the community, working to measurably reduce health, housing and economical inequalities in the borough. “We want to make sure the strategies and plans of ourselves, developers, TfL and other partners are properly aligned to the needs of our local communities, which is why our draft charter makes a set of far-reaching demands, from meeting the entire identified housing need in the area, to radically improving air quality and expanding the coverage of new green open space. “The draft charter is the product of thousands of conversations with local people but we want to hear from as many people as possible to ensure our residents are the main beneficiaries of change along Old Kent Road to make sure we have the right measures of success going forward.”

LAND PURCHASES TO BOOST OKR REGENERATION PLANS Southwark Council has bought a new site on the Old Kent Road, currently occupied by the “variety goods value retailer” B&M. Colin Wilson, who is overseeing the regeneration of Old Kent Road (see p41), said: “The neighbouring site at Currys/PC World and these strategic acquisitions will help the council deliver new council housing and ensure that the OKR Area Action Plan aspirations for mix of uses and new park space are delivered. “The council is currently reviewing its masterplan for this part of Old Kent Road, following engagement and feedback from local residents, and ownership of these sites will give the council greater control over the shape and content of future development.” southwarkmagazine.com

CANADA WATER MASTERPLAN GRANTED PERMISSION Planning permission has been granted to bring the vision of the Canada Water Masterplan into reality with a new town centre, thousands of homes and jobs. Southwark Council’s planning committee helped progress the mixed-use scheme to the next stage at a meeting at the end of September. The development will provide workspace for around 20,000 jobs, retail, leisure and entertainment space and around 3,000 new homes of which 35% will be affordable. The buildings will be supporting low carbon living and the projects will include 12 acres of new open space including a 3.5-acre park, a new town square (pictured above), as well as 16 new streets and the first new high street in London for 100 years. Planning permission was granted for the British Land Masterplan after five years of extensive consultation and engagement with the community. A partnership was created last year between Southwark Council and developer British Land after they entered into a Master Development Agreement. The target date for completing construction of the masterplan’s elements is 2033. issue

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Read up-to-date news stories about Southwark’s regeneration online at southwarkmagazine.com

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NEW PLEDGES ON ROOFTOP HOMES AS COUNCIL PROJECT WINS AWARD Plans have been outlined to introduce a set of principles governing Southwark Council’s work to create new homes on the rooftops of existing council properties, as one of Southwark’s new council home developments wins a design award. The council believes it may be able to build hundreds of new homes by adding extensions to blocks of flats, helping to address the borough’s acute housing need. There are more than 12,000 families on the waiting list for housing, and more than 2,000 children currently live in temporary accommodation. Southwark has one of the most ambitious council house building programmes in the country, with a commitment to build 11,000 brand new council properties by 2043. Over 600 council homes have already been delivered and more are on the way, but the shortage of suitable land has encouraged the council to consider new and innovative ways to provide housing. These include building new homes on existing council estates – as in the Marklake Court development on Bermondsey’s Kipling Estate (pictured), which has just won the Housing Award in the New London Awards 2019. Comprising 27 apartments constructed on a site previously occupied by 12 under-used garages, the project in part owes its victory in the awards – which recognise excellence in architecture, planning and development – to its strong commitment to community consultation and engagement. Local residents helped shape the Marklake Court proposals, and Kipling Estate tenants moving into the development were able to decide the layouts and finishes of their new homes. High-quality design and strong community engagement are essential to such projects. So as the council pursues its plans to create properties on the rooftops of existing blocks, it is developing a set of principles and commitments governing how the programme will be developed – helping to minimise any negative impacts, and to ensure that existing residents benefit from the work. Councillor Leo Pollak, cabinet member for social regeneration, great estates and new 12 issue 22 winter 2019

homes, said: “Rooftop housing has great potential to not only deliver hundreds of high-quality new council homes and improve existing homes, but also to help de-carbonise the development supply chain. “We’ve spoken to residents about the opportunities and challenges linked to rooftop housing, and the kind of preferences that were raised were things like their desire to remain on the top floor, being prioritised for the new homes, and improvements being made to the rest of the block. “Unlocking a new dimension of council housing supply like this is not going to be straightforward, but we are driven by the potential for hundreds, potentially thousands of new council homes in our borough.” Marklake Court was designed by Bell Phillips Architects for the Leathermarket Community Benefit Society, while the community engagement work was carried out by development managers igloo Community Builders. The scheme secured £350,000 of Greater London Authority funding to help it win planning permission in 2015, and was completed in 2018 under Southwark’s council home building programme.

PECKHAM THEATRE GETS STAR DONATION Top West End theatre producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh has given £1 million to the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. The producer’s donation, handed over in May, completes a £6.5 million fundraising campaign for the school’s new £30 million home in Peckham, and means plans for a 200-seat theatre space can be delivered. The school had been based in Crouch End and Wood Green in north London since 1945. Mackintosh said it was an “inspired idea” to relocate the school to “an exciting and diverse borough of London, far away from the leafy, affluent suburbs where drama schools are usually sited”. “A lot has been written recently, sometimes unfairly, about careers in the theatre being out of reach to anyone who is not from a well-heeled background,” he added. “The new Mountview will prove that to get on, you don’t have to be posh. You just have to be good.” Working class people continue to be hugely under-represented in the arts. A report by Create London last year declared the issue an “arts emergency”, noting that only 12% of people working in film, TV and radio are from a working class background. In the performing arts, the figure is 18%.

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SOUTHWARK SUPPORTS CAR FREE DAY Southwark closed off some of its most famous roads on 22 September to support World Car Free Day. Just over 16 miles (27 km) of streets were shut across the capital, including London Bridge and Tower Bridge – with the latter hosting classic cycle rides. Elsewhere, Bank junction was turned into a festival space, while children raced go-karts in the Square Mile. Around 18 of London’s 32 boroughs organised events, including BMX rides, skate ramps, pop-up playgrounds, live music and street performances, sports, treasure hunts, food markets, art installations, and health and wellbeing activities. The events, run under the banner Reimagine, attracted around 150,000 people. Councils continue to promote cycling and safer streets, with 24 London boroughs having so far established more than 340 ‘play streets’ – where car use is constrained, enabling local residents to socialise and play in the streets.

THIRD PHASE OF ELEPHANT PARK NEARS COMPLETION Lendlease’s two new towers at Elephant Park reached their full height in August. The third phase of the £2.3 billion development in Elephant & Castle has involved the construction of 829 flats in two 24-storey towers and nine mansion blocks, along with retail and leisure units. More than 1,300 homes have already been completed at the development, and retailers have begun trading. In total, Lendlease’s scheme includes 2,689 homes, 541 of them affordable and 92 for social rent.

TREES TOP COUNCIL AGENDA The council has put out a call to get people involved in shaping a draft plan governing how it manages, protects and promotes the borough’s trees. The long-term plan will decide how the council manages existing trees, guards against their unnecessary removal, maximises their contribution to air quality, and promotes good management of trees. The council currently looks after around 82,000 trees, including 16,000 on streets, 44,000 in parks, 17,000 on housing estates, and 5,000 in school grounds. It is also responsible for 54 hectares of woodland, including 64 local Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation. Just under 40,000 privatelyowned trees are also managed by the council. southwarkmagazine.com

RIGHT: J Mills and Sons bottles are now collector’s items, like these stoneware products offered for sale by portlandrevibe.com.

HISTORIC BOTTLING PLANT SAVED A historic bottling plant in Ossory Road has been saved from potential demolition. The council has stepped in to protect the J Mills and Sons building, which operated as a bottling plant for nearly a century. Located at 12 Ossory Road, near the Old Kent Road Asda superstore, the factory was added to the Glengall Road Conservation Area in May, when the council approved a recommendation to extend the boundary. The freehold interest has since been purchased by Fabrix Capital, which aims to refurbish the building and provide creative office and maker space. Councillor Johnson Situ, cabinet member for growth, development and planning, said: “Our vision for Old Kent Road is to build on its unique creative character, a place where industry can thrive alongside new homes and quality open spaces. The loss of this previously undesignated heritage asset would have been detrimental to the whole Old Kent Road area, which has lost a majority of its industrial heritage over time. “At Southwark we believe it’s important to protect and retain the remaining traces of this heritage wherever possible. And now that the building is within the boundaries of the conservation area, I’m thrilled that it looks like it will be refurbished and remain part of the Old Kent Road area.” The building dates to the late 19th century and is built from characteristic London yellow stock brick, with polished brick quoins and a natural slate roof. It has a large prominent gable to the east elevation, facing a cobbled yard and the entrance from Ossory Road. The factory retains its original Crittall-style warehouse fenestration, timber hoist doors and chimneys, while a range of ancillary buildings stand opposite the main factory to the east. issue

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No-one knows the answers better than the leaders themselves, and The Voice of Authority is the first-ever platform for them to express their individual opinions in interviews that are completely unedited and unfiltered.

Unfiltered. Unedited. Undeniable.

thevoiceofauthority.co.uk @TheVoiceofAuth

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Everyone involved in development can benefit from an inside understanding of what drives and motivates top local authority people. What are their personal views? What are their priorities? What influences their thinking when making farreaching decisions?

Pat Hayes Managing director Be First

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It seemed like a good idea, but I nearly got the leader lynched.â&#x20AC;?

