Cultural Placemaking in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
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Cultural Placemaking in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Contents Introduction 4VSÁPI Inside the World’s Cultural City The Royal Borough: Seizing the Opportunity Case Studies 8LI'VIEXMZI(MWXVMGX4VSÁPIV Earl’s Court Lots Road Kensal Gasworks and Surrounds Kensington and Chelsea: Cultural Motifs Cultural Interventions: A series of initial ideas for consideration Next Steps Report Partners Introduction Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown This publication has arisen from a desire to explore the relationship between local ambitions for arts, culture and creativity and new property developments in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Culture continues to prove its key significance to our part of London in so many ways and it is heartening that developers, artists and arts organisations have in recent times been collaborating on projects much more closely. In our desire to find the right way forward We are in an excellent position to connect for Kensington and Chelsea we wanted to developers to the creative content of the examine what has been achieved, look at borough, and thereby both to animate and emerging patterns and map out the right add value to their plans. We believe that, approach for the borough as a whole. armed with a long-term neighbourhood vision and a clear appreciation of the We are privileged to have a fabulous significance of the borough in the wider cultural mix in the borough, ranging from London context, we are in a strong internationally renowned institutions to position to broker successful partnerships creative entrepreneurs, from specialist that will benefit developers, artists, arts organisations to major creative residents, local businesses and visitors industries. The borough is also home alike. This thinking covers every stage, to more than twenty festivals and an from inception through the various phases increasing number of practising artists of development, and on to completion and are based here, sometimes working in into use. Each development potentially has studios offered by the Council and part- a different creative opportunity and, as the funded by valued partners. We believe most densely populated three square miles that our role as a local authority is to in the UK, we want to ensure we have a encourage creativity, support it where framework that has an empathetic fit with we can and ensure that all our residents the area where it is sited. have opportunities to engage creatively in ways that work for each of them individually. We are happy for culture Councillor Nicholas Paget-Brown to be a key motif for our borough as its Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for future development is shaped. Transportation, Environment and Leisure 4VSÁPI .SLR,EQTWSR7IRMSV7XVEXIK]3JÁGIV%VXWERH Culture, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is the smallest London borough, excluding the City of London. It is the most densely populated local authority in the United Kingdom and is among the most affluent areas of Western Europe. The borough is famous for its retail offer – presentation of new work by the world- with department stores such as Harrods renowned sculptor Tony Cragg. English and Harvey Nichols, and Portobello Road, National Ballet School is located in the Royal which attracts visitors from around the Borough, as are the Royal British Society of globe. It is also home to the Notting Hill Sculptors and Christie’s the auctioneers. Carnival and the Chelsea Flower Show. The many creative businesses associated Among the borough’s many attractions with the borough include Monsoon, and landmarks are the Royal Court Accesorize and Cath Kidston from Theatre, Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre, the world of fashion; the Independent Kensington Palace, King’s Road, Leighton newspaper and Granta Books from House Museum and Saatchi Gallery. journalism and publishing; with EMI, Sony and Universal Music representing Exhibition Road is home to world- music and entertainment. renowned institutions such as the Science Museum, the Natural History The Royal Borough is famed for its spirit Museum, and the Victoria and Albert of creative independence, embodied Museum. In a multi-million pound by individuals such as Mary Quant and scheme, Exhibition Road itself has Vivienne Westwood, Mick Jones and Damon been transformed into the UK’s most Albarn, Lucien Freud and Richard Curtis. accessible cultural space. Its reopening will be celebrated in July 2012 with the (Exhibition) Road Show. In autumn 2012, Exhibition Road will host a major Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: Inside the World’s Cultural City Mark Davy, Futurecity Kensington and Chelsea is a unique place, where a wide range of nationalities and cultures meet in a borough that is a microcosm of our world-class city. London is home to 8 million individuals, their languages and cultures, which provides the cross-fertilisation that makes the capital such a vibrant, self renewing place. Centuries of investment, innovation, grained rich mix of uses across the borough. trade and immigration have led to We believe that successful urban places, London moving from a city traditionally however individual, have in common an defined by commerce to one defined by atmosphere that might be described as culture. There is now strong evidence ‘seductive’. They work at physical, sensory of the power of the cultural sector to and intellectual levels, offering experiences energise places and provide originality that are varied, rewarding, intriguing, and authenticity to our urban centres. unexpected and inspiring. However, with the unstoppable move towards mass urbanisation we need new When it comes to making successful thinking on how to make our cities great new places, planning in culture from the places to live in, in ways that work for start (what this report refers to as Cultural both the private and the public sectors. Placemaking) is essential for unlocking the seductive potential of urban living. Culture Planning often separates our urban can act as a catalyst for the theatre and experiences into places for living, places activity that enlivens established streets for business, retail districts for shopping and squares but which is conspicuously and leisure places for entertainment. absent from many new developments. This is a path that Kensington and Chelsea Cultural Placemaking articulates a has not followed. We believe that the best distinctive vision for new developments, urban developments are led by mixing uses helping to create real places and provide together – we have always valued the finely authenticity and local ownership. These add value in three powerful ways: and makes them attractive to live in. Our embedded approach encourages t'PSHJOHBEJTUJODUJEFOUJUZUIBUDSFBUFT our partners to see everything as having the ‘brand’ for the development a cultural DNA, from wayfinding, play, t$SFBUJOHBWJCSBOUDVMUVSBMMJGFUIBU wellbeing, employment, education, leisure attracts residents, business tenants and and heritage to tourism, and technology. visitors who bring disposable income t#VJMEJOHTVQQPSUBNPOHDPNNVOJUJFT The residents of Kensington and and stakeholders, which will help the Chelsea are central to successful Cultural planning of the development and to Placemaking. Residents, workers and the sustain it once complete. millions of visitors to the borough are part of the right commercial and cultural mix. We want to ensure that our new We will work with partners to ensure that redevelopment areas become places all phases of development remain true to that are attractive to our residents and their original vision, and with a range of raise the profile of the borough as a great people (from planners and project teams place to live, work and play. Our shared to politicians and local stakeholders) who ambition is for developers, investors and can champion new developments at every communities to work with us in providing level. We are searching for a new approach places that can encourage the dynamic mix to development, one that demonstrates the of people from different cultures, provide commercial viability of brokering shared opportunities for training and education, services and amenities, where costs are great architecture, animated streets and shared between the developer and local squares, new parks and public places and authority to provide facilities and amenities a varied cultural offer, whether creative (e.g. a library, gallery or cultural facility) and industries or museums and galleries. ultimately to provide real places of beauty and creative energy. Cultural Placemaking We aim to introduce new thinking, an looks to create a sustainable mix of approach that will help to provide the residential, retail, leisure and commercial creative ‘glue’ of people and ideas that uses, with high quality public realm binds successful urban places together underpinned by original thinking. The chemistry needed for successful sector. However, we believe that this Cultural Placemaking begins with pioneering approach, applied across knowing where you are. For developers the Royal Borough, will become an it involves understanding the history exemplar for developers across the UK. and heritage of their sites in the Royal Places that offer authenticity, a real Borough. They must reference the identity and which reflect the local site’s history and heritage and look at community will add measurable value the cultural context of the site. There to residential, commercial, leisure and are many possible interventions that retail development.