Introduction to the Consultation Version

Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan

[Introduction to the Consultation version]

Welcome to the Bankside Neighbourhood Forum’s draft Neighbourhood Plan for our area.

What is a Neighbourhood Plan?

The Localism Act has introduced neighbourhood development plans (to give them their full name), which can help communities plan positively for development. Drawn up and voted on by the local community, a neighbourhood plan identifies policies and proposals for appropriate development in a defined area. It will help both the Council and developers have a clear understanding of what the community wants to see from future developments in the neighbourhood. The plan must go to a referendum, giving everyone on the electoral register the chance to vote for or against it. If the plan gets enough support from the community, it will be valid for five years.

What is the Bankside Neighbourhood Forum?

A Neighbourhood Forum made up of representatives of residents, businesses and local organisations has been working together to develop a vision for Bankside. We have set up the website www.werarebankside.com so that the wider community know what we are doing. The proposals you see here are the result of many months of discussion and hard work. The draft plan has been achieved by the enthusiasm and expertise of working groups and volunteers, and the support of local businesses and Southwark Council. Wherever possible we have carried out evidence-gathering work ourselves, and called upon expert help where necessary. We believe this is essential to give us evidence for our proposals. People are passionate about Bankside and some of the ideas that we have been discussing cannot be delivered through a neighbourhood plan. We hope that other departments of the council, local organisations, businesses and residents groups will be able to use those ideas when they working on schemes in Bankside.

Now it’s your turn. We want to ensure that as many people as possible get the chance to see and comment on the draft proposals. A programme of events is planned during this 6-week consultation period to make sure that everyone who wants to can find out about the plan. We are also happy to come and speak with groups of neighbours or colleagues if you would like to invite us.

There is a response form at the end of this plan document and on the website. If you are unable to submit the form online we can deliver a form for you to post back to us. The deadline is [date] 2013. If you would like to get more involved with the Forum please let us know. It’s open to everyone to join who lives or works in Bankside. We look forward to hearing from you.

Tim Wood, Chair, Bankside Neighbourhood Forum

What motivates us to work towards a Neighbourhood Plan for Bankside?

“Bankside is a special place. The preciousness of shared public space reinforces the 1 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan importance of sharing responsibility for the future and the need for businesses, residents and organisations to work together for a public realm that has the potential to be very special indeed.”

Tim Wood, Chair of Bankside Neighbourhood Forum and Bankside Open Spaces Trust

“Bankside is one of the most historical parts of our capital city. Evidence of this is all around us, and the legacy from the past contributes hugely to the area’s character and helps make it the special and unique neighbourhood that it is. Whilst encouraging appropriate high quality development we need, at the same time, to ensure that we preserve and enhance our heritage assets, celebrate them and maximize their potential to contribute to the area’s special character and to help make the whole of Bankside an enjoyable and stimulating place to be in and walk around. “

David Stephens: Chair of Bankside Residents’ Forum.

“For the past twelve years Better Bankside has been devising and delivering programmes which aim to benefit residents, employees and visitors alike. Given the continuing pace of development here, the board came to the conclusion that in realising its ambition of creating a world-class neighbourhood, place making was as important a consideration as place management or place marketing. But whereas we were practised in marketing and management techniques it was less evident what tools we had at our disposal to shape the most influential impact on the area from building and development. The Neighbourhood Plan process has helped us answer that question, and created a forum for the different constituencies and stakeholders in the area to consider and negotiate the nature and character of growth.”

Peter Williams, CEO Better Bankside

Welcome to Bankside Neighbourhood Plan

2 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan

Contents [Map]

1. What is the Bankside Neighbourhood Plan?

2. Why a Neighbourhood Plan is needed for Bankside

3. A Vision for Bankside and how the Plan can achieve it

4. Implementing the Plan

i. Principles for sustainable development of Bankside ii. Key focus places for the delivery of the Vision

- Blackfriars Road - Southwark Street and Landmark Court - Rail Arches and Land - Landmark Court - Borough High Street - Borough Market Environs iii. The Community Infrastructure Projects List [separate doc]

Appendices – The evidence base for development capacity [not included at present]

[Map of the area]

1. What is Bankside Neighbourhood Plan? [Version for consultation – to be changed later]

This section explains what a neighbourhood plan is, what and where it covers and how it has been drawn up.

1.1A neighbourhood plan is about developing a shared vision for the use and development of land and buildings within a neighbourhood.

It puts detail onto how the Council's borough-wide planning policies will be applied to a neighbourhood, reflecting the aspirations of the community.

It can promote more development than the Local Plan sets out and include policies, e.g. on design standards, which take precedence over existing policies in the Local Plan for the neighbourhood.

It cannot conflict with the strategic policies or prevent development already identified in the Local Plan. It does not deal with ongoing functions such as policing, teaching, and medical help.

[box showing relation of plans in hierarchy]

1.2 Does Bankside have to have one? It is not obligatory to have a Neighbourhood Plan and the council will only adopt it if it passes the community referendum. In Bankside there will be two ballots, to reflect the fact that here there are both strong residential and business communities.

1.3 What planning status will it have? Upon adoption the neighbourhood plan will become part of Southwark Council’s Local Plan, the collection of planning documents for the whole borough. This is why it has to be consistent with Southwark’s overall strategic policies set out in the Core Strategy and the London Plan.

1.4 Why not just wait for the SPD? An SPD does not carry as much weight as an adopted neighbourhood plan and if there are policies that the community feels strongly about and can agree upon, a neighbourhood plan can be a stronger tool for achieving sustainable local development.

1.5 Why does the Plan only focus on certain places? This Neighbourhood Plan lasts for five years, but sets ambitions for the next 15 years and beyond. The Plan concentrates on a small number of places, policies and projects where the plan can achieve real change over that time.

1.6 What area does the Plan cover? The Plan area is shown in Map 1.The riverside has been the focus for significant high value residential and cultural development over the past 10 years; to the east, Borough High Street runs near an area of investment but the street itself still needs coordinated action for improvement; to the west it is important that new developments on Blackfriars Road support the environment and character of the area, and to the south there are opportunities for development and new connectivity.

1.7 Who has been involved so far? In areas without Parish Councils, a Neighbourhood Forum draws up the Plan. Here, this includes residents, businesses and local organisations, reflecting the varied nature of the neighbourhood. The Forum is open to anyone who has a commitment to the way that the neighbourhood will develop, but it is the referenda, where all residents and businesses will have the chance to vote, that will determine if the neighbourhood plan proposals will be adopted as planning policy by Southwark Council.

1. 8 How is the plan delivered? The neighbourhood plan sets the vision for the neighbourhood and the principles for appropriate future development. The neighbourhood plan, through the Neighbourhood Forum, will also be the appropriate body to discuss future developments with landowners, applicants and developers.

[Illustration box] Working together for Bankside Bankside has many committed individuals and organisations but now there is a new ambition to work together in Bankside. Forum members have particularly welcomed having representatives of property developers, architects, cultural institutions, transport and educational organisations as well as local residents, business people and representatives from environmental and charitable community service providers among its members.

1.9 When will it happen? [these are provisional dates – to be confirmed] - Public consultation begins 25 January 2013 - Public consultation closes 8 March 2013 - Plan redrafted, submitted to Southwark Council 15 March 2013 - Forum agrees final version 20 March 2013 - Final cabinet deadline 25 March 2013 - Cabinet 16 April 2013 - Consultation on the formal draft 26 Mar-3 May 2013 - Submission to the planning inspector May - Examination in Public June - Inspector report July - Referendum October - Final document adopted by the council December

The next section sets out the context for Bankside and the Neighbourhood Plan: what are the characteristics of Bankside that should be supported and enhanced through the plan?

2. Why a Neighbourhood Plan is needed for Bankside

“Bankside’s mix of residents, businesses and culture, living together in a unique historic neighbourhood, makes this area truly special. The Neighbourhood Plan strives to protect and promote this mix for the future.”

2.1 Understanding the challenges and opportunities here can help set ambitions for the future.

In planning terms Bankside is part of an Opportunity Area within the Central Activity Zone of the London Plan – the main employment and business area of London – but this designation does not capture what is special about the neighbourhood:

Bankside is a distinctive, identifiable area of London whose heritage tells a particular story within the wider city of London. It is home today to a mix of residents, businesses and cultural organisations and fulfills different functions for many people – including, 6,000 residents, 60,000 employees and 6 million visitors a year.

Bankside’s variety within a small area is one of its greatest strengths – historic buildings next to glass pavilions; international corporations near established family businesses; some of London’s earliest social housing in a rich mix of tenures; alleyways, pocket parks and churchyards giving respite from main roads and the overhead railway lines driven through the medieval street pattern by the Victorians; London’s oldest food market and a bishop’s palace; the remains of London’s most historic theatre and the world’s biggest modern art gallery: they are all here on Bankside.

The river brings a great sense of history, space and light – a varying and inspiring landscape that is sometimes forgotten by residents and workers as a place of relaxation just as visitors may not yet know the attractions away from the riverside. Despite a lack of substantial green space there is a wide variety of open space: the amenity of the riverside walk and Tate landscape; pocket parks such as Redcross Gardens, Christ Church Garden, Copperfield Street Community Garden and Mint Street Park; housing lands around residential developments; new green spaces carved out of the streetscape such as Gambia Street and new open spaces provided within development sites.

Bankside is going through a period of transformation – driven by the arrival of the Jubilee line in November 1999, the creation of Tate Modern and opening up of the river path and the pressure for expansion from the City. Transport links have continued to improve, with the opening of the southern entrance to Blackfriars Station and additional capacity into London Bridge via the new viaduct over Borough Market.

In the past 10 years prime sites have mostly been developed or are in the development pipeline – major new office, hotel, student accommodation and high value residential schemes. However, smaller sites, particularly to the south around Southwark Street and Union Street, remain less attractive to major developers. Some have been vacant for years in an apparent vacuum of activity while only a few hundred metres away apartments are selling for several million pounds and crowds of people throng the river walkway.

