Better Bankside has two new neighbours
Waterloo and London Bridge BIDS go live.
An area bounded by London Bridge and Tower Bridge became a Business Improvement District (BID) on April 3rd 2006, with the London Bridge BID Company now able to deliver extra projects and services within the BID boundary.
The BID levy and other voluntary contributions will raise around £3.5 million over a five-year period, which will provide services across several themes, including targeted local cleaning and rubbish removal services, extra local policing, extra promotional support, and a programme of free information and networking events for the business community.
On March 16th 2006 more than 70 business representatives attended an event held to launch the new Company. James Dinwiddie, of Dinwiddie MacLaren Architects and Chairman of the new London Bridge BID Company, said at the event,
èWe are delighted with the strong mandate that businesses have given the business improvement district proposal. We're looking forward to developing projects and services which will benefit each and every organisation operating within the business improvement district Œ and providing a stronger collective voice on important local issues.î
The Company's inaugural project was a deep-clean around the Duke Street Hill / Tooley Street entrance to London Bridge Station, which included gum and graffiti removal, in partnership with Southwark Council.
Metropolitan Police contact with local businesses will also be improved from April through an extra BID-funded police service, which will provide extra police support for specific security and anti-social behaviour issues within the district.
In the first week of March, Waterloo Quarter Business Alliance also announced that its ballot to become a Business Improvement District (BID) had been a success. Businesses voted for the BID with a majority of 74% voting in favour by number and 92% by rateable value. The next five years will see at least £1,367,500 raised and invested straight back into an area to the south and east of Waterloo railway station and the viaducts.
The company's key objectives will be as follows:
- To act as a voice and provide a focus for individual business issues
- To make Waterloo a more pleasant and safer place
- To make the area more prosperous
- To make the area better connected by arguing for appropriate investment in its public infrastructure
Chris Smith, Chair of the WQBA Board, has lived and worked in the area for over 30 years and is passionate about the potential of the area. He hailed the vote as 'a fantastic result' and 'the most positive step the area could have made for the good of the future.'
Leader of Lambeth Council Councillor Peter Truesdale welcomed the vote, stressing that the council backed the BID one hundred per cent. 'Hopefully this result signals a new era for Waterloo. This is an excellent result for the business community in Waterloo and recognition of the effort put in to the BID by WQBA members and staff. It also marks an important milestone for Lambeth, being our very first BID.'
One of the difficulties the Waterloo BID had to overcome during its development occurred because the BID area it hoped to secure straddled the two neighbouring boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark. In late 2005 it emerged government legislation would not recognise a BID area that included parts of two separate districts. After much deliberation it was decided the best way forward would be to continue with the Waterloo area and sadly drop the Southwark part for the time being.
Now WQBA can immediately start working towards securing a BID in the Southwark part of Waterloo.
To date, WQBA has helped businesses deal with a variety of problems, initiating a business-to-business club, publishing VOICE, making the Safer Neighbourhood Team more accessible, installing additional CCTV, improving lighting, establishing the Radiolink Scheme, launching the www.waterlooquarter.org website, leading on the transformation of Emma Cons Gardens, removing graffiti, and installing many hanging baskets, to name but a few.
London
Bridge BID
http://www.londonbridgebid.co.uk/default.aspx?m=1&mi=41&ms=0
Waterloo Quarter Business Alliance
http://www.circlewaterloo.co.uk/