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The Low Line

WALK THE LINE Southwark’s many cultures provide dozens of reasons to explore the borough. And a new music project, built around a Victorian railway line, allows tourists and local people to navigate them to a unique soundtrack. Adam Branson discovers why the area attracts such a diverse range of visitors. Pictures by Neil Fraser IN THE HEYDAY of Victorian engineering, railway viaducts were raised along the South bank of the Thames, running from Bankside through London Bridge to Bermondsey. And 150 years on, visitors to the area can now take a cultural journey through their arches and tunnels – exploring a host of theatrical, artistic, religious and culinary attractions to a unique soundtrack. The Low Line – its name echoing Manhattan’s High Line, the raised walkway converted from another historic transport link – is a street-level walking route, created to celebrate the railway arches’ history and link their many entertainment and cultural venues. The brainchild of local resident David Stephens, the Low Line is attracting growing numbers of local people and tourists, its visitors reflecting the enormous diversity of the area’s communities and attractions. The concept was originally developed by partners including business organisations Better Bankside, Team London Bridge and The Blue Bermondsey, property firm The Arch Company and Southwark Council. And in June, a new partner came on board: international arts organisation Musicity, whose contribution provides a musical dot-todot tracing out the viaduct’s route. VINEGAR YARD: Food, drink, clothing, music – and giant, scarlet metal ants.

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Musicity, founded in 2010 by radio presenter and producer Nick Luscombe, has commissioned original recordings from 15 musicians and artists that respond to particular spots around the Low Line. Each piece can only be accessed online when visitors stand in the space which it references. These spaces are many and varied, with relatively new additions such as Old Union Yard Arches and Flat Iron Square rubbing shoulders with established favourites such as Borough and Maltby Street markets. “It’s great to see the breadth of independent and cultural organisations setting up along this new walking route through the borough,” comments Councillor Johnson Situ, cabinet member for growth, development and planning. “These further enhance the cultural district in SE1, providing exciting spaces for

our residents, opportunities for business, and a destination for Londoners and visitors from across the world.” Certainly, the Low Line provides a rich seam of entertainment – from theatres to cafes, art galleries to street food markets. And as visitors explore the attractions – and halt at the area’s many restaurants and bars – they can listen to tracks by an amazing range of musicians, from electro-acoustic composer Thomas Stone to ethereal vocalist Szjerdene; breakbeat mash-up artist Suitman Jungle to Japanese-born, classically-trained violinist and composer Chihiro Ono. Grabbing a map and a decent set of headphones, Southwark magazine set off to explore a range of Low Line locations, meet some of their visitors, and hear the music they inspired. issue

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ABOVE: Art lies at the centre of The Underdog’s offer. BELOW RIGHT: Sammy Forway: ‘I have always loved art and music.’

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set within the context of a post-industrial, arguably pre-apocalyptic, world. Kieran Ingram’s work is similarly dark, often employing images of skulls that appear to float mid-air in the gallery. The craftsmanship of the visual trickery is so convincing, Forway says, that visitors often reach out expecting to touch a threedimensional object. The music written for the space by Erland Cooper, the critically-acclaimed musician and producer from Orkney, is suitably ethereal. The track opens with swelling synths, before a melodic piano melody gradually takes centre stage. The result is a peaceful, hypnotic atmosphere that invites reflection and juxtaposes with the rumble of trains overhead. It’s a far cry from the rock sounds that blast out from The Underdog on weekend evenings, but a fine accompaniment to an art gallery visit – however bleak the subject matter may be.

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However, visual art remains a key component of what The Underdog does – and as the venue’s name implies, the artists it represents are often outsiders. Lancashireborn Alan Rankle is a good example: his current series of paintings explore his preoccupation with landscape painting, but

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The Underdog London was founded by artist and musician Sammy Forway back in 2006. At that point, the business was dedicated purely to selling visual art online and hosting occasional shows for the artists it represented. However, Forway soon had bigger ideas. “I got my first gallery in 2007, on the Old Kent Road – it was a gallery upstairs with a music studio downstairs,” he says. “The business just grew from there. I have always loved art and music; I was in bands for years, and always wanted to do the art as well.” In 2011, The Underdog moved to its current location in a railway arch on Crucifix Lane, which runs parallel to the south side of London Bridge station. In addition to acting as a gallery space for the artists Forway continues to represent, the space doubles up as a café, bar and gig venue. “We started out just as a gallery with some pop-up events and music for gallery openings,” says Forway. “Now, we’ve had a programme of gigs running for the last six months. At the moment, we normally have live music three nights a week. We get some great bands in. We do a lot of rock, but we also have a jazz night on a Wednesday.”

1. THE UNDERDOG LONDON

The Low Line

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LEFT: American student Mark Charles enjoys the sunshine. BELOW: Clothing retailer Gennaro Boccia.

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Approaching Vinegar Yard from London Bridge station, the first thing that visitors see is a train carriage sitting on a plinth at first floor level. The sight is incongruous enough, but the gigantic, scarlet, metal insects clambering over the carriage make it a truly arresting spectacle. The installation is the work of British artist Joe Rush, who takes his inspiration from the film Mad Max and is best known for his largescale works made using scrap metal and old vehicles. The giant Arcadia Spider installation at Glastonbury Festival is a well-known example of his work. The track written for Vinegar Yard by Gestalt, a collaborative audio/visual project directed and curated by composers Joel Wells and Abi Wade, sounds like an auditory interpretation of Rush’s apocalyptic vision. With its moody baseline, intermittent percussion, and obscure yet menacing lyrics, it feels like a suitable soundtrack for the day when mechanical insects take over the city. “There’s a ghost in the machine” is an unsettling thing to hear as you admire the remarkably lifelike ants. And then, just to ram home the point: “I’m a symbol.” The track’s mood stands in stark contrast to the atmosphere at Vinegar Yard, which in addition to acting as a showcase for Rush’s art – he also has a open studio on site – features a wide range of bars and restaurants, as well as semi-permanent shops in cargo containers and a weekend makers’ market. The music pumping out from speakers dotted around the site is generally upbeat – plenty of soul, leavened by Rolling Stones – and on a warm September afternoon the place is occupied by scores of people enjoying a drink, a bite and the last vestiges of summer. Mark Charles is one such punter. Originally from Miami, Charles moved to London to study for a masters degree in international marketing at South Bank University. Having just submitted his dissertation, he’s enjoying a beer in the sunshine. “I live just down the road,” he says. “It’s a beautiful day, so I figured why not just come out and have a drink?” Also enjoying the weather is Italian-born Gennaro Boccia, who owns the Pezze vintage clothing store at Vinegar Yard. He’s been trading since the Yard opened in the spring, and thinks the mix of retail, art and food and drink has been a big success. “We’re normally here from Monday to the weekend, and Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday are just the best,” he says. “From three until late, people are here having fun. Tourists are coming; locals are coming. It’s just really good.”

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2. VINEGAR YARD

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3. SOUTHWARK CATHEDRAL

Southwark Cathedral – the Cathedral and Collegiate Church of St Saviour and St Mary Overie, as it is more formally known – stands at what was London’s first crossing point over the Thames. It is a place steeped in history. The first written evidence of a Christian establishment here is to be found in the 1086 Domesday Book, which refers to a minster. The church was re-founded 20 years later by two Norman knights as an Augustinian priory, whose members subsequently built the precursor to St Thomas’ Hospital (see p35). Following the 1539 dissolution of the monasteries the church became the property of King Henry VIII, who rented it to the congregation. A group of merchants bought

RIGHT: Southwark’s transport links and historic cathedral made it a good location for Tim Hamilton (top) and Jim Hever to meet up

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the building from King James I in 1611; but by the 1820s, the building’s condition had deteriorated and it faced demolition. Sense prevailed, however, and the building was repaired. In 1905 the church became Southwark Cathedral, and today serves an Anglican diocese stretching from Kingstonupon-Thames in the West to Thamesmead in the East and Gatwick Airport in the South. In 2000 an extension was added to the cathedral, providing space for meeting and conference rooms, a library, education centre, shop and café. The extension was sensitively designed, and is praised by friends Tim Hamilton and Jim Hever, who are enjoying a cup of coffee in the courtyard outside the café. The pair chose the cathedral as a meeting point for its transport links – Hever lives in

Cambridge, while Hamilton’s home is in south London – as well as its history and spirituality. They first met on a Scottish retreat led by the episcopal priest and writer Cynthia Bourgeault, explains Hever. “We’re discussing how her teaching reverberates in our lives,” he says. “For me, there is a fortuitous piece about doing this in the ambience of a medieval cathedral. This may sound completely bonkers, but there is something resonant about the walls. When you go into this place there is prayer going on all the time, and you get that energy.” The track composed for the space by Lossy x Salmon Youth Centre is also resonant, energetic, and slightly bonkers, beginning with a lively, scratchy electronica beat before an organ emerges to take centre stage. The juxtaposition initially sounds odd – but Southwark Cathedral has survived 1000 years in a changing world by adapting to people’s needs. Bringing together contemporary rhythms and traditional church sounds, the track reflects the Cathedral’s links into its diverse, vibrant Bankside home.

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ABOVE: Ex-mushroom farm, ex-club, these days the Square offers both food and music. ABOVE RIGHT: Natasha Misiuda enjoys Flat Iron Square’s ‘hip’ feel.

4. FLAT IRON SQUARE

The origins of what is now Flat Iron Square go back more than three decades. In 1987, Benj Scrimgeour rented seven arches off Union Street and set up a mushroom farm. But competition from cheaper imports squeezed his business, and he hit on the idea of using the site as a car park by day and a southwarkmagazine.com

nightclub in the evening. The venue, known as The Arches, became one of the 1990s’ most iconic house music venues. Eventually, Scrimgeour tired of the day-to-day hassle of running a nightclub, sublet the site, and moved with his young family to Barcelona. There, he encountered a completely different bar and restaurant scene – and the idea for Flat Iron Square was born.