Bankside is delivering benefits for the whole borough – but corresponding investment is needed in community infrastructure. Bankside has met and exceeded its London Plan targets for residential, employment, hotels and student accommodation already. We are happy to see more where it is appropriate and makes a positive contribution to the neighbourhood, but the benefits that this development brings to the whole borough must also be used to ensure that the quality of the environment and facilities in Bankside can continue to bring benefits to residents, businesses and visitors here.

2.2 Challenges This recent transformation of Bankside, together with the context of its longer-term development, brings a number of challenges for Bankside:

2.2.1 Sustaining the housing mix Bankside is a sustainable community in action. There are all types of housing here, though there is a risk the balance could change in future and there is a lack of family housing. The aspiration of many local residents to stay in the area is often hampered by a lack of choice in housing stock, particularly middle-market family housing and sheltered housing. The housing offer must meet the needs of the local resident population, allowing residents who wish to remain in the area the chance to do so, to help build lifelong communities and sustain Bankside's mix.

2.2.2 Encouraging visitors to venture south from the river High numbers of tourists are currently focused into a narrow corridor along the riverside. This can bring congestion to the river walk as well as impacting on the amenity of local residents.

2.2.3 Delivering the potential high quality public realm Bankside has always been an area of transit as well as a destination, with distinctive railway viaducts crossing the neighbourhood and dividing one part from another. Blackfriars Road, Southwark Street and Borough High Street are major arteries whose design encourages traffic volumes and speeds that blight the environment and commercial potential of the surrounding area. There is a danger that these roads become lined with large blocks of dead office frontage.

2.2.4 Overcoming a lack of substantial open and green space Bankside has no substantial parks and is deficient in access to nature, although it does have a network of distinctive open spaces, including the Tate Modern landscape and pocket parks such as Red Cross Gardens, Christ Church Garden and Mint Street Park. Often housing lands around residential developments and streets in the area are underutilized, and could work harder to deliver new green spaces, or benefits such as urban greening.

2.2.5 Balancing the needs of big and small business and lots of residents in this small area Our neighbourhood is home both to big companies and many residents – a characteristic mix that the Neighbourhood Plan aims to sustain. However sometimes the substantial development activity in and around our neighbourhood can bring difficulties, such as the high levels of construction traffic and disruption to residents and businesses.

2.3 Opportunities for Bankside Bankside must make the most of its opportunities to balance this characteristic mix of housing, business and culture, in a high quality, distinctive environment:

2.3.1 Encouraging smaller and medium sized businesses Affordable and suitable premises for companies at all stages of their lifecycle are needed to help companies see Bankside as a lifelong location and keep the mix of activity here. Encouraging activity south from the river will help Southwark Street and Union Street in particular become more economically vibrant and attractive places.

2.3.2 Supporting opportunities for retail The increased numbers working in the new developments in the London Bridge and Blackfriars areas can be expected to support more retail variety for those living and working here. Local residents would welcome more seven-day trading. Some areas, such as Borough Market, are already distinctive, but need to ensure that they remain unique and special.

2.3.3 Celebrating and enhancing the story of Bankside The historic built environment is an important part of what makes being in and walking through a place more meaningful. Activities that have historically shaped Bankside are an essential part of its character today and need to be understood and sustained through future changes. The cultural importance of Bankside’s riverside attractions, including Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe and Southwark Cathedral, is central to the identity and unique mix here. The number of visitors to the neighbourhood is a great asset but could benefit the area far more, by being encouraged to explore the neighbourhood to the south, and beyond.

2.3.4 Investing in the public realm Bankside’s excellent connection to the rest of London is a strength that should be enhanced, by improving the environment of the major routes by greening and investment in the public realm. Within the neighbourhood Bankside’s many smaller streets, more conducive to cycling and walking as shown by the Better Bankside Master Travel Plan, can create opportunities to join up secondary streets and historic alleys to encourage activity south from the river and move the balance away from the dominance of vehicles.

2.3.5 Unlocking the economic potential of the rail arches and land The rail arches and land nearby provide an opportunity both to unlock the economic potential of what has been a barrier in the area and to increase connections and permeability, by providing more routes for pedestrians and cyclists. The idea, known as the Low Line, is inspired by New York’s now iconic High Line, which has had a dramatic and positive impact on economic development as well as creating a new attraction for Manhattan’s West Side.

Fact box: Delivering environmental improvements Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) has been a unique focus for the local community championing parks, gardens, and open spaces since its formation in 2000 with the vision that ‘wherever you are in Bankside you will see something green’. Local people and businesses working with BOST have transformed previously run down parks into oases of green and calm that bring respite from city life to thousands each year.

Bankside Urban Forest is a partnership initiative that works to improve Bankside a place to live, work and visit. It is a strategy for enhancing public spaces – including streets, pavements, squares and parks – in the Bankside area, providing a common vision for Bankside's public realm, so that investment joins up to connect new developments with established spaces.

Southwark Living Streets campaigns for better streets and public spaces for pedestrians in the London Borough of Southwark.

2.3.6 Linking often hidden networks of green and open spaces Together, our green and open spaces can create more than the sums of their parts. New development brings added pressures on these spaces but also additional investment in open space and the public realm. Streets themselves can work harder. There is an opportunity to meet the challenges presented by large numbers of new employees and the existing lack of green and open space by making ‘unhidden’ existing green spaces and using relatively unused street more creatively, creating a network of green and open spaces alongside urban greenways.

2.3.7 Confirming benefits from community investment alongside development The quality and character of the environment is a key asset in Bankside. If the neighbourhood is to remain attractive to investment, which can benefit the whole borough, it is essential that sufficient investment be also made in community infrastructure and projects.

Fact box: Community Infrastructure Levy We appreciate that Bankside is attractive to developers. Developments can bring benefits for the whole borough through the payment of a Community Infrastructure Levy (or CIL), which is largely replacing s106 agreements with developers. Development also puts considerable demands on the neighbourhood – both disruption during construction and increased demands on existing infrastructure from additional residents and workers. This plan is being written before guidance has been given on the amounts of CIL that must be spent in the area that generates it, but this plan sets out an expectation that it should match the scale of the developments here.

The next section addresses how we will make the most of these opportunities in a vision for Bankside. The plan then sets out principles for development that will help see that vision brought to life.

3. A Vision for Bankside and how the Plan can deliver it

Bankside’s unique history, location and mix of activities have resulted in a neighbourhood that is distinctive and special to its businesses and residents. This section sets out a Vision for Bankside, and shows how the Plan can deliver real change for Bankside over the next 10-15 years through policies and proposals for appropriate development.

3.1 Our Vision for Bankside

In the past developers have brought concepts for individual schemes that may or may not benefit the neighbourhood. Now our Neighbourhood Plan can bring a vision for the whole neighbourhood to help the local authority and developers have a clear understanding of what the community wants to make Bankside an exceptional place.

Bankside will be a neighbourhood with high investment but that retains its character, balancing an appropriate mix of homes and businesses in a high quality, connected environment that encourages people to walk, cycle and enjoy being here.

By 2026 Bankside will be achieving this vision:

 Housing and shops that meet the needs of all residents, employees and visitors

 Encouraging a world-class environment and suitable premises that will enable large, small and medium sized businesses to locate and thrive here

 Our unique history and heritage will be recognised as an essential part of Bankside’s identity

 High quality oases of green and open space will provide people with a respite from the cityscape, with places for sport, play and relaxing for all who need them

 Investing in a rich network of streets and public spaces will connect the neighbourhood, encouraging permeability and activity south from the river, increasing cycling and walking and moving the balance away from the dominance of cars

 The provision and maintenance of additional community facilities, features and space of the same scale and quality as the scale and quality of developments proposed.

3.2 How will the Plan achieve the Vision?

The Vision and Principles of the Plan are delivered through land-use policies, which will be

11 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan implemented through planning applications as the market brings forward sites for development, and project proposals that require funding. These projects are listed in the section on the Community Infrastructure Projects List.

As well as informing future guidance for Bankside the Principles can also be used as a set of benchmarks for a future scrutiny of whether the plan is achieving its aspirations.

[Juliet - Where the plan wants to encourage development in these areas can we set targets?]

[illustration box] The Plan’s proposals will help to deliver a sustainable neighbourhood in Bankside, by focusing on economic, social, and environmental principles.

Economic principles – contributing to building a strong and competitive local business economy, ensuring suitable sites are brought forward to support growth and innovation and identifying and coordinating development requirements, including the provision of infrastructure;

Social principles – supporting strong, vibrant and healthy communities, by providing the supply of housing required to meet the needs of present and future generations; and by creating a high quality built environment, with accessible local services that reflect the community’s needs and support its health, social and cultural well-being;

Environmental principles – contributing to protecting and enhancing our natural, built and historic environment; and, as part of this, helping to improve biodiversity, using natural resources prudently, minimising waste and pollution, and mitigating and adapting to climate change including moving to a low carbon economy.

Five key places As well as setting out policies to deliver the vision principles across the whole neighbourhood, the Plan also focuses in detail on five key places where development is already underway and which are crucial for the vision to be achieved.

Factbox: Placemaking

The vision and principles that underpin delivery of Bankside Neighbourhood Plan are rooted in the ideas of placemaking. The built environment is shaped by the ideas and activities of many people – planners, engineers, architects, developers, investors, landowners, local authorities and local residents – but placemaking can help ensure that that no one interest dominates, and that people are the main focus of places that are safe, healthy, interesting, competitive and inspiring.

Community Infrastructure Projects List

Bankside requires community facilities, features and space of the same scale and quality as the scale and quality of developments proposed. The Community Infrastructure Projects List identifies community projects that will help mitigate these impacts, sustaining the provision of community, social and physical infrastructure and delivering economic, social and environmental improvements in Bankside.

