Local Business Spotlight
Okinawa Day in full flow!
Five more years! In a renewal ballot conducted throughout November, Blue Bermondsey businesses have voted in favour of keeping their Business Improvement District, and in April 2024 Blue Bermondsey BID will embark on its third five year term. Blue Bermondsey’s main priority is offering a range of beneficial services to help members reduce costs and be a unified voice to enable a better involvement in the area in which they trade. This is driving the revitalisation of the Blue through a myriad of innovative projects, initiatives, and events, achieved by working closely with the local community and partner organisations to bring about positive change and attracting new businesses an investment. Blue Bermondsey chair, Jack Shah said; “It’s a great outcome and we are excited to continue serving local business and will do our best to sustain a thriving local business economy for all. We are also eager to strengthen the mutually beneficial partnerships we have built with a varied of range of local community stakeholders what they feel and know about their neighbourhood is crucial to our vison for the future. An individual businesses contribution depends on the size of the premises and against a backdrop of a very challenging economic time for our businesses, I think it’s really good for local people to know our businesses are doing their bit to make our little corner of the world a better place”. Future plans include several legacy projects to build on the ‘Made in Bermondsey’ regeneration scheme, which was centred on the rejuvenation of the historic Blue Market. As well as making it a better place for traders, it it now a flexible multi-purpose community hub that hosts an annual calendar of diverse community events
and activities that are attracting thousands of visitors and raising the profile of the Blue to new levels. As a dedicated member of the Low Line partnership group consisting of Better Bankside, Team London Bridge, Borough Market, The Arch Co, and Southwark Council, Blue Bermondsey are developing new initiatives to bring more businesses to the empty railway arches, which have huge potential to bring a better spread of economic activity along the ancient railway viaduct that has spanned Bankside, London Bridge and Bermondsey for over 150 years. As a strand of this work, Blue Bermondsey has gained funding to open a ‘test bed’ arch to accommodate start-up businesses and community uses, which is being enthusiastically supported by the Arch Co. As a key local stakeholder, organisation the BID also works closely with local greening group ‘Trees for Bermondsey’ to identify new locations where projects could be implemented whilst improving existing spaces. This has led to a gaining funding for a current project that is transforming the historic Shuttleworth Park, which has been a treasured local amenity for generations. This also links up with aspirations to develop green corridors along and around the Low Line, which overlooks the park. All of the work that Blue Bermondsey embarks on in the area is connected to a long term vision, that is geared to bringing more prosperity for Blue Bermondsey to be an attractive place where businesses feel part of and want to be.
The Bermondsey Lion sculpture at Blue Market
The Blue Market as it looked before
Plans are in place to transform Shuttleworth Park
“It’s a great outcome and we are excited to continue serving local business and will do our best to sustain a thriving local business economy for all.” 14 Southwark BUSINESS TODAY