A few years on, Flat Iron Square is a bustling mix of street food stalls, bars and restaurants, all set around a yard filled with trestle tables. At 5pm on a warm September evening, it is already filling up with local office workers and tourists alike. Natasha Misiuda is in town visiting a friend who’s just finished her shift at Flat Iron Square. “I really like it here,” she says. “It’s very different to where I live in Nottingham; it’s a bit hipper. I’ve been here before and would definitely come back again. I came with my boyfriend just a couple of weeks ago.” In addition to the food and drink stalls, Flat Iron Square is also home to one of London’s newest live music venues. Omeara, a 320-person capacity space modelled on a Parisian theatre, is run by Ben Lovett: one of the founding members of Mumford and Sons. The venue specialises in providing a platform for up and coming artists, but also hosts club nights and other live events such as burlesque and magic shows. The events programme for the square is similarly diverse. For instance, a brunch food market is held every Sunday, when guest food traders set up shop and Ketel One Vodka hosts Bloody Mary masterclasses. Monday evenings, meanwhile, are dedicated to a quiz. Appropriately for such an eclectic space, the track written for Flat Iron Square is an intriguing mash-up – part funk, part performance poetry. The piece, produced by The Memory Band, opens with the sound of farmyard animals before segueing to children talking. Then the bass and drums kick in and the poetry begins. It’s an intriguing mix – but then, so too is Flat Iron Square. issue

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Rojas is also an actress, currently enjoying a rare spell in her home city. “I’m usually on tour but I’ve blagged some time off, which is amazing,” she says. “I’m in musical theatre: I’m doing Fame at the moment. We start in the West End soon and we’re doing six weeks, so I get to be at home for a while. I’m a west Londoner – I live in Acton near Chiswick.” Rojas adds that she often visits Old Union Yard Arches when she’s in London, as it is an opportunity to catch up with and meet fellow arts professionals. The relocation of the Union Theatre has been a real bonus, she adds. “Since they changed over, I’ve started coming more because it’s a bigger space,” she says. “It’s a great space to just chill, and a lot of arts people are usually here so I get to catch up with people I know. It’s really nice here.”

The track composed for the Old Union Yard Arches by Lola de la Mata is genuinely evocative of the spaces before they were repurposed. The heavily-manipulated vocals and echoey sound recall the raw spaces of the arches, while also providing a sense of drama – which is apt, given that the arches are now home to two theatres. Following significant investment and redevelopment by Network Rail, the Old Union Yard Arches opened for business in 2017 as the new home of the Union Theatre, established by artistic director Sasha Regan in 1997 and previously housed in an old warehouse across the street. The arches also boast London’s first Spanish and Latin

American theatre: the Cervantes Theatre, created by Spanish director Jorge de Juan. Alongside the theatres, Old Union Yard Arches also includes The Africa Centre – which aims to celebrate African art and culture, encourage cultural exchange and provide educational programmes – and Flying Fantastic’s flagship ‘aerial workout’ studio. Food and drink options are available from the theatres, Roberto Costa’s Italian restaurant Macellaio and the Israeli Bala Baya. Not surprisingly, the space attracts people from the creative industries. Sitting outside the Union Theatre eating a wrap with fries, Stephanie Rojas explains that she’s visiting to support her boyfriend, Nye Rees: an actor who’s meeting the Union’s managing director in advance of an audition.

5. OLD UNION YARD ARCHES

CREATIVE SPACE: When Stephanie Rojas isn’t on tour with ‘Fame’, she often visits to socialise with fellow creative professionals.

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Stephen Rizzo Head of building control 020 7525 5588 Simon Harvey Group manager 020 7525 5586 Bruce Paige Group manager 020 7525 5052 building.control @southwark.gov.uk

Albion School images by Hufton and Crow

Albion School was highly commended in the national LABC Local Authority Building Excellence Awards 2018

► We promote and support innovative design solutions

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► We have dedicated and experienced building control surveyors

Whether you’re building a dwelling extension or a complex skyscraper, Southwark Council’s building control team can help you.

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ADVERTORIAL

The New Address That Means Business There’s a real buzz around Elephant Park, the new neighbourhood rising up in the heart of Elephant and Castle. To those who know it, the Elephant is one of London’s richest gems. But tell someone who isn’t familiar with this spot south of the river, and they’re always surprised it’s inside Zone 1. Now, the developers of Elephant Park are doing everything they can to put it firmly on the map… and in the minds of London’s budding retailers. Elephant Park is a £2.3 billion regeneration project that is breathing new life into this special part of Central London. With 3,000 new homes, £30m investment in strategic transport improvements and over 100,000 square feet of retail floorspace on offer, it’s going to be an address that means business. Just ask any of the retailers that have already moved in. Caitlyn Badham-Thornhill, co-founder of Cupcakes and Shhht says “The area is so up and coming. It’s growing all the time and that means we’re getting busier”. In fact, since they opened their doors, she says “there has been growth every single day.” Creatives and entrepreneurs looking to put down their roots and expand in Central London, will sit alongside established brands and existing local traders.

Mauritian Restauranteurs Marcel & Sons have set up shop there. They know the area well and were attracted by its potential. They say “it’s the perfect space to create our own story”. But Mauritian streetfood and cupcakes aside, what else is there to tempt new businesses? Well, they can choose from four curated retail zones, with tree-lined streets and the feel of a traditional London neighbourhood. They’ll be part of an exciting and diverse blend of 50 shops, bars and restaurants. They can enjoy the largest new park in Central London for over 70 years, at over 9,000 square metres. And they can take advantage of all the passing trade that comes from a 24/7 economy, catering for everyone from office workers, nightclub revellers, to hungry students from the two nearby universities. With two underground lines, Thameslink and 28 bus routes intersecting through Elephant & Castle, there’s no shortage of customers looking for dinner on the way home, a quick gift or after-work drinks. Southwark is one of London’s fastest growing boroughs and has an ever-growing claim to be the foodie quarter of London.

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So if you’re a budding new start-up retailer, food and beverage, or health and wellbeing business looking to find your feet in Zone 1, Elephant Park could be your next step. Lendlease is currently offering a number of support packages, including affordable retail space, to assist local businesses.

Along with Borough Market, Bermondsey Street and Flat Iron Square, Elephant Park will no doubt offer more opportunities in the food and beverage retail sector. Which for the foodies among us, can only be a good thing.

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hotels

ACCOMMODATING EVERYONE Hotels are built to meet the needs of visitors; but unless communities also benefit, public opinion can turn against them. Adam Branson learns how Southwark is working both to attract hotel developers, and to ensure that they contribute to the area – providing public facilities, jobs for local people, and support for community groups

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EVERY YEAR, many thousands of visitors come to Southwark from around the UK and overseas – and their reasons for coming are as diverse as the visitors themselves. As well as businesspeople and tourists, the area attracts those visiting friends and family, or touring Southwark’s cultural and religious attractions. These span the range from religious to musical, artistic to culinary: the previous feature (see p15) provides a taste of the borough’s cultural breadth. Each visitor needs a suitable place to stay; and Southwark’s hotels offer something to suit most budgets and tastes. But when too many hotels spring up in an area, local residents can become concerned. And across the council boundary to the west, Lambeth Council has reacted by curtailing hotel developments – informing developers last October that applications to build new hotels in the Waterloo and South Bank areas of the borough would be refused. Arguing that there were already a large number of hotel rooms in the area – with more to come under approved planning applications – the council included the measure in an update to its local plan. Almost half of the respondents to an autumn 2017 consultation said that permission for new hotels should be refused, the plan explained, noting that “respondents argued there are a number of issues in Waterloo, including the creation of a dormitory for tourists, loss of services for residents and the lack of benefit to the local economy.” But Southwark, Lambeth’s easterly neighbour, takes a different line: by working closely with hotel developers and managers, councillors believe, the borough can ensure that hotels provide new community facilities, create jobs for local people, and bring new trade to nearby businesses. The borough has seen numerous new hotels open their doors in recent years, including The Hoxton, Bankside Hilton and Sea Containers London, and continues to welcome new proposals. Southwark’s local plan is explicit about what the council expects from development. “We will support proposals for new hotels, particularly those that contribute to employment growth and offer employment opportunities for local people,” the plan states. “Proposals that also incorporate a range of day time activities that provide additional employment floorspace will be considered favourably as they provide additional employment and encourage more use of buildings by residents, workers and visitors.” Nic Durston, chief executive of the South Bank business improvement district (BID), is confident that the visitors staying in hotels on his patch do put money directly into local businesses. In some parts of London, he southwarkmagazine.com

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says, hotel guests may simply sleep at their hotel while spending money elsewhere in the capital – but on Bankside, there are enough attractions, activities and facilities to keep visitors in the locality. “There is a misconception that hotels are economic drains that just attract tourists who go elsewhere in London and don’t put anything back into the local area,” he says. “But the people who are staying in the hotels in Bankside are varied and diverse, and they want to know what is in the immediate area. They want to explore different parts of the neighbourhood.” As well as the benefits for the local economy, Durston points to hotels’ contribution to job creation: these are major employers, he says, and recruit across a swathe of the jobs market. “It’s not just jobs behind the bar or housekeeping,” he explains. “They need accountants, HR professionals, marketeers and so on. They are big corporate beasts, and have a wide range of jobs that need to be filled.” When work on a new hotel gets underway in Southwark, local bodies partner with the developers to help borough residents access job opportunities. Jayne Couchman, programme manager at employment body Southwark Works, gives the examples of two recent openings – The Dixon and The Hoxton – which provided tangible opportunities for local residents. “They proactively came to us and were really keen to employ local people – and local people who were disadvantaged,” she says. Managers from The Hoxton contacted Couchman a year ahead of its opening in September, she recalls, and were interested in engaging with Southwark Works. As a result, she visited the hotel to learn which roles they needed to fill and what they were looking for from candidates. “We got some people to come in based on The Hoxton’s criteria, and [Hoxton staff ] did a little talk,” says Couchman. “We screened some people out, and got to a group of 20 people. They did customer service training, a food safety hygiene course, interview preparation and so on. And then they had interviews on the last day; most of them were taken on.” The council also works to ensure that new hotels improve local facilities and engage with community groups, sometimes using Section 106 agreements to build requirements into planning permissions: The Dixon, for example, is required to provide community groups with access to meeting rooms. Bankside’s citizenM hotel offers economical, subscription-free workspaces in its stylish café lobby. And the five-star Shangri-La Hotel – based in the Shard at London

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ALL WELCOME: Facing page: Sea Containers’ Cheraine Ncube (left) and Floris Kouijzer. Above: Nic Durston of South Bank BID. Below: citizenM.