The next section sets out the principles for development that will underpin future development in Bankside, guiding future changes to ensure a balanced and vibrant neighbourhood for people and businesses. 4. Implementing the Plan i. Principles for sustainable development of Bankside

Nine principles for development, delivered through policies identified for each, are expected to underlie all future development in the Plan area. They will help developers understand what is acceptable development for Bankside and deliver the vision of the Plan.

Principle 1: Sustaining the appropriate residential mix

Housing in Bankside must meet the needs of the local resident population, allowing those who wish to remain the area the chance to do so, to help build lifelong communities and sustain Bankside's mix.

Policy 1.1 The housing offer in Bankside is expected to promote a significant mix of housing tenures to sustain its viable, inclusive and mixed community structure. Any new developments should include a mix of tenure type, size and affordability, helping to maintain the existing unique housing mix of the area. It should meet the needs of all groups in the community including families, older people and people with disabilities. We recommend that the existing practice of accepting payments in lieu of on-site affordable housing is more transparently and carefully weighted against the Southwark Housing policy objective to create mixed and balanced communities. The existing approach being applied to the north of the borough should be carefully reviewed to understand if it is having a detrimental affect on the delivery of on-site affordable housing in the Bankside area. We recognise the need to meet the Mayor’s housing targets, however this should not be to the detriment of the existing community.

Reasons: Local people have a strong desire, as borne out in the Bankside Neighbourhood Forum Plan Housing Survey November 2012, to maintain the unique mix of affordable and market housing offering currently in place in the Bankside area. This coupled with a strong desire not to leave the area means that housing provision must be made for local people to remain in the locality in which they currently live, should their housing needs change (both upsizing and downsizing). The provision of multiple housing tenures ensures that a stable and inclusive community can be maintained.

Policy 1.2 Past exemptions to existing housing policy should not be seen as ad hoc policy changes applicable to all future developments. A number of planning permissions have been granted with exemptions to existing housing policy, including on-site parking, reduced provision of on-site affordable housing and insufficient amenity and play space provisions. It is vital that these exemptions should be treated as exceptions, and we strongly encourage the planning authority to judge each development on its own merits, against existing adopted policy and not on previous exemptions. Where developers request exemptions from existing housing policy requirements in pre-planning discussions, this should be identified clearly and early on during any consultation process with local residents and businesses, so that they are better able to understand and contribute in a more constructive manner to the planning process.

Reasons: Residents and businesses can find it very difficult to understand and contribute to the planning consultation process. The provision of more clearly identifiable signposts will mean that residents and businesses are better able to understand and contribute to the planning process. This will also mean that when exemptions are required the requirement is more clearly understood by the local community and does not create disenfranchisement from the planning process.

Policy 1.3 Planning for an ageing population To sustain the housing mix in the neighbourhood there is a need to provide suitable sites and tenures of housing at all stages of life. [targets?]

This includes increasing the availability of sheltered housing units to those who want to downsize as part of any new affordable housing provision in the neighbourhood. This could mean that larger family sized units in both the private and social housing sectors could be freed up to provide much needed housing for local families at a much lower cost than providing similar provision on-site. This would also allow long-term residents who are very much part of the community to remain so.

We would encourage Southwark Council and the Corporation of London to work with the Bankside Neighbourhood Forum and local Tenants and Residents Associations, to identify any Southwark Council or Corporation of London owned land suitable for additional single unit sheltered housing provision.

Reasons: The neighbourhood has higher than average proportions of both under and over-occupancy in both the private and social housing sectors (where the number of bedrooms does is more, or fewer, than appropriate for the number of people living in a house or apartment). People are living longer and we have an increasingly ageing population. It is not unusual for families with two or three children to live in a one bedroom flat or older people to be occupying two or three bedroom flats that no longer meet their needs [evidence?]. All of the existing sheltered housing units are fully occupied with extensive waiting lists.

Policy 1.4 14 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan

Hotels and student accommodation may be supported where they demonstrate a clear contribution to the local community by: Supporting local employment [have to employ local people] Showing high design quality Not unreasonably displacing viable housing provision Providing active frontages that enhance the streetscape Investing in and safeguarding a building of historic and heritage importance Providing public access and amenities at ground floor level Includes provision for increased connections and permeability of the public realm In terms of management and operation, providing resident access to any communal launderette facilities at specific times (much needed in the area) Provide reasonable safeguards and management responsibility to protect existing residents and employees. [targets?]

Reasons: The Development Capacity Assessment (Section XX) carried out for the Plan shows that Bankside has already met its target for future hotel and student development. The neighbourhood needs time to balance out and embed current schemes into the fabric of the area before accepting more.

4.2 Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix

Bankside must continue to promote a mix of business types and tenures to sustain the mix of character. This includes suitable and affordable commercial premises. Railway arches and viaducts can make an important contribution towards providing employment space for small businesses.

The Neighbourhood Plan has two complementary approaches towards the provision of suitable and affordable business space: 1. Through the provision of additional space in a range of sizes and cost of units;

2. Through the development of secondary markets along the north-south streets where rents would naturally be lower than on main arterial roads. (See diagram on Street hierarchy, below)

Policy 2.1 To support the mix of commercial and residential uses. [Juliet – Advice please: this needs further clarification e.g. off-one change of use of space above a shop might be fine, as opposed to entire office block going to resi] Reasons: To retain the mix of commercial and residential uses.

Policy 2.2 Newly built and refurbished commercial space is expected to provide the potential for dual use so that ground floor spaces could easily be converted to retail uses in future. Reasons: [please advise relevant policy to support this]

Policy 2.3 To support affordable business space

Reasons: To support the opportunity for small and medium sized businesses to remain in Bankside, ensuring a mix of commercial activities and sustaining stable business communities. Affordable business units are often vulnerable to displacement by other uses and where this happens positive planning is required to ensure that additional units are available nearby. Affordable business space and small business units are important features of a sustainable local economy as they provide employment, stimulate enterprise, and reduce the need to travel.

[Illustration box] Example of a potential location in Bankside All Hallows, Copperfield Street Southwark Cathedral wishes to explore the development of the All Hallows site in Copperfield Street to contribute in a sustainable way towards improving the quality of life of people in the neighbourhood and beyond, restoring and making fit for purpose the current buildings for community activities including affordable space for social enterprise and community activity. Local volunteers who have managed and maintained the community garden for the past 40 years are working with Southwark Cathedral in bringing All Hallows Church back into use in service of the garden, the local community, and the Cathedral itself. Their key wish for the garden is that it remains open to all as a community facility and for its major contribution to the Union Street conservation area.

Policy 2.4 Empty Business Buildings

Landowners keep buildings empty so they have a better chance of securing Change of Use to Residential. [Juliet - We would like to include a meanwhile planning policy that allows property owners to let their buildings at below market rents and doesn’t prejudice their ability to secure planning. Believe that: current planning demands a 24-month marketing period, before COU will be contemplated. Empty rates kick in after 6 months? Please advise.] Reason: To support the vision for sustaining the unique mix.

Policy 2.5 Encouraging vitality Planning permission should state that if ground floor commercial or retail space remains for a certain period of time after PC then a community or local business use (from a monitored list) could use the space on a meanwhile lease. This would require landowners to fit the space out to a certain level, which is often not the case at the moment. However, there should be positive encouragements for developers to let the space to non-commercial rents on meanwhile rents rather than waiting for this clause to be applicable.

Reasons: Several new developments schemes in the neighbourhood have had un-let ground floor retail space that has stood empty for several years. Until other conditions are right high-

rental retail will not take off on secondary locations, but meanwhile the blank frontages blight the area.

Fact box: defining Active Frontages Change of Use of ground floor and Basement office to A Class uses and some D class uses to be encouraged. Change of use from A and D class to B class at ground and Basement to be resisted. Continuous active retail frontages is expected to be encouraged at ground floor level. To encourage active street frontages, change of use from office to retail will be permitted on the ground floor of the main shopping streets on the area.

Policy 2.6 Supporting affordable or independent retail Encouraging a variety of additional retail is a key aspiration of this plan, both for its contribution to a neighbourhood that meets the needs of local residents, visitors and employees and the creation of active frontages that give vitality and interest to the streetscape.

Reasons: This would both help sustain the mixed character of the area and provide affordable premises to young businesses. Major new retail areas will develop around Blackfriars Road and London Bridge station but the Plan wishes to see the two high street areas, Southwark Street and Borough High Street, also develop as successful high streets. Specific retail policies have been outlined for these streets and for Borough Market Environs in the Key Places section. This section outlines generic proposals for retail within the whole of the plan area.

[Juliet - Just as a proportion S106/CIL of a larger development [size?] is allocated to community or social amenity, could a similar or greater share should be allocated to affordable or independent retailing?]

4.3 Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside

The unique character and heritage of Bankside is the most important part of the neighbourhood’s identity for those who live, work and visit here. As well as historic buildings, green spaces are an intrinsic to this character, and should also be protected and enhanced. Together they make a vital contribution to the quality of the buildings and public realm that will help sustain Bankside as the main driver of prosperity in the borough.

Policy 3.1 Ensure that the design of new buildings is appropriate to their setting and of high architectural quality.

Reasons: Where new development is approved it is expected that it respect and enhance existing streetscapes, particularly those with listed buildings or in conservation areas, in order to

17 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan sustain the heritage, character and quality that ensures Bankside brings investment that benefits the borough, as well as meeting the aspirations of local residents and businesses.

Policy 3.2 Support sensitive development of listed buildings that add to the streetscape Heritage assets that are key to the streetscape should be allowed to have additional space reinstated and a change of use to ‘A’ class use orders that will provide an active frontage or public access. An example is the Hop Exchange, where reinstatement of the top two floors should be allowed.

Reasons: Historic buildings are often key elements in the streetscape. Sensitive development and enhancement can give opportunities both to increase the residential (and occasionally) commercial mix of the area, and to support the quality of the streetscape, providing landmarks that support the neighbourhood’s identity, contributing to or terminating vistas and reinforcing the area’s characteristics, such as rooflines and parapets, window styles and building lines. Main roads such as Southwark Street and Blackfriars Road where historic buildings are increasingly isolated amongst infill development are particularly vulnerable.

