Portobello. september westway.org.

Transcription

1 In Portobello september 2015 westway.org

2 Welcome to IN PORTOBelLO A B C C B Acklam Village Planning permission Acklam Road Car Park will be sought for the parts marked in orange Portobello Green Arcade The Portobello Village area is outlined in red A an update from westway trust on the plans to bring improvements and benefits to the PoRTobelLo Village area In March 2015, we held an exhibition for the community to share some early concept ideas for improvements to the Portobello Village area. Over the last six months we have heard views from over 700 people at consultation workshops, on a weekly stall on the Vintage Market, through a survey of local retailers and market traders, and via s and social media.

3 Your FeedbacK market visitors Community Groups market Street action group member organisations local councillors and website respondents exhibition respondents local residents residents associations market traders and retailers The feedback was wide ranging and diverse, and of course not everyone has the same view, but here s a snapshot of the key points. A full report of the feedback, including analysis of the findings and our full response can be found on our website

4 You said we must preserve the heritage and character of the area You SaiD OuR Commitment Keep the vintage market and its heritage at the heart of the plans Support independent traders and make it affordable Retain independent shops, rather than high street chains Plans for a roof top garden and a restaurant over the market were not popular Improve and increase seating areas, signage, lighting and trader toilets Make Portobello Green more attractive for families Make the area greener Limit noise and disruption by venues for local residents Improve Portobello Green Arcade The vintage market will remain where it is with better facilities for traders There will be no loss of stalls and the market will remain. The revised plans will include more provision for local independent shops and market stalls The new retail spaces created will be small to attract independent businesses. We want to protect the independent nature of the area We are not progressing replacement of the market canopy with a restaurant building All of these suggestions will be within the revised proposal We will open up the park and provide more seating and play facilities We will introduce as much greenery as possible in the new plan All new spaces will be properly soundproofed The Arcade will be refurbished to make it better for traders and visitors

5 You wanted to understand how local people will benefit You SaiD OuR Commitment Create jobs and affordable enterprise opportunities Create spaces and opportunities for arts, cultural and community events and activities Limit private housing; new housing to include social housing We expect the Portobello Village project to create new jobs. We will provide flexible workspaces for small and start-up local businesses We are looking to work with an advisory group made up of local artists and cultural organisations to develop plans for cultural use in the space We recognise people s concerns, but on such a small scale scheme, social rented housing is not viable. We are continuing to investigate a number of options and will keep people informed of the choices available

6 The summary of responses sets out the issues people largely agree on. However, not everyone agrees with each other about what should happen next. For example, the future of the market canopy area divided opinion The proposals for the building over the market area were not well supported and so we won t be bringing that forward. However, there were many different views on what to do with the canopy area ranging from leaving it exactly as it is, replacing the canopy with a more modern version, to calls for an international design competition. It is a good example of where the community has many different views. What s most important is the space continues to support the vintage clothing market, as it has done for many years. So we will continue to talk to the local community and the How will improvements be funded? We are committed to considering all options, but we will have to assess the financial viability and the impact financial decisions have on the project s ability to achieve maximum community benefit. market traders and think again about how we can best improve that area without changing its character. Our role is to consider all feedback and balance the needs and wants of local people, organisations and businesses. We are striving to get a proposal that maximises social and economic benefit with a scheme that is financially sound. This means some ideas may not make the final plans. We are committed to being open and explaining the rationale for our decisionmaking to ensure people understand the reasons why we have made the decisions we have.

7 Why are changes needed? A recent survey of over 100 local shopkeepers and market traders in and around the Westway highlighted: Many of the respondents recognised that improvements are needed. The existing canopy area, Acklam Road area and Portobello Green are underused outside of market days and suffer from poor public space and problems of anti-social behaviour. Explaining the process Identfying improvements to the area under the Westway Producing concept designs Consultation with the wider community Evaluating your requests for design changes Over half want more community and cultural activities Many would welcome more trading days - retailers and traders are concerned about the loss of trade 60% said that the general environment needs improving Over half reported a decrease in the amount of trade compared to last year we are here Asking for your feedback on the new designs Winter Spring 2015 Summer 2015 Autumn 2015 Winter 2015 Supplementary Planning Document adopted by RBKC (2012) Asking your view of designs Revising the designs Agreeing with you the final set of designs Coming up with ideas to improve things