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HOTELS OFTEN FIND THAT WORK TO BUILD LINKS WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY PRODUCES BENEFITS ON BOTH SIDES

Bridge – has worked closely with community charity Blackfriars Settlement, helping out with catering and fundraising. Hotels often find that work to build links with the local community produces benefits on both sides. Bankside Hilton, its general manager James Clarke explains, holds regular ‘love thy neighbour’ events open to local people and businesses. “We do it around three to four times a year: we invite our neighbours, thank them for their loyalty, and connect neighbours with neighbours,” he says. “I have also hired two or three members of staff as a result of the events,” he adds. “I have a young man who works ‘front of house’, and he lives right behind the hotel. He has gone on to university now, but he comes back at the weekends and holidays and works in the hotel. For me, it’s great that we can give people opportunities.” At Sea Containers London, meanwhile, management was acutely aware of the contrast between a high-end hotel on the banks of the Thames and the deprived communities located nearby. The hotel has an events space, 12th Knot, which is used for community activities: the BID recently held a residents’ meeting there, for example. But managers wanted to go further – and executive assistant manager Floris Kouijzer and his team have worked hard to set up links with local schools. “Southwark is interesting because it is really up and coming, but we knew that this world is very different from the world that you see a mile down the road,” he says. “By opening our doors to schools, we can show

LOCAL LINKS: James Clarke (below), his Bankside Hilton hotel (left), and the new Sea Containers London on Bankside (bottom).

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HOTEL JOBS ARE HERE TO STAY Southwark resident Tia Maria Swaby was just one of the people to benefit from a new job opportunity when The Hoxton opened its doors in September. “I was unemployed, and approached Southwark Works,” she says. “Within two weeks they put me on the course, and after two weeks’ training I got the job. It happened really quickly; they try as hard as they can.” Swaby is now employed as a runner at the hotel. “I’ve been working there for around two months now, and I really enjoy

it,” she says. “In my experience, they don’t care what you look like or whether you’ve been to college. The hotel doesn’t care if you’ve got piercings or whatever; they care about what you bring – they want to give you a go and see how you work. Honestly and truly, we work as a team.” It’s still early days for Swaby, but she’s already thinking about how her career at The Hoxton might develop. “I hope to become a manager and move up from where I am at the moment; but right now, I’m just taking it step by step,” she says.

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enhancing social skills, including how to talk to a future employer, for instance.” As the previous article shows, there are plenty of reasons to visit Southwark. And there are almost as many reasons why the borough is encouraging hotel developments to accommodate those visitors – from the provision of new workspaces and cafés to the employment of local people; from support for community groups to boosting trade for local businesses. For Southwark, the goal is not to curtail the number of hotels, but to ensure that they help meet the community’s needs – providing benefits for hotel developers, visitors and residents alike. southwarkmagazine.com

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them around and develop programmes and initiatives to gain the interest of the children. And from there you can build up programmes that help with life skills.” For instance, three years ago Sea Containers London set up a programme designed to build young people’s confidence in unfamiliar environments – such as a five-star hotel. “We put together a quick half-hour training programme, and then we have a three-course meal with all the students in the main restaurant,” says human resources director Cheraine Ncube. “It’s all done within three hours, and then at the end we have a networking event with all the managers – which again is about

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HOSPITABLE: Sea Containers London’s 12th Knot room hosts community events, while citizenM (below) offers flexible workspaces.

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Regent Land & Developments are delighted to be playing a small part in the regeneration of Southwark, providing numerous mixed-use sites at various locations within the Borough.

Regent Land & Developments Ltd The Old Dairy, 51A St Peters St, South Croydon, CR2 7DG 020 8680 3530

info@regentland.co.uk

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Blackfriars Stories

A ROUTE FROM PAST TO FUTURE Over the years, Blackfriars Road’s history and culture became drowned out by traffic. But the arrival of a series of new developments provided an opportunity to improve the public realm, bring life back to the streets – and let the community explore local history, telling their ‘Blackfriars Stories’. Catherine Early reports

BLACKFRIARS ROAD, which runs south from the Thames towards Elephant & Castle, has left a rich legacy in the sciences and arts. Previous residents include the ‘father of computing’ Charles Babbage, vertical printing press inventor Augustus Applegarth and National Trust founder Octavia Hill. Charles Dickens walked it daily on his way to work in a local blacking factory, and the world’s first steam-powered flour mill was built here. But over the decades, the road grew busier and the pavements emptier. “Five or six years ago lots of the buildings were empty, which meant there was no life on the street,” says Dan Taylor, programme manager at Southwark Council. Then plans emerged for a series of developments along the road, and the council saw an opportunity to revive the southwarkmagazine.com

ABOVE AND LEFT: The Blackfriars Stories bring some unusual visitors to the area – including spacemen and the ‘binbot’.

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RIGHT The giant ‘disco turtle’ led the annual parade on 6 December.

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ABOVE: The ‘Peas Corps’ and their zeppelin in action.

area – repopulating the pavements, and strengthening the area’s sense of community and coherence. Architectural and urban planning firm Allies and Morrison won the tender to redesign the street’s public realm, and came up with the idea of the ‘Blackfriars Mile’ – extending the project’s scope down past St George’s Circus and along London Road to Elephant and Castle. “The public perception is that Elephant and Castle is very remote from the Thames, and detached from what’s happening along the riverfront. But we found that it’s exactly one mile, a walkable distance,” says Artur Carulla, director at Allies and Morrison.

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Blackfriars Stories

The boulevard is an efficient north-south route for vehicles, says Carulla, but for pedestrians and cyclists it was windswept and traffic-dominated. So cycle lanes and improved pedestrian crossings were installed, while the council specified that developments along the route should provide active frontages on the ground floor, such as shops, restaurants and bars. However, the long periods required to plan and build large developments meant that the council’s vision would not be fully realised for some years. Meanwhile, explains Carulla, “we asked ourselves how we’d start generating this idea of Blackfriars Road as a nice place where things were happening. That’s where the concept for the Blackfriars Stories events started to emerge.” The aim was to use community-led events and performances to create a stronger sense of ‘place’ along the road, celebrating its distinctiveness and bringing together local residents, community groups, businesses and developers. Southwark Council was keen to celebrate the area’s history, adds Carulla; too often seen simply as a useful transport link, beneath the surface Blackfriars has as strong an identity and history as neighbourhoods such as Bankside and Waterloo. The events were intended to showcase the street’s past, raising awareness of key local events among residents and businesses alike, says Carulla: “Blackfriars Stories is a way of telling those stories to developers working in the area, as well as new people moving in.” The first Blackfriars Stories events took place in 2014, born of close cooperation between community groups, developers and contractors working along the road, the council, Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police. They are funded by contributions from developers in the area, match-funded by organisations such as the Arts Council. However, they have retained a grassroots feel, Carulla says. “It has been nicely curated, with very local initiatives that are quite quirky. The public probably doesn’t realise that there’s a single organisation behind this – which is quite difficult to achieve,” he says. Over the past five years, the Stories have included a wide range of performances and interactive events, including treasure hunts, community parades, performances on the road, plays about the road, and immersive theatre. Many tell stories about local history in unusual and fun ways. ‘Sightings!’, for example, told the tale of the 1916 attack of a zeppelin over Blackfriars Bridge in a Pythonesque style, involving a model zeppelin and a ‘Peas Corps’ dressed as the eponymous green vegetable. Other events have attracted people to local architectural and cultural attractions – such as 2018’s ‘Reflective’, by interactive theatre company Milo Wladek, which invited participants to explore Christ Church’s 1950s stained glass windows using an app. The initiative involves several local charities and community groups, including the Bankside Open Spaces Trust and the Coin Street Community Builders. Businesses are represented through groups including Better Bankside, WeAreWaterloo and the South Bank Employers Group, while the participating developers include St George, Circleplane, Archlane and Ennismore. And this collaboration between the public, private and voluntary sectors is key to its success, believes Councillor Johnson Situ, cabinet member for growth, development southwarkmagazine.com

THE AIM WAS TO USE COMMUNITYLED EVENTS AND PERFORMANCES TO CREATE A STRONGER SENSE OF ‘PLACE’ ALONG THE ROAD

BELOW: In 2018, ‘Reflective’ encouraged people to explore Christ Church’s stained glass windows via a dedicated app.

and planning: “Blackfriars Stories is a good example of partnership working between the local community, creative producers and developers,” he says. “The programme helps to shine a light on the community spaces and history which make the area so special, and in doing so creates a sense of pride which is shared by everyone – whether they be residents, workers or builders.” issue

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RIGHT: Milo Wladek’s Virtually Blackfriars let visitors join a time-travelling archaeologist’s journey, and events such as this year’s Pip’s Plant Parlour engage local children with arts and culture.

ABOVE: Albion in Flames reminds us that new technologies have often sparked conflict.