Policy 3.3 Preserve views and vistas All new developments must be assessed independently on their respective impacts on local views, and should maintain a visual link through major corridors and avoid a canyoning effect on major streets.

Reasons: Views and vistas within Bankside, into it from across the river and from railway viaducts above are important considerations and valuable as contributors to the enjoyment and character of the area. Views of the cathedral, St George the Martyr and the Shard, (e.g. down Union Street and at many other places) are obvious examples, and views through railway viaduct arches and under railway bridges are another important element of the area’s character and visual richness. Glimpses through gateways and narrow openings into some of the yards off Borough High Street are further examples. A number of the area’s lattice bridges are significant features in the neighbourhood. A programme of painting, tidying up-lighting brick arches over roads should be encouraged, thus making routes under them seem less threatening.

[David’s photos to illustrate here] [Detailed policies relating to the Rail Arches are in Section 4 Part 2]

Policy 3.4 Planning powers will be used to promote and sustain independent cultural uses that enhance the identity and character of the area, where there is a proven need.

Reasons: Bankside is a member of South Bank and Bankside Cultural Quarter (SBBCQ) and culture is an intrinsic part both of Bankside’s heritage and contemporary identity, particularly theatre and visual arts. Cultural uses that are lost to the area when their sites are redeveloped can have

18 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan detrimental impacts on the identity and character of Bankside. In particular, theatres have a long-established connection with the heritage of the area, and their loss should be resisted.

Policy 3.5 Invest in undertaking a local listing of buildings of importance to the local community, using English Heritage guidance.

Reasons: A strong message in this neighbourhood plan is the desire to recognise the value of heritage and character of our neighbourhood, and to find a robust way of protecting historic buildings here. More investment is needed in defining Bankside’s heritage assets to understand which assets are essential to sustaining the mix and to ascertain whether and where they are being lost.

Creating a local heritage list can help to ensure these values are taken into account when changes affecting the historic environment are proposed by protecting buildings outside conservation areas. It would give access to clear, comprehensive and current information about the historic environment in the neighbourhood and play an important role in celebrating the character and heritage we value. English Heritage has produced guidance on producing local heritage lists and the process itself would allow local people to identify local heritage that we would like recognised and protected, and an opportunity for Southwark Council to work in partnership with the community.

Policy 3.6 Extend conservation areas in the neighbourhood to give additional protection to areas of character and heritage importance. A review should be undertaken to see whether buildings on the local list lie close to existing Conservation Areas and might readily be included in them. These include: - Bear Gardens Conservation Area – westwards to take in the buildings on the riverfront incorporating Shakespeare’s Globe and the houses alongside Cardinal’s Cap Alley; - Clink Street part of the Borough Market Conservation Area – westwards to incorporate The Anchor pub; - Railway arches at Clink Street, Stoney Street and on the boundaries of other Conservation Area in the neighbourhood, should be incorporated within them, as they are also valuable heritage assets.

Reasons: Following on from Policy 4.1, the extension of conservation areas to take in more locally listed buildings in our conservation areas is crucial to retaining the character of the area and its continuing attraction to visitors and investors.

[Plan showing proposed extensions of Conservation Areas in pink 1) the area of River frontage to the west of the existing CA up to Tate Modern [including the Globe and the terrace that includes Provost’s Lodgings] and 2) and the Anchor Pub & railway arches opposite.

Policy 3.7

Retail development that has an impact on the streetscape should be subject to shop front restoration and guidance. (Also see Policy 2.5 Encouraging vitality and Policy 2.6 Supporting affordable or independent retail)

Reasons: Guidance should be produced to encourage the development of shop fronts and signage appropriate to the building of which they are a part, particularly in conservation areas. Shop fascias and stall-risers should pay regard to the original shop-front style and height and to the line of adjoining fascias and stall-risers. Consideration should be given to encouraging the restoration of appropriate shop fronts in these areas by offering and promoting grants for this purpose, as has been done successfully elsewhere in central London. Investment made in preparing shop front guidance would be repaid in the benefit to the character and identity of the retail area. This is particularly relevant to 5.4 Borough High Street and 5.5 Borough Market Environs.

Policy 3.8 Investment should be made in virtual and tangible interpretation, telling the story of Bankside. This could include a new Information Centre.

Reasons: Bankside has a rich and distinctive and new developments in Bankside are just the latest chapter in this neighbourhood’s unique part in the story of London. A better understanding of that story is fundamental to the future of Bankside, for developers, visitors, employees and residents alike. [Juliet – this is a strong message both from the Forum and also from the Council’s Characterisation event – not sure how best to put it into policy?]

4.4 Principle 4: Investing in parks and green space

We acknowledge that the neighbourhood is deficient in and lacks access to large open and green spaces. The pressure on our existing open and green spaces will be exacerbated by increasing numbers of residents, employees and tourists. We have the resource of a number of much loved and well maintained pocket parks and a strong community infrastructure of organizations working to sustain and enhance the full potential of open and green spaces in the area, and the streets that connect them.

We also acknowledge that the area has a large amount of hard surfaces on streets and around buildings that is underutilized and could work harder to deliver multiple benefits from increased greening, improved public health and greater resilience to a changing climate.

The vision of the Neighbourhood Plan is:  to support development that where appropriate and practical proposes to support new green places and parks, or enlarge existing ones, with the agreement of local communities. Developments should not shade existing parks, and should be sensitive to existing cohesive boundaries of parks, which has been shown to be important in adding to the sense of place and security.

 to use our streets as part of and an extension of our green and open spaces network to link up the array of pocket parks and other green spaces to deliver an urban environment which is flexible in its use and the functions they fulfill (see P6). That would result in a network of streets and green/open spaces that is greater than the sum of its parts. Elements of ‘green streets’ include incorporating more green cover e.g. through tree planting or rain garden treatments’ improving accessibility and permeability thereby encouraging more walking and cycling and reclaiming underused road space to create new pockets of public space. For a local example of this see Gambia Street or Flat Iron Square.  Achieve a world-class standard of design and accessibility in Bankside’s open and public spaces.

Policy 4.1: In order to sustain and enhance the green spaces in the neighbourhood, new developments are expected to contribute to achieving and sustaining the network of pocket and where possible larger parks.

Reasons: [Juliet – we would like to see user management plans / visitor management plans need to be conditioned as part of planning permissions, please advise]

Policy 4.2: The Neighbourhood Plan will promote and support urban greening, such as new planting in the public realm and multifunctional green infrastructure, to contribute to the adaptation to and reduction of the effects of climate change. The incorporation of green infrastructure into developments will not obviate the need for developments to invest in local parks and other recreational green spaces through CIL/S106. [Could we be clearer about the Plan’s aspirations or obligations it would like to place on development?]

Reasons:

The Neighbourhood Plan promotes the idea of green infrastructure and recognizes the value that multi-functional urban greening brings to the neighbourhood - e.g. improved air quality, improved health and well-being, flood risk management, reduction of the urban heat island effect, education and recreation.

Further greening and green links can be supported through a range of measures, such as living roofs and green walls and rain gardens, which can help slow down rain water run-off and improve visual amenity along streets.

Factbox

Green Infrastructure is the open environment within urban areas, the urban fringe and the countryside. It is a network of connected, high quality, multi-functional open spaces, corridors and the links in between that provide multiple benefits for people and wildlife.

It is often warmer in the city than in surrounding rural areas during hot fine weather, especially at night. This phenomenon is referred to as the urban heat island (UHI). The UHI describes the increased temperature of urban air compared to its rural surroundings.

Policy 4.3 Developments will be expected to contribute to realising the opportunity of green space around housing land.

Reasons: Green spaces around housing development are an underused asset in the neighbourhood. New developments should contribute to improving green spaces, including open spaces around housing developments, by supporting projects in the neighbourhood that are working with residents to improve housing land – such as community food growing and housing greening, e.g. with BOST and Community Green. Our vision for the area is to continue to look after the green spaces we do have, invest in opportunities to increase green cover in the neighbourhood through working with developers and local partners.

4.5 Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces

We recognize that streets can function as civic and public spaces as well as being conduits for traffic. The streets in Bankside need to work harder to meet the needs of their multitude of users – from local parents taking their children to school, local employees commuting to work in the area, to servicing the delivery needs of commercial and other premises and visitors accessing the cultural offer of the area.

We therefore view streets in the neighbourhood in the following way:

 A network of smaller streets will strengthen north-south and east-west connections and be of particular attraction to walkers and cyclists. These streets will provide a range of functions for the variety of different users who access them throughout the day – from local residents and employees to visitors to the area. Such streets have the potential to:

o be adaptable and flexible e.g. for play streets and timed road closures such as access restrictions to motorised vehicles

o promote greater walking and cycling through the area

o help bring further green infrastructure to the area

o be part of and extensions of the network of green spaces and pocket parks in the neighbourhood

o connect the network of pocket parks and other local amenities in the area

o provide greater permeability through the area to reveal the heritage of the area

o enable economic vibrancy to spread further into the Bankside area by encouraging visitors, as well as residents and employees away from the riverside .

Policy 5.1

New developments will be expected, where practical and appropriate, to open up routes through their sites to enable greater permeability through the neighbourhood.

Reasons:

In order to achieve a permeable network of smaller streets and public spaces in the neighbourhood, new developments will be expected to open up routes through their sites wherever practical and appropriate.

Policy 5.2 New developments will be expected to contribute to Community Infrastructure projects that improve these streets and spaces.

Reasons:

In order to achieve a strong network of smaller streets and public spaces in the neighbourhood, new developments will be expected to contribute to projects that improve streets and spaces across the neighbourhood. This could include enhancing the ‘gateways’ into Bankside to support the identity of the area and reinforce principles of streets as civic and public places.

