There are no signs of a slowdown in the pace of development in Bankside. In fact the next years will see the initiation of a significant amount of construction that is already in the pipeline. In addition there are a number of major development sites for which plans are being considered and promoted. If the scale of  activity is impressive so is its breadth.

Bankside’s vibrancy is fed by a mix which encompasses commercial, retail, leisure and residential uses. All categories are experiencing growth, for example the number of hotel rooms is multiplying seemingly monthly.  This all adds to the character of the Bankside neighbourhood which is active for extended periods of the day and throughout the week.

Whilst all this developer interest is welcome there will be concerns on two fronts:-

• that the potential for disruption during the construction works periods is kept to a minimum. Better Bankside is very active in this respect through its award winning Logistics Group and d-brief communication strategy

• that the summation of development activity enhances Bankside as a great neighbourhood in which to live, work and visit

Better Bankside has been less active in this respect to this point. However in becoming involved in the government’s Neighbourhood Plan pilots we have the potential to develop a new mechanism  that will allow us to have a say both in influencing development and in negotiating some benefits that might accrue from that.

Working with our partners Bankside Residents Forum we are bringing together a group of local people from the residential, business and voluntary communities to shape this process. Please do contact Peter Williams pw@betterbankside.co.uk if you would like to know anything further at this stage.