Blackfriars Stories

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ALBION IN FLAMES: THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION COMES TO BLACKFRIARS This play, which was shown 23-26 September, tells the story of the Albion Flour Mill: the world’s first steam-powered flour mill, built on Blackfriars Road in the late 18th century. Operating round the clock, the mill brought the industrial revolution to London, dramatically increasing the production of flour for the capital’s rising population. But traditional millers feared the competition and, just five years after it opened, the mill burnt down under mysterious circumstances. Adrian Chappell, who produced the play alongside Linda Wilkinson, says the story has strong resonance today. “It’s about technology, and how it impacts people’s jobs and livelihoods,” he says. “When steam technology was just beginning 220 years ago, it was pretty amazing, and must have been like the digital revolution today. It’s very important to remember history without getting over-sensitive about it.”

the history of green space and recreation in the area. Former residents include Fanny Wilkinson, the country’s first female landscape gardener, while nearby Surrey Zoological Gardens was popular in the Victorian era. “The project relates back to the surrounding area, but also to the future in terms of technology and ecology,” says Jones, explaining that the aim is to make visitors feel as if they are in a cocoon where they can totally relax, improving low mood and anxiety. After running in the Blackfriars Road area during late October, Pip’s Plant Parlour moved to the River Walkway by Tate Modern for a weekend in early November.

PIP’S PLANT PARLOUR: TWO WEEKS OF IMMERSIVE ART INSTALLATIONS Onetime resident William Blake, a printmaker and poet born in 1757, believed that man could reach the awareness of his place in the universe through nature. Inspired by this concept, Illuminate Productions has created a mobile, multi-sensory garden, where small electrodes attached to the plants sense subtle changes in their physiology when humans touch them. This data is then transformed into music through speciallydesigned software. Caroline Jones, creative director and producer at Illuminate Productions, says that the project references

WAVES OF WONDER: AUTUMNAL PARADE WITH SCHOOL WORKSHOPS A “spectacular mass-participatory event”, this procession had a particular focus on celebrating historical moments connected to the theme of “wonder and wellbeing”, according to organisers Emergency Exit Arts. A giant “disco turtle” led the parade, in reference to the animal’s use as a symbol of tranquillity in religion and mythology. The artwork had a mobile sound system on its shell, and lighting effects which altered depending on the time of day. The procession looked to the history of the road, where neighbourhoods were full of poverty and poor housing. In the 19th century, local social reformers such as Octavia Hill and George Peabody successfully campaigned for better homes and public spaces. The procession held in early December went through the streets of Southwark before arriving in Mint Street Park. Keep an eye on www.eea.org.uk/whats-on for further details about future events.

Both community groups and businesses say the benefits of Blackfriars Stories have been wide-ranging. Amir Eden, chair of residents group Living Bankside, says that it’s brought people from diverse backgrounds together to celebrate the history of the area – giving them a sense of belonging, and helping to reduce social isolation. “It’s great for community cohesion, I’ve seen people going off and doing other things together. Sometimes residents feel that they don’t have a stake in all the redevelopment. Blackfriars Stories provides a subtle way for residents to feel that this is their area as much as everyone else’s,” he says. Eden believes that the events help developers to communicate with and better understand local residents, helping to maintain and preserve Blackfriars’ unique character. “The events have soft power in enabling residents to engage with developers to make sure development is appropriate,” he says. A community parade run by Emergency Exit Arts has featured on each year’s programme. In the run-up to the event, the arts organisation runs workshops with local schools and community groups to make props for the parade, such as lanterns, masks and costumes. Daniel Bernstein, a manager at the organisation, believes that such collaboration is vital in today’s social and political climate. “In these days of isolation in all sorts of

ways, and people living in their different bubbles, events that get people working together and bring them out on the streets in a creative, positive environment are more important than ever,” he says. Interactive and street performances have formed a strong theme throughout the programme. Illuminate Productions is one of the arts companies that has created several such performances, and is behind this year’s Pip’s Plant Parlour (see box). Caroline Jones, the organisation’s creative director and producer, believes that bringing events to communities can help mental health. “People don’t always have the time or money to go to exhibitions or theatre,” she says. “But we can bring art straight to them when they’re on their way to school or work, or popping out to get something from the shop – at times when they’re not expecting it. It can brighten up someone’s day.” For Southwark’s Dan Taylor, Blackfriars Stories not only breaks down barriers between developers and the community, but also adds an element of fun to the redevelopment process. “It can be very long: it takes years to get planning permission, and then people have to put up with construction noise,” he says. “This is a way of making it more fun. Whatever your views of a development in the area, everyone gets behind history and is really fascinated by it, so to celebrate that has gone down really well.”

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“A high quality, very focused issue that truly reflected our regeneration and growth ambitions.”

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Waltham Forest Encouraging investment in Waltham Forest

ISSUE 4

Ways to connect

With support from a local MP models of working and the council, from risks attachedare helping with problem co-operative s in Waltham Forest, to self-emp workshops and food producti loyment to the cost of renting on. Lucy Clarke reports

elf-employed people in Waltham Forest are new ways to work finding in a crucial step forward for entrepreneurs and business-m inded residents.

Waltham Forest Council on Invest Waltham Forest

Collaborative organisations such as the co-operati ve working space Indycube and the Blackhors e Workshop public facility are intent encouraging freelance on success across the borough.

Festivals, film, focused design

Summer 2019

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E N T E RP RI S E

GROW The schools that will nurture the generations to come

Indycube, in partnershi p with the community trade union, is helping support Walthams to tow’s growing employed communit selfy.

Private/public: pulling forces

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C EL EB R ATI O N Ebbsfleet’s first festival marks the health benefits of living in a garden city

A new way of building homes that could transform the construction industry

The Labour MP for Walthams tow, Stella Creasy, hopes projects run by organisations like these gateway for promoting will act as a membership among trade union north-east London the 16.5% of her work for themselve constituency who s.

“A delight to work with such professionals across the whole team.”

As crucial prepar on Ebbsfleet Gardenatory works continue, homes are growing Whitecliffe, inspireCity’s largest development , newly named d by the cliff faces of the former quarry

Evening economy, established enterprise

Above: Indycube seeks to unionise self-employed people – such as graphic designers – to provide workers’ rights support.

EBBSFLE ET GARDEN CITY ON SITE

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southw Issue 21

Spring 2019

DON’T PANIC As confidence wavers in the face of Brexit, investment is slowing and property prices stagnating. Yet, Southwark is confident that it can triumph in the face of adversity, as it did after the 2008 recession. Sarah Herbert outlines those reasons to be cheerful

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Medical hub

SPECIAL TREATMENT London Bridge has long been a centre of medical education and treatment. Now two of its great institutions are driving plans for a biomedical science hub, while a medicultural district develops around them. Words by Catherine Early. Pictures by Neil Fraser

ABOVE: The colonnade in Guy’s Hospital, as featured in Killing Eve – another intersection between medicine and culture.

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FOR NEARLY 1000 YEARS, the area around modern-day London Bridge has been a centre of medicine. One of London’s first hospitals was founded at Southwark Cathedral in 1107, and in 1860 Florence Nightingale opened her nursing school here. Today, the area hosts the two teaching institutions of King’s College London (KCL) and Guy’s Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. And now it’s set to build on its medical and scientific heritage, as plans emerge to make it a centre of biomedical research. Guy’s is already a very active centre for

biomedical science, particularly genetics and cell therapy, and has just opened a pioneering cancer centre. It already collaborates with KCL on various projects, including research into stem cells and regenerative medicine. And the presence of these institutions, combined with the area’s potential for development, has inspired work to create a nationally-significant biomedical research hub: a kind of maternity unit for biomedical science. Under the plans, a new set of buildings will bring together clinicians, academics and medical businesses, focusing on advanced scientific research, cancer issue

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36 issue 22 winter 2019

“WE WANT TO BUILD A VIRTUOUS CIRCLE OF DISCOVERY ON THE CAMPUS” PETER WARD

THIS PAGE: The medical hub will benefit from its proximity to London Bridge station, which sits beneath the Shard.

treatment and advances in immunology. A masterplan is being drawn up for the redevelopment of 185,000sq m of the two institutions’ land over the next 30 years, under the direction of Peter Ward – who is director of real estate development for both the trust and KCL. “We are looking at how existing joint working could be delivered more effectively by creating centres of expertise,” he explains. “The extent to which the two organisations work together is only really known by other clinical academics. We want to build a virtuous circle of discovery on the campus, which can then be accelerated as much as possible.” The future of medical discovery, he says, will look very different to its past – when research was typically very siloed. Nowadays, integrated teams including mathematicians, physicists and chemists work together in high-tech hubs to unlock new discoveries. Bringing the two institutions’ world-leading clinicians and researchers together, Ward hopes to attract international research institutes and pharmaceutical, biomedical and medical tech companies. “This clustering of expertise is something you see happening across the world, in places like Boston and San Francisco,” he says. “People move there because there is already a culture of collaboration between people in that sector. What we’re trying to accomplish is a really efficient platform from which people can build careers and create the next generation of drugs.” This is a long-term project, Ward explains, and the masterplan will call for adaptable buildings whose layout can be changed over time. “Anything you build now is likely to be obsolete in 10-15 years; given the pace of discovery, medical techniques will have moved on,” he says. So the designs will suit the basic requirements of medical and healthcare uses, while permitting future occupants to reconfigure them around their needs. “Then when techniques have changed, we can adapt