Illustration box: Streetplay is a new initiative which aims to increase children’s safe access to informal play in residential streets http://playingout.net/

Open Streets is a worldwide initiative where communities temporarily close streets to traffic so that people may use them for walking, cycling, dancing, playing and socializing. http://openstreetsproject.org/

4.6 Principle 6: Encouraging a healthy neighbourhood by promoting walking and cycling

Levels of car ownership are relatively low but the area suffers from high volumes of through-traffic. Our shift in emphasis on streets to seeing them as civic spaces will help challenge the dominance of vehicles. Coupled with increased urban greening and traffic calming along quieter streets walking and cycling will be encouraged, which in turn will have multiple benefits for existing and future local residents, employees and visitors to the area.

Encouraging alternatives to using vehicles

A safe, pleasant network of routes through the neighbourhood for pedestrians and cyclists needs to be developed. The Community Infrastructure Project List highlights a range of improvements that can be made to achieve this. Other elements of the infrastructure of the area, such as the railway tracks and passages beside the viaducts, existing greenways and small open spaces together with new route-ways and greenways formed as part of new developments, such as those at Blackfriars, will be expected to provide opportunities to create such routes.

Policies:

Walking and Cycling will be promoted by:

Policy 6.1

All roads, including main roads, will have a 20mph speed limit.

Reasons: The purpose of the main roads is to service centres of commerce but also carry the principle volumes of traffic. Main roads will continue to flow at significant volumes of traffic but the plan proposes to humanise them and make them more like places through greening and other physical changes to make reduced speeds self-enforcing.

Policy 6.2 The creation of safe cycling infrastructure on the main roads (e.g. segregated cycle lanes) and attractive routes on smaller roads for less confident cyclists (see Principles 5 and 6).

Policy 6.3

Contraflow cycle lanes will be created where possible on one-way streets providing road safety is not compromised.

Policy 6.4 Filtered permeability will be encouraged to reduce rat running. (Policy link to greening street) and to create calmer streets for less confident cyclists away from through traffic (access for motor vehicles is not reduced, just through traffic).

Policy 6.5 All new developments will be expected to deliver cycle parking on street and on their estates commensurate with the measured rates of cycle usage in the neighbourhood.

Reasons: Parking levels should be consistent with cycle use in the area, e.g. if cycling in bankside is shown to be 10% of trips, and the borough average is 2%, then the cycle parking standard should be 8% higher than the Southwark one.

Policy 6.6 i. Given the high levels of public transport accessibility developments that are car-free will

be encouraged. ii. Developments over a certain size will deliver car club spaces and taxi drop off points. These could double up as electric vehicle delivery and loading bays. iii. Where possible electric vehicle charging points will be delivered within the developments.

Reasons: Developments will be expected to support the reduction of private car ownership by contributing to opportunities for shared car ownership.

Policy 6.7 Access for All The pedestrian environment should be equally accessible to all. Over time the following will be expected to be implemented: i. The streets throughout the area need pavements that are level and even, not cambered, and wide enough to cater for pedestrians, motorised pedestrians and parents with buggies etc. ii. Clear footways with A Boards etc. being discouraged iii. Accessibility to key locations (e.g. Guys Hospital) should be assessed.

Policy 6.8 Supporting those who wish to have access to cars without owning them.

Reasons: For most people living and working in the area, car ownership is not an essential requirement. However, for some, access to a car is important. Car sharing, car club, car hire and taxi solutions should be encouraged, as appropriate, to meet occasional use needs.

Policy 6.9 Supporting the reduction of freight traffic on Bankside’s roads

Opportunities for the consolidation of freight transport within the neighbourhood should be investigated – an aspiration to reduce the volume of freight traffic in Bankside. Investigate Local delivery schemes by electric vehicles.

4.7 Principle 7: Ensuring development is communicated and managed

In order to minimize the impact of developments on the local area, developments will be expected to produce the following:

User/visitor management plan – outlining key aspects of the development such as waste management, smoking facilities, fire evacuation procedures.

Travel plan – including during construction – construction traffic management

Membership of Bankside Logistics group – in order to minimize impact and communicate

impact of development on site

Cycle/Pedestrian (including young children) awareness training for contractors and sub contractors working on schemes

[Policies for this needed – please can we discuss]

4.8 Principle 8: Developments will be expected to support a strong community infrastructure

Developments in Bankside bring financial benefits to the whole borough but it is essential that a significant proportion of CIL is invested in Bankside to sustain the quality of the environment here. This includes projects that rely on revenue as well as capital investment.

Policy 8.1 The Neighbourhood Plan sets out an expectation that Bankside requires community facilities, features and space of the same scale and quality as the scale and quality of developments proposed.

Reasons: It is important that adequate Community Infrastructure is supported in Bankside, both to maintain the quality of life for people who live and work here as more homes and jobs will put greater pressure on existing services and the environment, and also to ensure that Bankside retains its attractiveness to future investment that can bring benefits to the whole borough.

Factbox: How does investment in Bankside benefit the whole borough? The Community Infrastructure Levy (or ‘CIL’) allows local planning authorities to raise funds from developers who are undertaking new building projects in their area. CIL is calculated on the size, type and location of the development. The funds raised will go towards infrastructure that is needed to support the growth of the whole borough, such as schools and transport improvements. However a “meaningful proportion” of the CIL monies must be spent in the area where they are generated, as recognised by Southwark council, “to ensure that those people affected by development see the benefit”.

Based on the Community Projects Bank funded by S106 monies, Bankside Neighbourhood Plan has identified a new Community Infrastructure Projects List (CIPL) that includes similar requirements for Open Space/play and sport, Public realm and Transport projects, such as improvements to Mint Street Adventure Playground and Flat Iron Square.

The full list of proposals, together with priorities and timescales, are listed at the end of this document.

ii. Key focus places for the delivery of the Vision

The policies set out in Section 4 will only come to bear as sites are brought forward for development. The Neighbourhood Plan therefore also focuses in detail on five key areas for the neighbourhood where development is already underway and where opportunities are crucial for the vision to be achieved: Blackfriars Road, Southwark Street with Landmark Court, Railway land and arches, Borough High Street and Borough Market Environs.

5.1 Blackfriars Road

Development on Blackfriars Road during the life of this plan will transform the western part of Bankside. The Neighbourhood Plan has an important role to play in ensuring that Blackfriars Road supports the principles for a mixed neighbourhood set out in the Plan – with a high quality public realm (Principle 6), safe environments for pedestrians and cyclists, slower vehicle speeds, wider pavements, safe protected cycle lanes (Principle 7), that it works at street level with retail and active frontages (Principle 3) and that there is protection of its remaining heritage assets (Principle 4), so it does not become a characterless canyon of development.

Opportunities

BR.1 Humanising the road and improving junctions

Blackfriars Road is a key route for cyclists as well as vehicles but traffic is a barrier to pedestrians’ use of the street. The developments planned will transform the northern section in particular from an area that has a rather empty feel at present to being far more full of people principally moving around on foot – both residents and workers. The Neighbourhood Plan recommends that by becoming slower (20mph) and narrower, Blackfriars Road would have the opportunity to evolve from a fast, soulless, under-used arterial road to a place that accommodates the variety of uses that new developments will bring. For cyclists a 20mph environment is far more inviting and safe. Bus times are not affected by 20mph limits as the Walworth Road scheme has shown, indeed bus journeys times are more reliable there now than before.

As there are already wide pavements along Blackfriars Road, careful attention needs to be given to how the public realm is used and activated along its whole length – for instance exploring if there is scope for pockets of on-street retail in kiosks, urban greenways or for public art. Spare capacity reclaimed from the street could be used for protected cycle lanes, greening and the creation of points of interest along the street. These might typically happen at key junctions along the street – which currently present the most challenging of environments for all users to navigate – in particular: Stamford St / Southwark Street The Cut / Union Street Webber Street St Georges Circus

This supports Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces

BR.2 Protecting character and heritage assets The ambition to protect older buildings and value the character they bring to the area is undervalued at present. The Neighbourhood Plan supports the retention of existing heritage buildings on all sections Blackfriars Road, even if not English Heritage or locally listed. An audit of heritage assets across the Neighbourhood Plan area is a key project in the Community Infrastructure Project List.

This supports Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside

BR.3 Encouraging activity at street level and sustaining a mix of retail and community facilities At present there is no strong central focus for Blackfriars Road. The developments in the northern section of road will provide restaurants and retail but this is far from the natural centre of Blackfriars Road, at its junction with The Cut and Union Street. This could become a neighbourhood centre that addresses the lack of retail in the immediate area and helps

28 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan provide opportunities for affordable and temporary retail uses to animate dead spaces along the street. New developments will be expected to look to create more natural frontage that creates the sense that Blackfriars Road is a destination and not just a place to pass through.

New development must respect and enhance important local facilities already located around Blackfriars Road. The increase in population associated with large-scale development must be assessed for impact on these facilities. The development of any further nighttime economy is not supported in and around Blackfriars Road, which is part of Southwark’s licensing saturation zone.

This supports Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix

BR.4 Phasing development The large-scale nature of developments has led to sites being empty and an eyesore for many years. Short-term usage of sites is strongly encouraged. Where this is not practical, making sites secure and attractive should be paramount, including the use of temporary cultural developments, similar to the temporary developments on Union Street e.g. The Urban Orchard.

This supports Principle 7: Ensuring development is communicated and managed

BR.5 Protecting and enhancing green space As well as introducing more greenery through trees and other planting developments, the open and green space at Christ Church Garden, as well as nearby space at Nelson Square, should be protected and enhanced.

This supports Principle 4: Investing in parks and green space

5.2 Southwark Street

As the main east-west traffic route through the neighbourhood, running parallel to the largely cultural and leisure offer of the riverside, Southwark Street has the opportunity to become a stronger commercial spine for the neighbourhood (Principles 2 and 3), while anchoring north-south running streets to develop their own appropriate and more affordable activity and uses. Investment would then be encouraged to flow south away from the riverside linking up the other secondary east-west routes of Park Street and Union Street to create a functioning grid of streets (Principle 6).

