Better Bankside ebrief, JULY 2005 |
Better Bankside seeks support from landowners Read how Better Bankside is encouraging property owners in the area to make voluntary contributions to the Business Improvement District (BID). On 12th July, Better Bankside invited the owners of buildings in the BID area to an event at Glaziers Hall. As well as giving those present an opportunity to meet their peers, participants heard three views on the likely future of the Bankside area Ð from Mike Bird, Director of Development at Land Securities, Peter Williams, Executive Director of Better Bankside, and Jennie Noon, Facilities Director of IPC Media, new owners of the ÔBankside 1Õ building on Southwark Street. Following this meeting, Better Bankside will be writing to landowners inviting them to support the BID both financially and by becoming involved in its governance. The BID model in the UK differs from that in the US in that occupiers rather than owners pay the ÔlevyÕ. This was a pragmatic decision largely based on the absence of a reliable collection mechanism from owners. The British Property Federation lobbied hard for a more fundamental involvement in the governance of BIDs and, following an amendment tabled by Lord Rooker, government agreed to review the role of landowners in two yearsÕ time. York consulting has just been commissioned by the ODPM to undertake a survey of the contribution of landowners to the first BIDs. Some landowners Ð notably Chelsfield (now Multiplex) and Land Securities Ð have been on the board of Better Bankside for some time. Others have had limited contact with the organisation. Up-to-date information on landowners is notoriously difficult to source. For this reason Better Bankside staff chose to go straight to the members Ð the occupiers of business premises in the area Ð to find out the identities and contact details of their landlords. There was an overwhelming response, to the extent that the owners and/or managing agents of more than 75% of BID-eligible properties are now known.
ODPMÕs study on role of landowners in BIDs |
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