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The hub should also benefit local people. Ward says the masterplan will provide green spaces, improving quality of life for workers and residents, as well as better links to other amenities such as Borough Market. The new developments will bring both a range of new jobs – from construction to pharmaceutical research – and better medical treatments for local patients. “Research-active doctors put new findings into practice quicker,” comments Howell. And while the science hub caters for the future of medicine, plans are also afoot to develop a “medi-culture district” – bringing together museum, art and heritage organisations with links to clinical practice and research. This work is being coordinated by Team London Bridge, a business improvement district representing around 400 local employers. The long medical history of St Thomas Street – site of the original St Thomas’ Hospital – has attracted a number of cultural organisations to the area. These include the Old Operating Theatre Museum and Herb Garrett, a museum of surgical history pulling in 40,000 visitors a year; and the Science Gallery London, which opened in September 2018 to showcase a combination of art and science around healthcare. Meanwhile, the Florence Nightingale Museum – based in Waterloo since 1998 – is planning to relocate to St Thomas Street. “If that were to happen, we’d all be within

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ABOVE: Nadia Broccardo of Team London Bridge. BELOW: Peter Ward in front of Guy’s Counting House.

the building fairly efficiently – which is the best use of public money,” he says. Simon Howell, director of academic estates strategy for health campuses at KCL, notes that the plan will also have to address one of the ever-present challenges facing central London developments: that of assembling viable, substantial sites in a densely built-up area. But the two institutions have identified some good locations, suitable for buildings that will be convenient for clinicians, scientists, patients and medical students. There’s an opportunity, Ward adds, to involve KCL students in research and treatments through the new facilities. King’s is Europe’s largest medical educator, teaching around 30,000 students – including over a quarter of UK dentists. “These students have the opportunity to study in an environment where they are in the same building as the patients, which makes it all very real in terms of medical discovery,” he says. The recent modernisation of London Bridge railway station also brings benefits – including a new entrance on St Thomas Street, improving access to one of London’s key transport hubs. Howell sees potential to make the neighbourhood into a destination, rather than mainly a transit point: “My idea is that the London Bridge area should move from being a ‘go through’ to a ‘go to’ in people’s perception,” he says. “It should be a destination in its own right, like the South Bank or West End.”

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LONG LINKS: KCL’s Hodgkin Building is named after the 1820s Curator of the Museum at Guy’s Hospital Medical School.

100 metres of each other – and suddenly ideas about how we might be able to help each other become very compelling,” says Tim Henbrey, director of operations at the Science Gallery. They could, for example, help promote one another’s exhibitions and events, and share infrastructure to make school visits far easier. Neither the Science Gallery nor the Old Operating Theatre currently have the space to host large numbers of students, but Henbrey suggests that a suitable facility could be funded through planning gain from one of the new developments on St Thomas Street. “The Science Gallery London is about the future of medicine, while the Old Operating Theatre is about the history. Then if we have the Florence Nightingale museum in the same street, that’s a really compelling offer for a school visit,” Henbrey says. The new space, he adds, could be opened up to other community uses – such as social prescribing initiatives or homework clubs – to ensure that the whole community benefits from the area’s development. Plans for the medi-culture district are at a very early stage, says Nadia Broccardo, chief executive of Team London Bridge: in September, the organisation appointed 38 issue 22 winter 2019

AROUND LONDON BRIDGE, THE HERITAGE AND THE FUTURE OF MEDICINE SIT TOGETHER creative consultant Amanda White as programme manager to take the idea forward. The concept will be developed through the next wave of commercial development just south of London Bridge train station. Councillor Johnson Situ, Southwark’s cabinet member for growth, development and planning, believes that the parallel cultural and scientific medical projects will reinforce each other, with the museums acting as a gateway to careers in science and technology. “Developing new cultural facilities like the Science Gallery London will provide a showcase for our residents to learn about how

they can access opportunities in the growing campus in a really engaging way,” he says. “We are developing a social regeneration charter for the area around the campus, which will explain how local people can directly benefit from the changes taking place.” Broccardo agrees that the idea of a cultural district dovetails with the world-leading research that will be underway at the medical hub: the museums will help to make medical research relevant and interesting to the wider public, she says. “The Old Operating Theatre is an institution in this area. It puts the past into perspective in terms of medical research,” she comments. “The medi-culture district is an interesting offer, and we want to take it to the next step.” And Henbrey suggests that the cultural side of this long medical history could help provide a strong identity for the area, benefiting developers. So around London Bridge, the heritage and the future of medicine sit together – reinforcing one another as the neighbourhood adds another page to its long history of clinical practise and innovation. “The heritage gives another perspective on the area, alongside the shiny high-tech clinical businesses that might move in,” says Henbrey. “It’s quite a nice juxtaposition.”

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Old Kent Road Largest Investor & Provider of Private Homes, Affordable Homes and Jobs. Working with the People for the People.

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The Old Kent Road area houses a vibrant community and hundreds of businesses – but it’s long suffered from under-investment. The council’s Area Action Plan aims to bring in new homes, shops, public services, workspaces and tube links. Noella Pio Kivlehan explores the council’s ambitions, and hears the views of local people.

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South Bermondsey

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Queens Road

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LINING UP: Some of the area’s key developments –plus James Glancy Design (see p48).

In May 2017, Colin Wilson left his post at the Greater London Authority – where he had overseen the Mayor’s Opportunity Area Planning Frameworks and strategic planning applications – to join Southwark Council. Wilson, who played key roles in the redevelopment of White City, Old Oak Common and Vauxhall Nine Elms – the latter involving a Northern Line tube extension – had arrived to take on another huge project: the regeneration of Old Kent Road. Here, he aims to transform the area’s fortunes with new housing, commercial, retail and leisure facilities, green spaces, public infrastructure and transport links. As a main artery into central London with relatively low property values, for decades Old Kent Road has attracted big-footprint commercial businesses, new immigrants, and large-scale post-war housing developments. Now its location – set between the major regeneration projects in Elephant and Castle, Canada Water and New Cross – provides an opportunity to draw in new housing, retail and commercial developments, addressing the area’s weaknesses: a shortage of

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Old Kent Road RUBY TRIANGLE: The new development is set to rise on a site that currently (right and below) holds rundown warehouses and a car hire facility.

Councillor Johnson Situ, cabinet member for growth, development and planning, emphasises that the regeneration programme has been designed to meet the needs of residents and businesses alike. “The vision for Old Kent Road is to build on its unique character as a place where industry can thrive alongside new homes and quality open spaces,” he says, noting that “we’re pushing developers to provide as much essential affordable housing as possible.”

BIG BOX RETAIL SHEDS WILL GIVE WAY TO SMALLER SHOPS, CAFES AND RESTAURANTS green spaces, weak public transport links, declining high street retail, and a narrow mix of tenures. By 2037, the Area Action Plan (AAP) proposes, more than 20,000 new homes and 10,000 jobs will have been created in the area. The plan focuses on promoting mixeduse developments, ranging from offices and flexible workspaces around the Old Kent Road to studios, light industrial units, and larger-scale distribution warehouses in the hinterland and around the railway viaduct to the north. And along Old Kent Road itself, big box retail sheds will give way to smaller shops, cafés and restaurants, along with new homes – many of them rehousing existing tenants. “Revitalising Old Kent Road as a high street is the core part of our vision,” says the AAP, which aims to revive the road’s faded role as a “destination with shops, civic amenities, cinemas and entertainment venues.” 42 issue 22 winter 2019

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With planning permissions already granted for around 6,000 new homes (see ‘Big plans’ box, right) and nearly 3,500 more envisaged in Phase 1 of the AAP, the area’s population is set to rise substantially from its current 35,000 residents. Wilson stresses that the council will ensure public services grow just as quickly as the population, ensuring that existing residents don’t lose out. “We have planned out and researched in detail social infrastructure provision, both for schools and health,” he says. “The council has been buying land on Old Kent Road to make provision for a new secondary school,

and is investing significantly to ensure the land exists for this social infrastructure.” Developers will help fund new public services via planning mechanisms such as Community Infrastructure Levy payments and Section 106 agreements, he adds. Transport is another key requirement. Working with Transport for London (TfL), says Wilson, the council has assessed the number of new homes and businesses that the existing road and bus infrastructure can comfortably support. This level of development comprises Phase 1 of the AAP – but Southwark is pushing hard for a

BIG PLANS: FOUR MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS THE RUBY TRIANGLE To include: 1,152 homes, of which 40.5% are affordable (25.1% social and 15.4% intermediate); two towers of 40 storeys and 48 storeys; a small park; and a sports hall. For more details, see Projects on p52. Status: Planning permission granted in 2019. CANTIUM RETAIL PARK To include: 1,113 new homes, 35% of them affordable (25% social and 15% intermediate), in one 48-storey block and other buildings up to 37 storeys; 2,200sq m of retail; about 500 new jobs; cafés and restaurants; a new park and square; and improved connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists. Status: Resolution to grant planning permission – subject to a Section 106 planning gain agreement being signed – anticipated in late 2019. SOUTHERNWOOD RETAIL PARK To include: 724 homes (35% affordable) in buildings of nine to 48 storeys in height; 195-bed hotel; cinema and retail uses; and a public plaza. Status: Southwark Planning Committee resolved to grant planning permission in June 2019.

CANTIUM: The retail park and new homes will replace the B&Q store on the south side of Old Kent Road.

MALT STREET To include: 1,300 homes, 40% of them affordable (including 25% social rent and 10% intermediate), in buildings of seven to 44 storeys in height; commercial and retail uses; and a public plaza. Status: Southwark Planning Committee resolved to grant planning permission in June 2019.

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“I’ve lived here on the Avondale Estate since 1966, and at that time there were still trams going up the Old Kent Road. Personally, I think the new generation [of development] will be good: one hundred percent! The Old Kent Road isn’t in a good state now, and it’s really run down. “It does need doing up and looking after. But while we do need the development, the amount of planned new homes is worrying: what about schools and doctors? “As long as there will be good provision for those, then I’m happy.”

