Over the last two years, the council has been meeting regularly with tenants of the Elephant and Castle through a forum called the Shopping Centre Liaison Group. In addition, several other meetings have been held with shop owners from the Walworth Road and the market traders. Throughout 2005 and beyond, the council will increase the number of meetings with local businesses and will try to reach as many as possible that will either be directly or partially affected by the regeneration plans.

What steps is the council taking to ensure a viable future for small businesses currently trading in the area?

In setting out consultation proposals for Elephant and Castle, the council has had close regard to the interests of local businesses. We recognise that a broad range of services continue to be provided to local people by businesses that have traded in difficult and worsening circumstances. The position that we have inherited at the Elephant is a consequence of long years of weak planning, low investment and poor maintenance.

Our present measures can be set out as follows;

1. To plan a new town centre. 2. To assist residents and businesses already in the area to manage the transition in a way that brings them the maximum benefits. 3. To protect the current trading position 4. To involve town centre interests in the development of the plans.

These points are expanded below:

1. To plan a new town centre The development plan proposes to create a vibrant urban centre with a wide range of small and large shops. This involves re-establishing Walworth Road as a high street along the straight-line route to the Elephant and Castle that was lost when the previous development took place. The plans propose an active frontage of busy mixed-use units along the high street leading up to a central commercial core and transport interchange. The plan also provides for new spaces within bridge viaducts and arches for market stalls and small retailers of the kind that are proving so successful at Borough Market. In all this will re-establish the Walworth Road and Elephant & Castle as a successful location for flourishing businesses.

2. To support local businesses to manage the process of transition and 4. involve businesses in the development of the plans As with our plans for housing reprovision, the phasing plan will direct our efforts to supporting local interests first. Early developments on the Walworth Road and within the early development locations will give opportunities for businesses directly affected by the demolition of the shopping centre to plan their moves ahead of time. We are actively working with current businesses and landlords to offer the council’s assistance with this. A shopping centre liaison group has been established, and individual business issues are being assisted through our SRB programme funded Business Extra initiative, as well as through the Southwark Chamber of Commerce. The council will continue to broaden opportunities for businesses to have more contact with the development team to enable them to make decisions based on their individual circumstances.

3. To maintain business and services in the meantime We all recognise that the current shopping centre is outdated and in a state of decline. The businesses are not responsible for this - it’s a testimony to their tenacity that they have survived in such challenging circumstances.

Now that the case for regeneration is becoming so firmly established we are actively working with current businesses and landlords to offer the council’s assistance to guard against the danger of blight. The warden scheme is being extended to cover the central Elephant area and the shopping centre itself. The SRB-funded lighting scheme is addressing public concerns about safety and will introduce architectural lighting to enhance the appearance of the Elephant in the evenings.

Officers from the project team are also discussing with St Modwens (the shopping centre owners) and central businesses how a combined marketing effort can help to maintain the customer appeal of the area right up until the redevelopment programme begins.

In addition to these measures the SRB programme, Elephant Links, is funding the Business Extra initiative through which independent advice is available to all affected businesses.

Overall, the council’s intention is to maintain a close and continuing working relationship with all of the shopping centre businesses to ensure the smoothest possible transition, whilst protecting the employment and service bases that they have created.

 


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