Mary Portas bid for funds

[leenewham]

http://www.foresthillsociety.com/2012/05/knickers.html

I hope everyone interested in the regeneration of Sydenham reads the content in full in the above link.

This post shows that the Forest Hill Society has really got to grips with how to support local businesses that want to make change, what is needed and putting the right infrastructure in place to help facilitate change.

I hope that we, in Sydenham, can learn from what our neighbours are doing.

[michael]

In the second round Sydenham, Forest Hill, and Kirkdale have been successful in their Portas bid. Great news for the area.

http://www.foresthillsociety.com/2012/0 ... nding.html

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[Tim Lund]

Well done Michael, Lee, Ed et al.

[leenewham]

…Lewisham Council, Bake aka Louise, Richard, the Forest Hill Society etc. And especially Ed (AKA BEEP studio) who put an incredible amount of effort into it.

[Chris Best]

Plus the Sydenham Town Centre Steering Group who are ready to morf into the Town Team for Sydenham. We have moved on since we first worked on the proposals for the Outer London Fund and I am delighted that we have been successful in this second round. We are looking to use Section 106 match funding from Bell Green to support the ideas for the high street - I am particularly keen on developing the public realm for markets. We will have the space in Station Approach and the pocket squares once the road improvements are completed.

[Tim Lund]

Plus the Sydenham Town Centre Steering Group who are ready to morf into the Town Team for Sydenham.

Who actually comprises the Sydenham Town Centre Steering Group? What is its constitution, and that of the proposed Town Team for Sydenham?

[safdirector]

That's really good news. On behalf of Sydenham Arts Festival my team and I would like to thank everyone for their hard work on this.

With plans already afoot for the biggest and best festival yet in 2013, Sydenham really will be the place to be next year.

And anyone interested in joining the new Sydenham Arts Festival team, especially those with an interest in developing links with the high street and empty spaces, should contact me asap.

thanks

Jonathan Kaufman
Festival Director
jonathan@sydenhamartsfestival.co.uk

[leenewham]

It might be good to advertise the next Town Centre Steering group meeting so more traders can come. I was invited to the one in Forest HIll last night to talk about our town centre branding schemes as part of the oUter London Fund, which had quite a few traders there, all enthusiastic and lots of ideas.

It woud be great to get more traders involved, which is one of the biggest issues with town centre groups. It often falls on just a few shops to do all the work then others complain when nothing happens.

One of the best things about the Portas bid is that they offer lots of advice, which Kirkdale, Sydenham and Forest Hill will all have access to.

[DanW]

This is great news - congratulations everyone who put the hard work into this!

[The Commander]

That is fantastic news. No mean feat to become one of the Portas Pilot projects. Hearty congratulations to all involved! Suprised you haven't been shouting it from the roof tops.

[paultreacy]

Most excellent news. Congratulations to all concerned. Let me know if I can be of assistance.
photo@paultreacy.com

[FHSoc]

Yesterday saw the first meeting of the Town Team (or more correctly, the bid team) since we heard news of our success.

The main item discussed was how to officially constitute the Town Team so that it can take over from Lewisham as the responsible body in the longer term.

We also discussed at length the importance of being transparent and spreading the news about what the Portas Pilot is intended to achieve and what it is not. We want as many people as possible to be involved, but we also have to manage expectations, so please be patient while the nitty gritty of name, website and communications is sorted out. We hope to get this sorted out in the next week or so.

In the meantime, please contact one of the following with any queries you may have:
email, Twitter account and Facebook details
Chris Best or @ChrisBestUK
Louise Brooks, @bakelondon or on Facebook
Ed Holloway
Rebecca Leathlean, @AlhambraRebecca or on Facebook
Paul Gale
Richard Hibbert, @FHSoc or on Facebook


Regarding the matched funding, you will see that £100,000 was specifically allocated to Forest Hill and Sydenham town centres if you look at these minutes for the s106 agreement. This money becomes available in September when they break ground on Phase II of the development.

[Chris Best]

Yes Richard we met yesterday but of course represented a much wider group of people who contributed to the ideas including members of the Sydenham Society and the Council's Community Development Team.

I then went on to to chair the Sydenham Town Centre Steering Group and highlights of the meeting included:

Award of the Sydenham Town Centre and Station Approach contract to J B Riney & Co Ltd - total funding budget is estimated at just over £3.3 million - start on site September 2012 for completion in September 2013 - meeting with traders to follow

The Greyhound - planning application for the two flats etc has been withdrawn - so back to the existing 2009 permission

Enforcement of shop front removals ongoing plus satellite dishes - consider working with local estate agents regarding V boards

Portas pilot bid for Forest Hill, Kirkdale and Sydenham included three elements - community hub shops - Jack and Jill - to use two empty shops in FH and Syd to promote different small businesses plus base for the town team; Shop Revolution and Market Makers - use of public realm for street markets

Presentation from Louise on progress of the Empty Shops Group including Shop Revolution - work includes shop shutter art, layering of businesses in shop space that is meanwhile use but could lead to lease, networking to bring landlords/agents and start up businesses together

Presentation from Vic on how he can support struggling businesses and is working with Job Centre Plus to help unemployed with their CVs etc - 3,000 unemployed in Sydenham

Support for Pen to promote Crowdfunding in Sydenham - financial support for a local project with money donated - ideas included the cost of materials for shop shutter art

Direct more people to http://www.sydenhamtowncentre.com - items of news and events

Promotion of the Arts Festival for 2013 - support for vertical banners on the lamp posts

High street flyposting issues of circus posters on upstands and empty shops

Street drinkers still a problem - group outside Your Move (or not as closed down and removed most of signage) - sleeping rough around 1 Queensthorpe Mews

Responsible retailers agreement - all off licences signed up

Next meeting Sydenham Assembly Saturday 8 September - 11am at Grove Centre - presentation from young people working on TNG plus feedback from youth projects that have received funding - plus Portas Pilot information

Sydenham Society Shop Front guides to be distributed with next Retailers Newsletter - well received on Conservation Area guidance and good photos'

Kirkdale Bookshop has signed up to CitySafe and have a sticker in the window showing that they will give a safe haven to youngsters and report every incident to the police

Please email me for more info on cllr_chris.best@lewisham.gov.uk - or visit my web site - http://www.chrisbest.org

[FHSoc]

Yes Richard we met yesterday but of course represented a much wider group of people who contributed to the ideas including members of the Sydenham Society and the Council's Community Development Team.

Indeed we did - the list was merely points of contact from the Council, Sydenham, Kirkdale and Forest Hill who can act as co-ordinators of information until the Town Team is up and running. It is not, and was not intended to be, an exclusive list of those who contributed to the bid.

I hope nobody thought otherwise.