Bakerloo Line Extension, which would unlock the potential for further residential and commercial projects. “We would only consent to the further 10,500 homes once the Bakerloo Line Extension is confirmed,” says Wilson. TfL is currently consulting on the proposed extension, with stations planned along Old Kent Road – at the Tesco site near the northern end of Burgess Park, and the former Toys R Us building near Commercial Way – and an estimated completion date of 2030. The council is also pushing for a further station, at Bricklayers Arms. 44 issue 22 winter 2019

Inevitably, this level of development has raised concerns within the community, with some local firms worried about the loss of large, light industrial sites: the AAP envisages the amount of designated strategic industrial land in the area falling from 80 to 50 hectares. These plans risk “pushing aside much of the industry,” warns Mark Brearley, who’s a member of community group Vital OKR, the owner of tray and trolley manufacturer Kaymet, and an architect with a professorship at London Metropolitan University. The AAP aims to bring more jobs to the area, responds Wilson, pointing to figures showing that employment along the road rose from 9,500 to 10,500 between 2016 and 2019. The reduction in designated industrial land won’t necessarily squeeze industrial and commercial floorspace, he points out, providing that space is reprovided in new mixed-use buildings: “You don’t have to have an overall loss of work space, and you can actually grow employment.” However, he emphasises that the council has been listening carefully to local concerns – and adjusting its plans accordingly. “It’s always going to be a process to re-examine what you are doing,” he says. “Over the last two years, our engagement with local

communities and residents has been to listen to what they have to say; see where we can improve the whole plan; and respond carefully to their concerns.” Wilson is well aware of Brearley’s fears. “Three years ago, when Mark was saying the 2016 draft plan was mainly just about housing, he was right,” he comments. “We changed that plan accordingly, and continue to change it. We are now at a position where we have credible developers who want to provide credible schemes, mixing housing with light industrial use and other commercial workspace.” And Brearley acknowledges that the council has moved,

“WE HAVE CREDIBLE DEVELOPERS, MIXING HOUSING WITH LIGHT INDUSTRIAL USE” COLIN WILSON

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RIGHT: Mark Brearley, a local businessman and urban design professor, is keen to protect industrial spaces along the road.

• 20,000 homes, 7,000 of which will be affordable: about two-thirds of those will be social rented, and the rest intermediate rents • 10,000 jobs • A further education college • New tube stations on the Bakerloo Line Extension • A health centre • Three new parks and green spaces • A secondary school, two primary schools, and expansions to nine existing primary schools in the area

THE AREA ACTION PLAN IN NUMBERS

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INDUSTRIAL PAST: The council’s plans aim to preserve industrial uses, increasing their density over a smaller overall footprint.

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noting that there are “a small number of development proposals coming forward that do incorporate what looks like convincing industrial space. Southwark are advocating it now; their officers are arguing for that.” The need for more housing and jobs, adds Wilson, means that land will have to be used more intelligently in order to meet the needs of existing residents and businesses as well as new arrivals. “In the past, that pressure wasn’t there,” he says. “The land didn’t have to work quite as hard.” In part, making that land work harder means ensuring that incoming developers build a wide range of uses into their projects. And William Austin, who runs local creative workspace provider Southwark Studios, has been showing how to achieve just that. Austin’s studios were located on Bermondsey’s Rich Industrial Estate; and when the estate was bought by developers London Square back in 2016, he began pressing for the new buildings to include studio workspaces. Lobbying the Greater London Authority, the Arts Council, community groups, the council and the developers, he eventually struck a deal with London Square. Alongside 407 new homes, the development will now include 35 studios: scheduled to open in 2021, they’ll ensure that creative businesses still have a home in this revived corner of the Old Kent Road. “I proved it could be done,” says Austin, who’s since been looking for other willing issue

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“We have a good working relationship with James [Glancy of James Glancy Design, his landlord – see p48 for more details], and I’m proud of the work we’ve done together to let the unused parts of the building and build a community of businesses. “However, that doesn’t get away from the fact that he and many other landowners have responded to the council Area Action Plan to develop his property, which means we will be evicted. “And the provision in many of the new developments does not meet a basic criteria or price that means we can stay. We know we need to move, but couldn’t we be offered somewhere else in the borough?”

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THE SMALL BUSINESS: JOHNNY BATTEN, STUDIO MAKECREATE

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VIEWS FROM THE ROAD

RESIDENT: JEANETTE MASON, RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION, LEDBURY ESTATE “With the Ruby Triangle going through, some residents are for it, and some are against because they don’t want their places changed. They are building more homes, and parking is the big issue. Residents are all for the Bakerloo line, but it’s far into the future – and in the meantime, all these buildings are going to go ahead. Where is the parking going to be? A lot of people have spoken about how high these buildings will be, but you can’t build down; you have to build up. “Old Kent Road needs revamping, but don’t take the heritage away from us: there’s a lot here, and people love it. You can mingle some of these old buildings in with the new, keeping the historical feel alongside the new stuff.”

VIEWS FROM THE ROAD

THE RELIGIOUS ESTABLISHMENT: IBRAHIM ADEWUSI, PROJECT COORDINATOR, OLD KENT ROAD MOSQUE REBUILD PROJECT “The Old Kent Road Mosque & Islamic Cultural Centre offers a sanctuary for spiritual reflection, community spaces for socialising, and employment and entrepreneurial development training. These services would add tremendous value to the emerging Old Kent Road, culturally, socially and economically. “The planned redevelopments of the Old Kent Road Mosque & Cultural Centre and the Southernwood Retail Park development

developers. “Obviously, Old Kent Road is a big opportunity zone. And that opportunity should be shared among the people already there – people who would otherwise be ‘gentrified out’.” Austin’s search has already borne fruit, with the Ruby Triangle development (see ‘Big plans’ box, p43) set to contain 10 artists’ studios occupying 600sq m. And this is just the kind of agreement that Wilson and the council want to see. “That gritty character and the mix of uses is really important to Old Kent Road, and you wouldn’t want to discard it or treat it lightly,” says Wilson. “It’s a great strength of the area – and it’ll make it a very special place to live and work in the future.” 46 issue 22 winter 2019

are both timely and complementary in the positive impact it would deliver to local residents, workers and tourists. “Parking is an issue for the users of the Old Kent Road Mosque & Islamic Cultural Centre, who are currently managing through cycling, use of public transport, and walking. “The development of the Bakerloo line would reduce the impact of parking shortage in the area.”

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Opening up the site to the public with a linear park, urban square and other walking routes and green spaces, the proposed development will have an important role in creating an identity for the area, that will include creating new affordable homes and jobs, and supporting thriving business, arts and cultural communities.

Aviva Investors and Galliard Homes are working with Southwark Borough Council on plans for the redevelopment of the Cantium Retail Park on the Old Kent Road.

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James Glancy Design

SPARKLING: James Glancy’s Penarth Street headquarters is a treasure trove of seasonal lights and decorations.

SANTA’S LITTLE HELPERS Set among warehouses near the Millwall ground, the HQ of James Glancy Design is not a lovely building. But it’s beautiful on the inside – housing a team that brings a Christmassy sparkle to some of Britain’s most famous streets. Noella Pio Kivlehan explores a surprising business at the heart of Old Kent Road’s regeneration zone. Pictures by Niklas Hallen

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Owner James Glancy revels in his studios’ impact on the unprepared visitor. “It’s that moment where you turn the corner or pass through a door, and go: ‘Oh my goodness!’ That’s the essence of making something memorable.” To use another cliché, this is where the magic happens – for Glancy’s firm specialises in ‘dressing’ streets, buildings and retailers for Christmas: think Regent Street or Carnaby Street on December 23. The firm was founded in 1991, after Glancy and business partner Paul Dart – a set and opera designer – collaborated on an arts project for that year’s Dublin City of Culture. “Paul dressed an element of the River Liffey between the Halfpenny Bridge and O’Connell Bridge,” recalls Glancy. “It looked amazing.” Initially, home for the fledgling firm was Stainer Street, under the arches at London Bridge. But 17 years ago, redevelopment of the station led to relocation: the pair wanted to stay close to central London clients, and eventually found their current home on Penarth Street. “It was being sold by Dualit, the toaster company,” says Glancy – and he’s hung onto that connection, naming the building The Toaster Factory. Penarth Street is a few hundred yards

from Millwall Football Club’s ground, and set in a swathe of light industrial land. “The area was pretty feisty; but even then, it was beginning to change,” says Glancy. As small creative and artistic businesses began moving in nearby, a few years ago he began rethinking his business model – looking at parts of the building “that weren’t working hard enough, to see if we could rent the space out to likeminded businesses. There were a lot of nooks and crannies that could be better used.” Johnny Batten, founder of design firm Studio Makecreate, was the first tenant (see also box on p45). “He’s taken on the mantle of doing all of our tenant relations: he gives

OPEN THE FRONT DOOR, AND THE VISITOR’S SENSES ARE ASSAILED BY A GLITTERING SWATHE OF LIGHTS

NEVER JUDGE A BOOK by its cover, as the cliché goes. And this particular cliché is a very neat fit for the offices and studios of James Glancy Design. Housed in a 1950s, two-storey building on Penarth Street in South Bermondsey, the area the firm calls home can only be described as run-down. Surrounding it are ramshackle warehouses – some empty, others semi-demolished – sitting behind cracked, misshapen pavements. But open the front door, and the visitor’s senses are assaulted by a glittering swathe of lights, baubles, decorations, ribbons and banners. Workers’ desks are swamped by fairy lights, while a motley crew of figurines line the walls. southwarkmagazine.com

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advice on what other creative businesses need, and how best to set them up in the studios here,” says Glancy. Around 15% of the space is now rented out, and he aims to boost that proportion to 45% over the next year. But now James Glancy Design’s own neighbourhood is set to be dressed: its Old Kent Road setting is the subject of an Area

DRESS THE TREES: Christmas comes early at James Glancy Design, where this worker is spending a summer’s day making festive trees.