Southwark Street is principally a traffic artery, which leads to a canyon-effect characterised by fast-moving traffic that acts as a barrier to north-south pedestrian movement through the area. By bringing significant changes to improve this intimidating environment there is an opportunity to encourage greater pedestrian and cyclist usage through narrower carriageway and slower vehicle speeds. By seeing streets primarily as civic spaces, changes can be made to how different users perceive the street (Principles 6 and 7).

The eastern section of Southwark Street has several development sites as well as some historic buildings. Sensitive development of these sites will bring the opportunity to increase commercial and retail space and the line of active frontages along the street, and also to reinforce the character of the street by reinforcing features such as the prevailing heights, parapet lines, etc. Bringing forward Landmark Court is key to the future successful development both of Southwark Street and Borough High Street (section 5.4) – to strengthen the offer and character of Southwark Street and to enhance local permeability and connectivity. The continued blight on the area of having this site undeveloped cannot be allowed to continue.

Opportunities

SS.1 Supporting the development of the commercial spine Reinforcing Southwark Street as the commercial spine that anchors the heart of the area, encouraging a high quality commercial and retail offer, as well as improvements to the public realm, could encourage the north-west running streets or ‘ribs’ running across this spine to develop their own appropriate activity, so that a hierarchy of streets supporting a variety of uses evolves.

Investment would then be encouraged to flow south away from the riverside, linking up the other secondary east-west routes of Park Street and Union Street to create a functioning grid. This hierarchy of secondary and tertiary streets would also provide viable locations for businesses and activities looking for lower cost location, effectively helping to deliver affordable business space (P.3), which would otherwise be left to the market. This supports Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix

SS.2 Strengthening the heritage and character There are interesting features and buildings of historic merit along Southwark Street (such as the Hop Exchange and Kirkaldy Testing Works) which should be amplified, and it could also be an excellent setting for public art, adding visual interest and identity and creating a destination south of the river walkway. The junction with Southwark Bridge Road is a key point that needs to be improved, as does the junction with Borough High Street. North- south routes that cross Southwark Street should be improved to encourage greater permeability and access by cyclists and pedestrians into the neighbourhood.

SS.3 Designing-in flexibility for long-life uses The objective should be a continuous active frontage and new development and refurbishment should always be capable of a dual use, so that it is sustainably flexible and could later be turned into retail. Inherent flexibility is key but it has to be designed in – long- life and loose fit – sustainability that is commercially viable. Ground floors will be expected to be capable of having dual use, A1, A3 or B1 – dual use designation will be expected to be encouraged. This strengthens the opportunity for development along the east-west running Southwark Street, and to a lesser extent Union Street, parallel to the south.

SS.4 Environmental improvements The north-south routes are thoroughfares, going elsewhere; where they intersect with the main east-west route of Southwark Street the east-west routes should have wider pavements. The 2012 green infrastructure audit for Bankside identified a number of sections of Southwark Street that could be retrofitted with rain garden treatments, to help manage water run-off along the street.

SS.5 Intermediate uses Intermediate uses should be considered for empty retail uses to bring active frontages and vitality to the street.

SS.6 Achieving development at Landmark Court [locational map] The successful development of this significant site is key both to the future of Southwark Street and to Borough High Street. It also offers the potential to develop an important public green space in an area deficient in access to green space, as well as improving pedestrian and cycle connections through the area. The site, which sits in a conservation area, includes the historically and culturally important site of the Crossbones burial ground and the current owner Transport for London (TfL) recognises that any development at Landmark Court “will need to be sympathetic to its heritage”.

[Illustration box In 1598, the London historian John Stow wrote of a 'single women's churchyard' for prostitutes. Although the precise site of this churchyard has never been established, by Victorian times it was inextricably linked with Crossbones, then a pauper's burial ground. The cemetery closed in 1853, described as being 'completely overcharged with dead'. It was abandoned and forgotten until the 1990s, when work on the Jubilee Line Extension unearthed many burials. Since then, Crossbones has inspired numerous artistic and literary works; an active campaign to protect the site has transformed it into a place of cultural significance.

In order to maximize the green space element of the site, higher densities should be encouraged on the developed portion of the site fronting Southwark Street. A significant, well-designed building should bring an active frontage onto Southwark Street – incorporating a mixed-use scheme with basement/ground and first floor A class and some D class uses and a mix of C3 residential and B1 office on upper floors, with heights to complement the Hop Exchange opposite with additional two storeys proposed.

It is primarily important that the open space element of the site should resist the hard landscaping ‘civic space’ approach of Bermondsey Square and Empire Square, but create a proper green open space. The site should be permeable, with pedestrian and cycling routes 31 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan linking up with Calvert’s Buildings and St Margaret’s Court alleyways to the east and the ‘low-line’ to the west (see 5.3 Railway Arches). A significant area of new open space will incorporate the Cross Bones memorial to the south of the site fronting Union Street and Redcross Way. It is recognized that site owners may chose to aid the setting up of a much- needed park or garden at this location, in advance of releasing the rest of the site for development. If this is the case we acknowledge this helpfulness, and recognize that the new garden as part of the unified site, may still contribute in area towards green space requirements for the development without need to be returned to the owners at the time of development.

This supports Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix, Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside, Principle 4: Investing in parks and green space and Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces

5.3 Rail Arches and Land

As well as being a vital piece London’s transport infrastructure, the railway viaducts that thread across Bankside are powerful pieces of brick architecture. They give character to the area, while the arches beneath them traditionally provided premises for low-value occupations. However, the viaducts fragment and cut up the neighbourhood, constraining movement and connectivity, and physically blighting some parts.

As Network Rail has begun to recognise and realise uplift in rental values through the refurbishment of some arches the potential for a more coordinated approach to the arches to make a positive contribution to the neighbourhood is apparent (Principle 2). The land and spaces beside and alongside the railway viaducts, previously used primarily for maintenance access, offer opportunities for characterful pedestrian and cycle routes to be developed away from major roads and the chance to add to the network of routes across the neighbourhood (Principles 3, 5 and 6). This idea is known as the Low Line and also has the potential both to unlock the economic potential of this part of the neighbourhood.

Opportunities

RA.1 Opening up new commercial premises The area’s railway heritage gives it a strong character and its powerful brick arched viaducts and structures should be celebrated, treated with respect when works are done to them, and given greater prominence and higher profile uses where their location allows this. Where conversion is undertaken the brick arches should predominate with set-back, light weight facades/frontages, fully glazed where possible, creating active frontages and allowing the continuation of the arches as fine brickwork vaults to be appreciated from without. Where they form part of public routes, up lighting should be used to make the most of the character and visual richness of the Victorian vault brickwork. The high and low level cross- over viaducts in the Great Suffolk Street/Bear Lane area are particularly powerful pieces of engineering that create a feature that should be celebrated and made the most of as part of

32 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan the distinctive local environment.

When developed well, as clear glass-fronted arches with well-lit interiors highlighting the form and brickwork, the arches provide an opportunity to create spaces of real design quality and character, creating a striking backdrop to other developments in the area. Appropriate development of the arches on the south side of Southwark Street, in particular, could transform the spaces between and around the fine Victorian buildings there. As the arches run through to the streets behind, their impact could lead to rejuvenation and enhancement of those areas. Arches in less prominent, less commercial locations, may offer more affordable accommodation for a range of uses.

This supports Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix and Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside.

RA.2 Connecting and enhancing the Railway arches While the major roads within Bankside divide areas from one another the railways do this in an even more emphatic way. The result is a series of separate communities that characterise the district. Every opportunity should be taken to create quieter, safe, landscaped, accessible, pedestrian and cycle routes through the area in both east-west and north-south directions. A long-term policy aspiration to create a coherent linked route could become achievable as leases become available in future.

Opportunities should be explored to link these new routes to other projects identified within Bankside Urban Forest, to achieve visual and actual pedestrian/cycle connections and the tidying up and landscaping of the arches and the areas around them. The residential amenity of those living nearby should be considered, e.g. late night licences should not be granted for arches in residential areas.

Where possible current occupants could be offered comparable alternative accommodation through business relocations.

RA.3 Supporting affordable business space [non land-use policy? Not sure it adds anything] Affordable business units, as outlined in Principle 2, should be considered in appropriate arch spaces. However, any arch proposed as an affordable business unit will still need to meet Network Rail’s rental value and usual rental terms, on a case-by-case basis.

[insert diagram of Low Line and connectivity here]

RA.4 Connecting Network Rail’s Union Street/Great Suffolk Street/Ewer Street into the neighbourhood

To facilitate the implementation of RA.1 and RA.2, above, development needs to be investigated and agreed on this site. This land comprising the railway infrastructure, the arches and associated land is often considered detached from the wider Bankside Community. As the upgrade of the existing infrastructure continues, opportunities may arise for development of the site or parts of it, which could look to assist the principles set out in 33 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan the Neighbourhood Plan of connecting up routes for walking and cycling, providing suitable spaces for a commercial mix and encouraging activity south towards Union Street. Where operationally and commercially viable a comprehensive approach to development of this site should be followed.

All this land is Network Rail owned, and if confirmed to be surplus to operational requirements within the plan period, then delivery of the full redevelopment can be brought forward. Due to the nature of the operational infrastructure, commercial uses (associated tenancies and leases) and availability, development may be phased. The approach has to be flexible in order to allow for the aspirations to be delivered.

Many of the existing railway arch uses do not promote the public use or access to site, nor do they assist with enhancing the appearance or character of the area. In order to encourage the use of the site and increase permeability, people friendly and employment uses such A and B1 uses should be encouraged in the railway arches. Where retail use does not work commercially, other uses such a D use should be considered.

The railway land including the maintenance depot (above the viaduct) and the Grand Vitesse Industrial Estate is inefficiently used and offers an opportunity to provide a more efficient use that could look to create a working and living environment. In order to create a prosperous and vibrant community, residential accommodation should be located on the upper floors to work with the commercial uses on the ground floor. This mix of uses will look to promote an environment that is active and accessible.

