Peckham multi-storey car park

[LondonMix]

Sorry, why is creating an artistic hub more of an opportunity for Peckham than creating a space for artists and other small local businesses and entrepreneurs? If that is the point, I am definitely missing it so please explain.

[pork chop]

There are two ways of looking at this - from the local Peckham community perspective, but also with a view to London-wide planning. No politicians seem to be talking about developing a London-wide plan to revive artist communities and to save studios. All decisions are devolved down to councils, who apply their own agendas area by area and historically have done little to help artists. And at higher levels the main political impetus is on residential development, which puts more studios at risk.

What I saw in the Bold Home project was the chance to create something extraordinary and quite unique, and with sensible negotiation with Southwark could easily have ticked all the boxes that the council may have had - perhaps limiting studio spaces to 500, and requiring 30% to be for more commercial / mixed-use. Such is the planning process. It came from the existing community because Bold Tendancies are already there - in the car park on the top floors. Artist studio companies tend to be flexible on the broad model they develop.

Instead, from looking at the Pop Community proposal we get a mere 50 studio spaces, which for such a huge building is a token contribution that will make almost no difference to the urgent need for workspace that is London-wide. What is on the table is not very inspiring - it partly indicates lots more retail, as if Rye Lane or South London is short of that.

And it isn?t just grumpy artists complaining. The article below reads:

"London Green Party spokesperson Sian Berry described the decision as ?desperately disappointing? and Eileen Conn from Peckham Vision said ?the local community were not involved in identifying the priorities for uses or the criteria for assessing bids.?

http://www.southwarknews.co.uk/news/artists-give-peckham-car-park-plans-the-brush-off/

Southwark say: "As a council we have promised to create hundreds of new affordable work spaces for the creative industries?? (Cllr Mark Williams, cabinet member for regeneration and new homes). Perhaps Mark or one of his colleagues could come on this trail to tell us the studio projects they have developed elsewhere. I would be delighted to hear about them.

[alice]

OP can you correct your first sentence so as to remove the word selling / sold

[edhistory]

pork chop Wrote:

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> It came from the existing community because Bold Tendancies are already there

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/07662828

[LondonMix]

Pork chop, I agree that a tweak to the Bold scheme to include more event / community space with perhaps just a little retail would have felt like a better compromise. Does Bold have a confrontational relationship with the council as you'd think the council otherwise would have helped them understand what they were looking for.

Anyhow, Bold is not the community, they are members of the community. I'd like to see more engagement from all parties with the pre-existing Peckham community groups - the longstanding independent retailers, the church groups etc when crafting community projects.

I'm from Miami and I've seen how longstanding residents get left behind when a place like Wynwood (which I love) starts transforming a previously neglected neighbourhood.

[pork chop]

From my understanding the Bold Home had two key players - Bold Tendencies, who are the gallery-lead group already involved on the top floors of the car park, and Shoredtch-based Second Home, who seem to develop funky modern workspaces for new companies. The Standard article gives a good overview.

http://secondhome.io

I imagine between the two of them they would have come with something pretty exciting, and would have been open to developing the project in response to feedback from the council. But I don't know for sure, and the council have gone for something very different with hardly any artist studio presence. I can only assume the Southwark vision was so different that there was no point in conversations taking place.

[edhistory]

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/06471361/filing-history

[LondonMix]

Quite possibly. I think the architect that is in the JV for the winning scheme is also working with he council on the redevelopment of Peckham Library Square so that pre-existing relationship might have helped things. The council mentioned this specifically in their statement.

pork chop Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> From my understanding the Bold Home had two key

> players - Bold Tendencies, who are the

> gallery-lead group already involved on the top

> floors of the car park, and Shoredtch-based Second

> Home, who seem to develop funky modern workspaces

> for new companies. The Standard article gives a

> good overview.

> http://secondhome.io

> I imagine between the two of them they would have

> come with something pretty exciting, and would

> have been open to developing the project in

> response to feedback from the council. But I don't

> know for sure, and the council have gone for

> something very different with hardly any artist

> studio presence. I can only assume the Southwark

> vision was so different that there was no point in

> conversations taking place.

[DeLick]

The multi-story car park is an ideal location for affordable workspaces in Southwark. 

Edited July 30, 2023 by DeLick

[edhistory]

What is "affordable" in 2015?

How much would you be prepared to pay for a 15 square metre workshop?

I think the new artistic arrivals in Peckham may have priced you out.

You are right about the availability of places 20-30 years ago.

Southwark Council have a register of premises where they have used their discretion to apply a "light manufacturing" reduced business rates scheme. This is public information. An inquiry to Southwark Council. You may find vacant premises for your purposes.

I'd like to see the list if you take this route.

John K

[Eileen]

DeLick Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> The multi-story car park is an ideal location for

> affordable work spaces in Southwark. I'd rather

> worked locally as my aspiration is to set-up a

> garment manufacturing company in Peckham to train

> and employ people in the community. I can remember

> twenty years ago you could find work at garment

> companies in Peckham.

The new project to get the empty levels into good local use is starting up. Here is a new website we have discovered (didn?t see any announcement) http://www.peckhamlevels.org/#!share-your-ideas/s7ao6. This is what it says:

"Share your Ideas:- Peckham Levels is a project for the whole community. So if you have ideas for events, activities or uses for the space, we want to hear them." It asks for your details and then for your suggestions.

So if you have any ideas or aspirations for the building, here is your chance to put them in.

It?s an opportunity Peckham Vision has been working towards for several years. So we are glad and hope that lots of local suggestions are made and that the new managers of the empty levels can select what works well to show the wonderful potential of the space for the long term:

Current position: http://www.peckhamvision.org/wiki/Multi-Storey_Car_Park#Future_of_the_building

Some background: http://www.peckhamvision.org/wiki/Multi-Storey_Car_Park#Model_of_cinema_.26_car_park_building

[edhistory]

Eileen,

Has anyone retained any documents from about 10-15 years ago when this was pitched to developers as the Cerise Road development site?

John K