Action Plan (AAP) that will catalyse a multibillion pound regeneration project (see main article, p41). And the firm’s 0.4 hectare site is one of the areas scheduled for redevelopment. The entire Penarth Street site is set to be rebuilt, forming part of a mixed-use development with 138 residential units and light industrial units topping out at eight storeys. “It’s very important to bring residential units into the area. But it’s just as important to make sure the light industrial space and creative space goes back in and it’s not compromised,” says Glancy. “This is one of our big drivers.” The project is likely to get underway within the next five years, while Glancy and Dart temporarily decamp to their warehouse in Erith – further east along the Thames. They hope to return, though – and when they do, they’ll find their part of Old Kent Road transformed: the book will, finally, match its cover. “It’s an amazing opportunity to enjoy refocusing an area in London that has traditionally been down on itself,” concludes Glancy. “Could this be an interesting, vibrant part of London? Yes, why not!”

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We create in-demand London spaces that people want to be part of; helping our occupiers, local communities and the city to thrive.

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Committed to Londonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s future

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Projects

projects As Southwark’s regeneration gathers pace, new buildings are emerging across the borough — from student accommodation and mixed-tenure housing, to special schools and city farms. Shailja Morris reports

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3. SPA SCHOOL CAMBERWELL

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CHAPTER LONDON BRIDGE, ST THOMAS STREET EAST A 905-bed student accommodation development in the form of a striking metallic, 39-storey tower will form the centrepiece of the St Thomas Street East development framework. In addition to accommodating students in this emerging hotspot near London Bridge, the Chapter London Bridge development will bring significant benefits to the wider community. Student accommodation developer Greystar has pledged £34.1 million towards the council’s housing investment programme as part of a planning deal with Southwark Council – supporting the provision of homes to accommodate more than 300 local residents. The deal clears the way to demolish Capital House, an existing 10-storey office building at the 40-46 Weston Street site next to Guy’s Hospital and London Bridge Station. The client team on the project includes building services consultant SWECO UK southwarkmagazine.com

and structural consultant AKT II. Architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates designed the 138m structure, which will boast a distinctive perforated metal façade creating a 3D faceted effect. At ground level, there will be a series of raking columns forming a ‘V’ shape. The ground floor will provide a mix of retail units, along with flexible workspaces for use by entrepreneurs and small businesses. Public realm improvements will include wider pavements, improved pedestrian routes, new planting and green walls. There will be more than 500 bicycle spaces, including a free-to-use bicycle hire scheme. Greystar will also deliver a package of community commitments, including work experience taster days for local school and college children; a student mentoring programme connecting Chapter residents with local schools and colleges; and access to facilities, events and training for local education providers. issue

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Associates, said: “This project has the potential to be a game-changer for our industry. With Bennetts Associates’ long track record in sustainability and Landsec’s commitment to both sustainability and innovation, we intend to push boundaries in office design. The projects’ adjacency to some of Bankside’s railway viaducts will also provide an opportunity to extend the area’s vibrant and diverse urban backdrop with new public spaces and retail amenities.” Meanwhile, at Red Lion Court, Landsec is working up plans for 30,000sq m of offices and new public riverside space. Red Lion Court and the neighbouring 1 Southwark Bridge Road – home to the Financial Times newspaper since 1987 – lie within the ‘Borough, Bermondsey and Rivers’ archaeological priority zone. The site is within a few metres of the internationally important Globe Theatre and Rose Theatre, which are designated as scheduled monuments.

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Bennetts will design two office buildings on either side of a new pedestrian route off Lavington Street. Part of the scheme will involve a comprehensive refurbishment of an existing printworks building, and it will include a mix of cafes and event spaces as well as offices. Both buildings will be fitted with carbon and energy reducing measures. A planning application was due to be submitted in December 2019 at the time of going to press, following community engagement. Beth West, head of development management at Landsec, said: “Southwark is a vibrant cultural hotspot, and we’re excited to be providing attractive and sustainable spaces for businesses to thrive in and for people to enjoy. Our projects at Lavington Street and Sumner Street are being designed to celebrate the industrial heritage and character of Southwark, while creating innovative workplaces that will attract more businesses to the Bankside area.” Peter Fisher, director at Bennetts

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Commercial property developer Landsec is pushing the boundaries of construction and design in Bankside, in three separate projects that have been identified as key development opportunities in Southwark’s new local plan. At 105 Sumner Street, new methods are being trialled to construct 12,200sq m of office space across two buildings. Known as Design for Manufacturing Assembly, the process involves using a modular, ‘kit of parts’ approach to assemble the building. Parts are designed for ease of manufacturing, made in a factory, and then brought on site ready to be assembled. The developer says that ready-made parts will reduce waste, help them build in a more environmentally-friendly way, speed up development, and minimise disruption for surrounding communities. Work at the site is expected to be completed in early 2022. In nearby Lavington Street, Landsec has appointed architects Bennetts Associates to design a 27,000sq m mixed-use scheme.

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SPA SCHOOL CAMBERWELL Southwark continues to meet demand for special schools, with construction underway on a new school for students with autism. Spa School Camberwell in Southampton Way will receive its first intake of students in September 2020, initially teaching up to 120 pupils aged four to 16 – and growing each year as new classes are added. Much of the school will occupy a Victorian school building in the former Lewisham Southwark College campus, which temporarily housed The Charter School East Dulwich. But more space and specialist facilities were required, so the council appointed Ellis Williams Architects to design a new-build extension to the existing building. The design team are working closely with headteacher designate Steph Lea to create an environment that meets the needs of both primary and secondary pupils with

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autistic spectrum disorder. The building will incorporate several features appropriate to the education of pupils with autism, including clear, ordered design, non-reflective surfaces and good acoustic control. The extension will feature a family room, several group and sensory rooms, main library, hall spaces, and specialist learning areas for drama, art, science and food technology. All primary classrooms will provide easy playground access, and there will be separate play areas for primary and secondary pupils, a plant-growing area and sports areas. The extension will provide a new smart entrance with a clear and simple layout. Spa Camberwell aims to provide the same high quality education as its partner school, Spa Bermondsey, which was rated ‘Outstanding in all areas’ by Ofsted in 2015-16.

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Work is underway to transform the Aylesbury Estate into a modern development of highquality, affordable homes. The first development site of the Aylesbury Regeneration Project will see 229 homes built on a parcel of land known as Package A, at the junction of Bradenham Close and Westmoreland Road. The homes are being delivered by social landlords Notting Hill Genesis, with Hill Construction working on the site. Package A is the first part of the wider First Development Site, which will provide more than 842 homes. Some 84% of these will be for social rent, including specialist housing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with 54 Extra Care homes for older people with particular needs, and seven homes designed for people with learning difficulties. Also being built on the site are a new community centre, two new play parks and a public square on Westmoreland Road, with tree-lined streets and on-street parking. The development will be completed in three stages, with the first completing between April and October 2021; the second due to end in December 2021; and the last closing in July 2024. As plans for construction move forward, the demolition of the current buildings is due to be completed in mid-2020. There will be 3,500 homes created across the entire regeneration scheme, half of which will be affordable housing. Of these, 75% will be let at social rents while the rest will be for shared ownership or shared equity. At least 30% will be family homes of three bedrooms or more. southwarkmagazine.com

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SURREY DOCKS FARM Work on the first phase of Surrey Docks Farm riverfront development plan is nearing completion, as a result of funding allocated by Southwark Council. Once complete the 0.9 hectare site, which is the only urban farm in Southwark and attracts 50,000 visitors a year, will boast stunning riverfront views looking across to Canary Wharf. The council funds will also provide new community facilities, lettable rooms and yearround outdoor areas. The farm’s tower, burnt out in an arson attack 10 years ago, will be restored to its former glory - providing three floors, with a farm kitchen, staff office and community space. The farm has successfully secured funding for the second phase of the development, in the form of a capital grant from local charity

58 issue 22 winter 2019

United St Saviour’s and additional money from the Veolia Environmental Trust. This phase will open the riverside frontage, enabling visitors to enter through a new main entrance on the Thames path. New paving, landscaping and gardens will provide a community space for socialising, community events and greater income generation opportunities, helping to sustain the city farm’s future. A new glass orangery extension will provide a multi-use space, in addition to the existing river room. Jillian Houghton, regeneration project manager at Southwark Council, said: “Both the council and the community are really excited to be bringing the farm back into community use and making the most of a lovely little provision locally that reconnects people with the natural environment.”

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MALT STREET LONDON SE1

These organisations attend Sitematch London to meet new development and investment partners...

One Public Estate

An exciting new green place for everyone www.berkeleygroup.co.uk Proud to be a member of the Berkeley Group of companies

Prices and details correct at time of going to press. Computer Generated Image is indicative only.

Berkeley are passionate about creating amazing new spaces to live, work and enjoy.

southwark

LANDMARK COURT

Low Line aims high A musical journey along the railway line shows the breadth of Southwark’s cultural offer

Something for everyone New hotels are serving local people – bringing jobs, community facilities and tourist pounds

A medical millennium Streets where Florence Nightingale practised are nursing a new generation of medical pioneers

New for Old Old Kent Road’s renewal: 20,000 homes, 10,000 jobs, parks and schools, and the Underground

Plays, plants and parades Blackfriars Stories takes a wry look at history – and connects people to the road’s future

southwark

WE LOVE SOUTHWARK STREET

Issue 22 Winter 2019

A STEP CHANGE IN DEVELOPMENT

A London Bridge medical science cluster, cultural attractions on Bankside, and development opportunities on Old Kent Road are taking the borough’s regeneration to the next level