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THEME 2 Economy & Employment
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THEME2: ECONOMY AND EMPLOYMENT
To procure and intensify industrial land to meet the needs of new jobs
To establish a start-up culture in Southall to vitalise the local economy
To support local economy by enlivening and connecting separate high streets within Southall
To foster economic competitiveness by empowering local business and people
Southall Broadway and South Road
- diversify the offer and develop Southall BID to improve high street and ensure more footfall - provide job training to empower local business
West Southall
Mixed-use new development with start-up culture
Southbridge Way LSIS
intensification through mixed-use development providing intensified employment
International Trading Estate LSIS
Industrial Land
Mixed-use Development
High Street
Desired Outcome: To empower Southall's local economy and reach growth benefiting everyone in Southall
Southall Crossrail Station
Connection of high street as an activity node and mixed-use start up culture
Great Western Industrial Park SIL
East Southall
Gradual transition from mixed use to residential and to industrial use
Middlesex Business Center
re-designation of industrial land to provide capacity of employment and intensification through co-location with residential use
The Green
Mixed-use centres for learning, making and working with convenient access to public services SCALE 1:10,000
Rationale of this Objective
The new London Plan(2018) indicates a shift to an ambition of retention of London's industrial capacity and categorizes London Borough of Ealing as 'provide capacity'. However, the Southall OAPF does not reflect on this as it was written in 2014. The OAPF only mentions 'retain job capacity in the existing economic sectors and diversify the local economy with an indicative capacity of 3,000 new jobs' without specific measures.
Policy
EE1.1 Re-designation of Industrial Land
Re-designation of industrial land allowing mixed-use development should take place in sites where it is ideal to provide capacity for more employment and housing. The development will involve co-location of industrial uses with residential and non-industrial uses. However, to retain the amount of industrial land within Southall, a development plan must ensure replacement or intensification strategy. The Middlesex business center site within East Southall is an ideal location for transit-oriented development. Thus, the site can be re-designated as mixed-use. To retain the floorspace of industrial use, the rest of the East Southall industrial land should be intensified.
EE1.2 Intensification of Industrial Land
Intensification of industrial land through more efficient, multi-use industrial space stacking mixed-use office, warehouse and industrial space will be supported. Ideal case studies or tools from new London plan E7 can be applied - such as development of mezzanines, introduction of smaller units, development of multi-storey schemes, addition of basements, and more efficient use of land through higher plot ratios. South Bridgeway LSIS in the Green will be an ideal place to adopt this policy as it is currently low density and is accessible to the station and high street.
Policy Tools & Indicators
number of jobs,
Key Messages
Exemplar
Meridian Water, Enfield Transferability
The regeneration of Meridian Water in Enfield involves a re-designation of industrial land to a residential-led mixed-use development. Options for the retention, adaptation or co-location of existing wholesale usage are nested within the masterplan framework and phasing.
Although the Meridian Water is a much bigger scale project, the existing usage as wholesale within a prime location and the suggested transformation as mixed-use of residential and light industrial supporting new jobs is similar to the suggested site in Southall. Thereore, this transferability is rated
Ironworks, Vancouver Transferability
Werk12, Munich Transferability
Formal Tools
Control, Incentive
Guidance
Informal Tools
Evidence (case study)
Indicators
employment growth rate, medium.
floorspace per land uses Iroworks is a stacked mixed-use office, warehouse and industrial space development that ensures maximum density and versatility on the parcel of land. Werk12 is an mixed-use urban regeneration project on a former industrial site that demonstrates creative design for flexible use through extra-high ceilings, and circulation on the outside allowing interiors to be easily reconfigured. The design concepts and tools from both cases are creative and highly applicable for Southall.
Objective EE2. To establish a start-up culture in Southall to vitalize local economy
Rationale of this Objective
Southall's goal of providing 6,000 new homes and 3,000 new jobs is targeting newcomers who will commute to Central London. This will eventually lead to Southall being a commuter suburb serving Central London and is not ideal for Southall's local economy. Also, there is a threat of congestion caused by commuters and this may result in potential tension between the local residents and the newcomers. Establishing a start-up industry in Southall will attract newcomers who will contribute in growth and vitalize local economy. The OAPF mentions new mixed use development with managed workspaces opportunities and supporting SMEs, but does not have concrete plans on how to attract new SMEs or what kind of industry to target. The new Southall Waterside Construction Academy trains students with high-tech faciliteis such as VR tech and 3D scanners. Consturction-Tech could be a new industry for the start-up culture.
Policy
EE2.1 Establishment of Affordable Workspaces
Establish affordable workspaces with accelerator programmes to attract and grow young startups in Southall. The West southall and Southall Crossrail Station will have development briefs for start-up centers.
EE2.2 Construction-tech as new business
Explore the potential for new business growth initiatives including construction-tech businesses. New start-ups for the sector will be supported with incentives such as affordable price scheme for workspace, and apprenticeship schemes from the West London Construction Academy.
EE2.3 Investment Fund
Small businesses and start-ups will be supported through investment program. The fund together with affordable workspace and accelerator program will attract young startups to settle in Southall.