8 Views from local people Ruth Morrison, Chief Executive, Pepper Pot Centre, 1A Thorpe Close What s your Portobello connection? Our organisation, the Pepper Pot Centre, has been established in the Portobello area for almost 33 years. However, our members have been connected to Portobello for over 65 years. Many of the first Caribbean immigrants settled in this area. It is also the birth place of the Notting Hill Carnival. What does Portobello mean to you? Portobello means a great deal to me. It is the area that made our members become resilient in the face of various challenges. It is the place where our community forged closer links with the wider community and fostered racial harmony and peace. It is a place where some of our community leaders such as Claudia Jones, Pansey Jeffrey, Andre Shervington, Rudy Braithwaite and many others played a key role in the entire transformation of Portobello. What hopes do you have for the future of the area? My hope is that the memory and legacy of the first Caribbean settlers to Portobello will be honoured and remembered. My hope is for the area to expand in a meaningful and positive way so that the heritage of each community including the Caribbean community is enshrined in the annals of Portobello for future generations.

9 What s your Portobello connection? Owner of Menswear shop Tonic on Portobello Road for 15 years. What does Portobello mean to you? An iconic and creative area, with a genuine community and characters, a special and unique part of London with a story known all over the world. What hopes do you have for the future of the area? I think the area has really improved in the last 5 years or so and I hope it continues to do that. If it does it will continue to attract new and exciting retailers and other businesses. Phil Bickley, Tonic, 276 Portobello Road Rachel Bothamley, Boutique Manager and Press Officer, What Katie Did, Portobello Green Designers What s your Portobello connection? I am the London Boutique Manager and Press Officer for What Katie Did. Faux Vintage Lingerie & Hoisery Company. Based in Portobello Green Arcade. What does Portobello mean to you? I ve always loved Portobello because of my love of vintage clothing. It s famous market and shops like 295 and Karen Arcay always have great quality items for such good prices. It s like a treasure trove for a 50s loving girl! What hopes do you have for the future of the area? I meet many people who come to Portobello not only from other parts of London but from all over the world to visit, long may this continue! I hope it continues to flourish.

10 How are traders and retailers currently doing compared to last year 45% 40% 35% 40% 30% 25% 20% 15% 20% 19% 10% 5% 0% Down Same as last year Up 102 local market traders & retailers were surveyed. 22 preferred not to say how they were trading. How your feedback helps us to make decisions Westway Trust is a charity. We are here to support and safeguard a stronger, more resilient local community. Through good stewardship and collaboration with the community, we want to ensure that this vibrant part of London continues to thrive. When making decisions about improving the area we have to weigh up various competing factors: We need to balance the different views and needs of local people Projects must be both deliverable and financially viable, and not expose the Trust to unacceptable risk The desire to celebrate the heritage and culture of the area Maximising community benefit that flow from improvements We want to continuously improve our relationship with the community and demonstrate the benefits we bring to the area. All income generated from managing our property portfolio is reinvested into local projects, charities and organisations. Over the next 15 years, we plan to work with the community to deliver social enterprise, retail, cultural and sporting opportunities together with improvements to the gardens and open spaces on the estate. Improving Portobello Village is the first project we want to collaborate with you on. Your views have really helped shape the proposal and will inform the next set of designs. Improving Portobello Village is a step on a broader journey to improve the whole Westway area, as part of 2030 plans. We believe by harnessing the creativity, heritage and diversity that makes the area so special, we will create distinctive and attractive places of which we can all be proud, and visitors can enjoy.

11 Maintaining the balance and managing risk Concern was expressed through the consultation that Westway Trust might expose itself to too great a financial risk in realising the improvement plans for Portobello Village. Westway Trust will take a responsible and prudent approach to funding the improvement plan and we will ensure that at no point the Trust is overexposed in terms of borrowing or debt. The Board of the Trust is responsible for setting the parameters of risk, and ensuring risk is carefully managed, which includes amounts borrowed. The Board has determined that it will not commit all our borrowing capacity to one scheme, as we have responsibilities to other parts of the estate that also need investment. Therefore, we are looking at ways to bring forward a viable project without overexposure through borrowing. A balance will be struck between bringing about the social and economic benefits within our borrowing thresholds and the ability to generate income.

12 We want to hear more from you If you have any views you would like us to consider or have any questions about our work, please do get in touch. westway.org