Scale and Character The existing street frontages consist largely of the railway arches, which contribute to the character of the area through their unique architectural design. Where redevelopment is proposed, the brick arches should be set-back, with light weight facades/frontages which look to create active frontages.

The Network Rail maintenance depot (above the viaduct) and the Grand Vitesse Industrial Estate offer significant brownfield land that would allow for development. Whilst the viaducts are limited in scale due the operational requirements of the railway, many of the surrounding uses close to road, pedestrian and cycle routes are significantly larger in scale. Within the Bankside area, the railway viaduct provides a man made divide between taller buildings to the north and closer to the river and smaller ones to the south.

Tall buildings should be located on the available brownfield land in this area, where they respect the existing buildings and encourage greater access to the currently restricted sites. This is following the existing height pattern of taller buildings being located to the north of the viaduct. Initial investigations into potential height have ranged from 5-16 storeys depending on use, location and design.

A sensitive yet bold approach to design is required to ensure the amenity of the surrounding buildings and street scene is protected and any development promotes the character of Bankside. Any increase in height of buildings would be set back from the railway arches, therefore not imposing on the immediate street scene and people using the area. This

34 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan approach would look for any redevelopment to compliment the existing railway viaduct and arches.

An approach that locates a substantial building above the extensive area of brick vaulting in this area could be considered. This could result in a solution for this area comparable with the Tate Modern extension, which has been constructed over the retained oil tanks at basement level, thus retaining the old tanks and their character, adapted to a new use, whilst constructing a new large building above them. The extensive brick vaulted area, currently primarily used as a car park, offers opportunities for a variety of exciting new uses, including theatre, club, gym and/or market functions. (Southwark, the national theatre's Shunt and other under arch theatres, Vinopolis and Camden Market offer some indicators of possible future use scenarios that could open up these exciting spaces to a more public use.)

Active Frontages The site offers a range of frontages that are neither active nor accessible. Most frontages are solid, not visible and offer no public interaction. Any redevelopment of this site would look to introduce ground floor active frontages that can be publicly used and easily reached. This would increase vitality and usability of the area.

Permeability and Access The existing access to and through this site is poor and heavily restricted due to the current largely operational railway use and industrial premises. In connection with the Low Line proposals set out in this Neighbourhood Plan, redevelopment would look to pedestrian/cycle access to and through the site. The changes in use of the site would create ‘a reason to visit’ which would be supported through improvements to access for people and cyclists. This would also support the wider objective of providing east-west and north south links through redeveloping and opening up the site.

This supports Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix and Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces.

5.4 Borough High Street [map]

This important historic route into London is a local ‘high street’ in name only – its role as the A3 red route traffic dominates the character of the street – and while it stands between areas of major investment and attraction with the Shard and London Bridge station to the east and Borough Market to the west, no coordinated approach has yet succeeded in bringing improvements to the street itself. Other than the traffic there appears to be no obvious reason for a lack of retail investment in the street.

As a major arterial road Borough High Street will continue to carry large volumes of traffic. However, there are opportunities to retune the street so that its positive qualities – such as its building lines, and historic inns and yards – can be amplified (Principle 4), improving the environment (Principle 6) and encouraging a greater variety of retail offer (Principle 3).

Upper Street on the A1 (Islington’s equivalent of Borough High Street) has comparable levels of traffic but has improved greatly with a strong retail offer alongside bars, cafes, restaurants and estate agents, coupled with major improvements by TfL to the quality of the public realm. There is an opportunity for Borough High Street similarly to improve its environment and offer, particularly with thousands of new employees arriving with the completion of the Shard and The Place.

Opportunities

BHS.1 Humanising the road and improving junctions

Reducing traffic speeds to 20 mph is a consistent message in the Neighbourhood Plan, and applies equally to Borough High Street. While not restricting traffic volumes, slower traffic

36 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan speeds would give the area a calmer feel, enhancing environmental wellbeing and encouraging trade.

The current dominance of traffic and lack of safe crossings are major challenges for Borough High Street and reflect the difficulty of achieving a coordinated approach by different stakeholders. Successfully addressing these issues will have benefits both for the street itself and for surrounding areas, particularly Borough Market Environs.

Key junctions along the street need to be upgraded to accommodate the existing and projected footfall that new developments such as the Shard are likely to bring. The key junctions that need upgrading are:

 London Bridge / Tooley Street  Green Dragon Court / London Bridge Street  St Thomas Street / Bedale Street  Southwark Street / Stoney Street  Union Street / Newcomen Street  Great Dover Street / Marshalsea Road

BM.2 Investing in the public realm Footpaths are narrow and congested in places and efforts should be made to widen them and remove obstacles wherever possible, as well as introducing more greenery, which would greatly improve perceptions of the street and help increase biodiversity. In particular entrances to the Underground station exits should be addressed. Pavements should be widened on the east side of the High Street and improvements made to the exit on the Borough Market side to attract users away from the east side exit. The open staircase to the booking hall is dangerous when wet and icy: a covering canopy could help give with safety and give the junction greater character and identity.

In the northern section of Borough High Street, which has had highest accident casualties, carriageway space should be allocated to footway widening and elsewhere on the street loading bays in the pavement will enable carriageway space to be converted to footways, increasing their width and encouraging footfall.

This supports Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces and Principle 6: Encouraging a healthy neighbourhood by promoting walking and cycling.

BM.3 Reinforcing scale and character A feature of Borough High Street is its narrow frontages derived from the original ‘burbages’ [pic] and these are fundamental to the retention of its character. However there are opportunities at the south end of the street and in some of the historic yards for the creation of medium sized retail spaces at ground floor level that could attract high street chains that could in turn attract shoppers up the High Street. Proposals for development along Borough High Street should be mindful of the existing scale, grain and character of the High Street, with 5 to 6 stories the norm for the area. 37 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan

The existing historic buildings, old walls, paved surfaces and other period features in these areas must be retained and given prominence to give character and a sense of continuity and history to the development of the area. The developed yard spaces should provide east- west pedestrian routes and a cycle-way through to Guy’s Hospital courtyards and the areas beyond. Narrower yards might provide space for boutique type shops galleries cafes and bars in an attractive friendly traffic free, pedestrian scale environment. The parapet height of the main body of St. George the Martyr church establishes a prevailing height in the immediate area with its spire dominating local views. Development at the south end of the Street should respect this height and maintain local views of the spire from Little Dorrit Park, with heights of 5 to 6 stories prevailing, to ensure that the spire remains visible from most parts of Little Dorrit Park.

[illustrative box] The present Post Office building at the north end of the street is an important local landmark and piece of local history in that it forms part of the old St Thomas’s Hospital, displaced to Lambeth by the construction of the railway and railway station in the 1830s. More could, and should be made of this building, by removing the side addition that currently forms the entrance to the post office, opening up the existing yard/street beside the building on the east side (and parallel to Station Approach), and forming an entrance to the post office from that street/yard or in the main west end frontage. The space on the High Street frontage should then be landscaped to form a mini urban park or piazza space.

BH.4 Enhancing the retail offer and supporting active frontages

Retail uses will be encouraged along Borough High Street, which will support the ambition to see continuous active frontage. To support a coherent approach to the street the local planning authority is strongly encouraged to commission detailed shop front guidance, in order to reinforce the inherent character and identity of the street, which sits in a conservation area. It is proposed to commission this guidance through the Community Infrastructure Project List (CIPL). It is also recommended to undertake an audit of existing uses along the street to inform a saturation policy which will help ensure an appropriate mix of retail uses to avoid the over dominance of one type of retail offer. Local residents would welcome a Post Office that is open on Saturdays.

BH.5 Increasing permeability through commercial use of the yards The yards, and other spaces off Borough High Street, offer an opportunity for the development of a series of pleasant, relatively peaceful and safe urban pedestrian spaces away from the bustle and noise of the High Street, with shops, cafes and bars at ground level and office hospital or medical school uses, hotel or residential accommodation above.

Successful and appropriate good quality development of the yards could be expected to encourage improvement and development of the intervening High Street frontages, ideally for primarily retail purposes. There is also an opportunity to improve connectivity in the area by opening up a pedestrian route west from Borough High Street in to the Crossbones site at

Landmark Court (see SS.6).

This supports Principle 5: Encouraging a healthy neighbourhood by promoting walking and cycling

BH.6 Encouraging other appropriate uses

Where retail use does not work commercially, other uses such as crèches, surgeries, gyms, galleries, foyers and showrooms with active frontages, should be encouraged.

[box] Proposal for King’s College London campus on Borough High Street [still work in progress - to be discussed please]

King’s College London regards its Guy’s Campus as a long-term commitment and values its presence in the community. Due to the College’s academically driven strategy and its long- term cycles, some parts of the College’s estate have experienced differing levels of focus and investment in the past. The Borough High Street site that falls into the Neighbourhood Plan area had previously achieved planning consent for a substantial research building. Due to changing policy and circumstances, the College had to reprioritise its estate investment on other campuses and the planning permission has since lapsed. The ability to participate in the local community and planning agenda via the Neighbourhood Forum presents a unique opportunity for the College to address the community needs whilst keeping its longer-term options for the use of this land bank area.

5.5 Borough Market Environs

Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral and the streets immediately around them form a distinctive place. The area’s identity is distinguished both by historic and celebrated structures set in a fine-grained pattern of streets near the river, and by the unique and special nature of the vibrant commercial offer.

Major landowners in the Borough Market Environs wish to see this unique and special character sustained and enhanced. To support the long-term viability of the character, environment and commercial offer, landowners have developed a coordinated management strategy for Borough Market Environs (see map). As well as strengthening the future commercial offer and supporting the quality of the environment, this acknowledges the needs of residents living in the vicinity.

Certain commercial aspirations to sustain the unique and special character of the area can be met by landowners’ choice of tenants and coordinating area management initiatives. However, opportunities to reassert the historic heart of Bankside (Principle 4), support the 39 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan commercial vitality (Principle 3) and enhance the environmental quality of the area (Principles 5 and 6) – especially the use of streets and open spaces – will benefit from support through the Neighbourhood Plan.