Policy Tools & Indicators
Formal Tools
Control (development brief)
Incentive
Incentive
Informal Tools Indicators
Number of SMEs, start-ups, and business Investment program
Key Messages
Exemplar
Trampery Tottenham Transferability
639 Tottenham High Road is a public sector asset enterprise centre that pursues inclusive entrepreneurship by providing affordable workspaces and supporting early-stage entrepreneurs while bringing the community together and activating the high street. It is an ideal model of affordable workspace and acclerator program which is targeted to young start-ups and is highly applicable in Southall.
Willmott Dixon's Building Lives Academy Transferability
Willmott Dixon is working alongside a regeneration project in the London Borough of Croydon and offering construction related training in collaboration with local college and the council. Croydon council funds the project aiming to attract young people and women into construction industry. Expecting many development projects to take place and already having a construction institution, it is ideal to try such a program in Southall.
Tottenham Opportunity Investment Fund Transferability
Tottenham Opportunity Investment Fund LB Haringey and the Mayor of London provide a programme to enable investment for small businesses. Loans are typically £100k with competitive interest rates repayable over several years. A support package includes a 30 per cent business rate discount for 3 years and business advice. The Ealing Council might not have the resources and funding to organize a comparable program, but could request for investment from the Mayor of London.
Rationale of this Objective
The OAPF has a fragmented strategy for high streets but does not address them as a whole. The south and north high streets are physically and economically disconnected at the Southall station. Southall doesn't have a BID but there seems to be a potential for a new BID as the Big Conversation demonstrates strong sense of ownership and strong will from business owners to improve the high street.
Policy
EE3.1 Activity Node
Create an activity node around the tube station as a transport hub that connects the South Road and the Green. A masterplan of the Southall Crossrail Station will be delivered as a supplementary document.
EE3.2 Diversifying High Street Offer
An increase in office, leisure and cultural uses, including the evening and night time economy to ensure that footfall comes from a range of sources will be promoted. Financial incentives will be provided for developments offering various uses within the West Southall, Southall Broadway and South Road, Southall Crossrail station and The Green.
EE3.3 BIDs and Business Partnerships
Encourage the development of new and innovative business relationships and ways of working between BIDs and other partners. Promote and support the BIDs through advising and supporting services to develop initiatives that encourage more visitors. However, the establishment of a BID which includes the renovated Himalaya Palace will be encouraged.
Policy Tools & Indicators
Formal Tools
Control (masterplan)
Incentive
Informal Tools
Promotion, Knowledge (engagement)
Indicators
footfall (day and night time), retail sales, new business use class
Key Messages
Exemplar
Mockingbird Station, Dallas Transferability
Mockingbird Station, Dallas: Once used to be an underused warehouse area has been developed as a mixed-use transit hub. It is located on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system and along Dallas’s Central Expressway and the mixed-use development consists of retail, residential lofts, and office space. The previous site condition and objective is similar, however the urban design aspect of the project is not recommended as the scale of the project is bigger than Southall Crossrail Station and it is based on car-dominant context of United States. Thus, the transferability is medium.
City of Westminster BID Transferability
City of Westminster has 7 currently opperating BIDs and maintain a good BID-borough relationship seeing as 'a partnership to work together to manage and improve the local economic area.' The Westminster Business Unit provide information, advice and support about BIDs, including Business Rates information, details of current service provision, sharing of best practice and experience. Although this exemplar requires high resources of knowledge, it is an ideal case to adopt.
Rationale of this Objective
The OAPF mentions job training but lacks a concrete plan. It only mentions that 'proposals which support local employment, skills, development and training opportunities will be welcomed'.
Policy
EE4.1 Job Training
Provide job training for unemployed or low skilled local people as this will support social regeneration. A language program for immigrants, activities targed at skills of interest to young people, and actions to track and reduce the number of young people who are NEET will be delivered.
EE4.2 Apprenticeship
Support business apprenticeships from local college, such as Southall Community College and West London Construction Academy, to increase employment opportunities for young people
EE4.3 Affordable Workspaces in Town Center
Encourage co-location of affordable workspaces in town centres with other civic functions to offer employment and skills opportunities to local communities. This will be encouraged especially in the Green where public sector buildings are centered. The site SOU9 from Ealing Local Plan Development sites is an ideal location for such co-location development.
Policy Tools & Indicators
skills level, NEET,
Key Messages
Exemplar
Kensington and Chelsea Transferability
The Economic Strategy of Kensington and Chelsea has various plans to reach inclusive growth by focusing on low income and low skills local people. It also has an apprenticeship schemes at local higher education facilities to help apprentices to gain jobs in local businesses. Considering the different situation in financial resources in Southall, it would be difficult to provide as affluent job training programs but it is still a good example to follow. The apprenticeship scheme is
Formal Tools
Control
Incentive
Guidance
Informal Tools
Knowledge (engagement & education)
Indicators
unemployment level, gained qualification, highly applicable for the local college in Southall.
number of apprenticeships
IDEA Store, Tower Hamlet Transferability
The IDEA Stores in Tower Hamlets are civic library buildings where public services are co-located, giving the community the chance to develop a strong civic culture. The library holds free workshops and seminars for small businesses from the SiLL (Startups in London Libraries) and also employment support service. The same could be created in Southall if services and uses are co-located in mixed use developments along the Green , thus this exemplar is highly applicable.