Opportunities

Borough Market Environs brings opportunities to support several of the principles proposed in the Neighbourhood Plan. These are both generic issues throughout Borough Market Environs (BM.1 to BM.5) and also at specific locations within the area (BM.6 to BM.11).

BM.1 Retaining activity in the area’s streets

The area is characterised by narrow, sometimes busy streets where vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians coexist. On Stoney Street, Winchester Walk and Bedale Street this is particularly apparent with ebbs and flows of both vehicular and non-vehicular traffic at different times throughout the day and the week.

As Principle 6 asserts, space in the public realm is limited and streets in the Neighbourhood Plan area need to work harder to accommodate the needs of differing users. This is particularly true for Borough Market Environs, which still retains its characterful medieval street pattern. The Neighbourhood Plan strongly encourages that these historic streets in the Borough Market Environs should be planned for as civic spaces, designed to be used flexibly by different users who have differing needs at different times of the day and week. Southwark Council is strongly encouraged to review transport and movement throughout Borough Market Environs, with a view to investing in this flexible use of space.

Streets in the Borough Market Environs area should be designed to contribute to the character of the area – including through use of materials – and be flexible enough in their layout and function that both pedestrian/cyclist and vehicular traffic can be accommodated comfortably and safely throughout the day and the week.

The eventual adoption of a common surface on Stoney Street, Park Street to Redcross Way, Bedale Street, and Winchester Walk would help calm vehicular traffic and strengthen the distinctive character of the area, helping to support local identity and retail vitality.

To support the principle of harder working streets and open spaces, a number of opportunities for investment in the public realm around Borough Market Environs should be identified.

BM.2 Increasing pedestrian permeability

To encourage the safe movement of pedestrians around the area and to support the heritage and character of Borough Market Environs, additional connections should be allowed to improve permeability, make the area more attractive to visitors and provide alternatives to more congested routes. The Neighbourhood Plan recommends that increasing pedestrian connections and permeability within the Borough Market Environs should be allowed whenever the opportunity for improvement arises, e.g. between Park Street and Southwark Street, around the Cathedral and Montague Close. Where existing routes are under-utilised, proposals to improve their pedestrian environments should be encouraged. [others?]

This supports Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces and also Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside

BM.3 Encouraging active frontages

Continuous active retail frontages should be encouraged at ground floor level on all streets within Borough Market Environs, but particularly on Park Street, Stoney Street, Bedale Street and Winchester Walk. The Neighbourhood Plan recommends that applications for change of use from office to retail use at ground floor should generally be allowed.

This area (and Borough High Street) would benefit from shop front guidance.

BM.4 Intensifying development/additional storeys

Opportunities to add storeys to appropriate buildings in the area, allowing additional residential or commercial development, are generally supported. In particular, the reinstatement of the two original storeys lost through fire from the Hop Exchange, with the opportunity that brings to relate to a new development on Southwark Street at Landmark Court, will be supported.

The siting of the Market's refuse collection facility at the corner of Stoney Street and Winchester Walk (and beside the Rake pub) currently results in a breakdown of the enclosure and definition of the narrow medieval street pattern at this point. This would be remedied by the construction of office or other accommodation against the west facing flank wall of the pub and over the existing covered part of the refuse storage area. A similar extension to the pub building on its east side would have comparable advantages and would better define and enclose Winchester Walk and the Jubilee Market "square". Applications to develop these sites in this way and in a manner appropriate to the existing building and the conservation area are encouraged and would be welcomed.

This supports Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside and Principle 1: Sustaining the appropriate residential mix

BM.5 Supporting appropriate location for residential developments

Understandably, difficulties can arise between residential and commercial uses such as restaurants and a wholesale market. However this cannot override the historically commercial nature of the area from which the area’s vibrant character derives. A certain amount of residential development already exists within Borough Market Environs and residents have generally successfully negotiated informally over delivery times by large trucks. Additional residential development may be appropriate in the future, however, this should take into account the character and commercial use of the area.

The Neighbourhood Plan recommends that residential development should be allowed in appropriate locations around the periphery of Borough Market Environs, and that any properties converted to residential use should meet strict codes of noise attenuation, such as upgrading of windows and sound insulation.

This supports Principle 1: Sustaining the appropriate residential mix and Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix

BM.6 Revealing and enhancing heritage assets and key views

Opportunities to better reveal the history of the area by preserving and enhancing key views that encapsulate particular qualities and character are to be encouraged. This should be the subject of a special views management study to assess key viewpoints and kinetic views throughout the area. There may also be long range views of the area, for example from London Bridge and from the river, which should be considered. 42 Draft Bankside Neighbourhood Plan

Opportunities to reveal the history of the area thorough heritage assets should also be considered. Places whose stories could be told include Southwark Cathedral Precinct, Borough Market, Winchester Palace, the former Clink prison, the Golden Hinde, railway viaducts, warehouses, dairy buildings and the street patterns themselves.

This supports Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside and Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix.

BM.7 Revealing Winchester Square

This fine urban space is entirely paved in Victorian granite setts and surrounded by a mix of old and new brick buildings of varying character. It has a long-standing use as commercial parking but the development of new commercial units around the square area would help open up this handsome space for public use as an attractive and quieter oasis in a bustling area, and offering an alternative walking route to the congested Clink Street. A4 uses would not be appropriate in this location due to its proximity to existing residential units.

This will connect with and reinforce the restoration and enhancement of Winchester Palace (CIPL Proposal), which has also been proposed as a possible location for a Tourist Information Office.

This supports Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces and also Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside.

BM.8 Extending the retail area into Winchester Walk

An extension of appropriate food and drink-related retail uses (not bars) along Winchester Walk would continue the vitality and active frontages of all the other streets facing the market itself in a continuous circuit, improving pedestrian circulation and permeability.

This supports Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces and Principle 2: Sustaining the appropriate business and commercial mix.

BM.9 Linking up Montague Close and Millennium Square north of Southwark Cathedral

Opportunities to redesign the carriageway on Montague Close would enable the creation of a more animated public space, linking the courtyard north of the Cathedral with Millennium Square. Reinforcing the connection between the Cathedral and the Thames would enliven this area and the extension of the Thames Path to link with Millennium Square would be encouraged. A landing stage for boats would also be supported in this location.

This supports Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces and also Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside.

BM.10 Connecting Southwark Cathedral churchyard

Historically there has been a close relationship between the cathedral and the market, which has been at the heart of the heritage and the character of this area. Although they are now physically separated the south churchyard of the cathedral is actively used by visitors to the market.

Opportunities exist to increase permeability between the market and the churchyard to help create an environment that better supports the activities of both.

It is important that the right balance is struck between making a special place for visitors to use and enjoy and retaining a sense of place: a historic churchyard where burials have been carried out until very recently.

Modifications to the south churchyard boundary wall, for example, would be supported, but any such proposals would first be developed in consultation with the Cathedral’s Fabric Advisory committee and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England.

This supports Principle 3: Supporting the distinctive character and heritage of Bankside and Principle 4: Investing in parks and green space.

BM.11 Improving connections with Borough High Street

The strong commercial attraction of Borough Market Environs offers an opportunity to support the commercial vitality of Borough High Street, but in part this depends on improving the environment and safety of Borough High Street for pedestrians. Borough High Street is an important gateway to Borough Market Environs and improving pedestrian crossings, particularly towards London Bridge Station via Bedale Street and Green Dragon Court, is essential for the future commercial vitality of this area and for the wider functioning of Bankside and its neighbouring areas. More detailed proposals are made in the section Borough High Street (Section 5.4).

Junction improvements should be made at:

London Bridge/Tooley St

Green Dragon Court / Borough High Street

Bedale St/ Borough High Street

Stoney St / Borough High Street (including slip road) / Southwark Street

Redcross Way / Southwark St

This supports Principle 5: Streets as civic and public spaces.

iii. The Community Infrastructure Projects List

[Juliet – update needed from LBS for this section on how CIL will be implemented in the borough and what the implications will be for Bankside Neighbourhood Plan]

This section schedules Community Infrastructure Projects for the area identified by the resident and business communities

Illustration box How are projects on the list delivered? A subgroup of the Neighbourhood Forum will review projects on the Community Infrastructure Projects List annually, when progress, priorities and new additions and amendments can be made to this list.

Development Capacity Assessment – identifying what new community and social infrastructure will be required with new developments

The Mayor has set targets for jobs and homes in the London Plan and the Southwark Plan makes sure that these are met. A Development Capacity Appraisal can be used to project how much development is likely to come forward in the next 5-10 years. The provision of Community Infrastructure, which includes projects and facilities that support and enhance the environment and local services, is based on this the need identified by these projections. [BDP work to inform this section]

Research for this Neighbourhood Plan shows that targets for Bankside have already been exceeded in several categories of development, and that there is therefore a consequent need for significant levels of community infrastructure in this area.

Provision of services and facilities

The Neighbourhood Plan recognises that the provision of new services such as health, education and other community services are outside the scope of a development plan, but given the development capacity identified in the evidence base for this plan it is important to make clear that where resident populations increase in future facilities and services must be planned for and delivered in parallel with new development.

Additional resource must be given by the Local Planning Authority to the analysis and mitigation of community infrastructure: it is a fundamental part of the place-making process, both for existing residents and businesses and to ensure that future investment in this neighbourhood continues to the benefit of the wider borough.

Community Infrastructure Projects List

Could Community infrastructure payment be delivered as revenue funding for community projects as well as capital projects? How would this be administered?

Could be helpful to give developers a steer on community requirements – not always for Community space in the form it is offered.

Bankside requires an audit of current availability and use of community spaces so that future planning permissions can reflect the actual need. Could CIL support the running of existing spaces elsewhere, instead?

[Other ways in which the neighbourhood works - encouraging residents to volunteer, particularly students living in the area]

[see separate Projects Excel sheet]