Business

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT, THE FUTURE'S PURPLE

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21 July 2010

Kevin Quinn
kevin@southwarknews.org

A meeting held last week to transform trading in Camberwell has kickstarted a campaign, backed by the 'News', to make the area one of the country's best night time economies.

The meeting held by the SE5 Forum last Thursday was the group's first attempt at finding a way forward for Camberwell, which businesses and the new council administration have said is Southwark's forgotten town centre.

Straddling two boroughs, the new Labour administration in Southwark has said they will be working with their colleagues in Lambeth to find a way to revamp Camberwell and improve the lot of shoppers and businesses in the area.

The Cabinet member for community safety, Cllr John Friary, told the 'News' this week that he 'fully supported' a move to get Camberwell  on the national 'Purple Flag' scheme currently being implemented in neighbouring Brixton.

Just as a 'Blue Flag' is an indicator of a good beach and 'Green Flag' a good park, a Purple Flag is an indicator of where to go for a good night out. Only a handful of city and town centres across the country have been given the prestigious flag and Brixton is hoping to get the award in eighteen months’ time.

The scheme, run by the Association of Town Centre Management (ATCM), judges locations on how welcoming, clean and well-managed they are.  Cllr Friary told the 'News':  "Lambeth Council, in partnership with ATCM and local businesses, have launched the scheme in Brixton. We are meeting this week to develop this in Herne Hill and we do want to bring it to Camberwell. There is no reason that this can't be done all at the same time."

Two years ago the council designated £670,000 for Herne Hill, but furious traders have been demanding to know why they have had to wait for the promised cash.

The previous Lib Dem/Conservative administration strongly denied before they were ousted from power that there had been delays to improvements to Herne Hill as a result of council mismanagement. The 'News' reported back in October 2008 that the cash was promised to Half Moon Lane and Norwood Road residents and traders as part of a £4.5million borough wide plan to improve local shopping centres.

Since the Dulwich Community Council meeting when the money was allocated, traders claim the only "action" has been a series of consultations.  Meanwhile, crime in the area has taken a turn for the worse, with a fatal shooting and a stabbing last year.

Chair of the Herne Hill traders and owner of Olley's restaurant, Harry Niazi, told the 'News' in April this year that his request for a CCTV camera that was monitored by police was turned down because of funding red-tape.

However, with a new administration at the Town Hall he appeared more hopeful: "We are meeting with the Cabinet members for community safety in both Lambeth and Southwark, our MP Tessa Jowell, our local ward councillor Robin Crookshank Hilton and the Herne Hill forum to talk about the Purple Flag, which could be a solution," he said. 

In Brixton, with the help of a Town Centre Director in the shape of Stephanie Butcher, much has changed to improve the area for businesses, residents and visitors, who were put off from going there mostly through a fear of crime. She said: "There is a lot of good work that already goes on in Brixton's pubs, clubs, and restaurants, and the Purple Flag project will highlight this work to local residents, tourists, and visitors."

The push to get the flag was launched in Brixton just three weeks ago. Stephanie Butcher was appointed to her newly created role eighteen months ago and stressed that the flag was not a scheme on its own, but "more like the bunch of flowers you get when you are better and back to work."

She said: "In the last eighteen months we have been working on what we call the Brixton Initiative, which among other things is creating better co-ordination and making the town centre safer. Having got the drug dealers off the streets we are working with businesses to improve the night time economy.

It involves clearly linking the day time, early evening and night time economies. It not a case that the shops shut and ten minutes later the clubs open, but that you can shop, go to a café and restaurant and then on to a club."

A team of mystery shoppers are now targeting 20-30 of one hundred evening and night time establishments in Brixton town centre, to see whether they are working well, and will be helping those that are not. This research, combined with other checks and improvements to infrastructure like transport, will form the basis of how they can eventually get to the holy grsil - that is a Purple Flag.

Purple Flags aim to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of a town centre between 5pm and 6am. Those that have achieved it have shown that a good mix of clientele can lessen intimidation and improve perceptions of a town centre, while widening its range of attractions and consumers, which ultimately leads to longer term economic success and greater use of the town centre.

A spokesman for the scheme, which has so far awarded flags to seven other areas in England, said: "Areas are assessed on a range of criteria, including personal safety, cleanliness, transport, attractiveness and appeal, arts and cultural offer, how welcoming they are, as well as the strength of partnership working.

"A team of experts carry out the judging process and explore, examine and experience the night life of the centres, acting as 'mystery visitors'."

Places already awarded purple flags
- Bath, Birmingham, Clerkenwell Islington, Covent Garden Westminster, Kingston upon thames, Leicester Sqaure, Liverpool, Manchester & Nottingham

The ATMC works with the Purple Flag Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from central and local government, police, business and industry representatives. Clerkenwell is only one of three places to get the flag in London. Much of it was down to unique initiatives like their "booze bus", which patrols the streets cracking down on rowdy drinkers. This has seen crime plummet in the last six months. The special police van, which carries six police constables and a sergeant, can be called into action by worried landlords, in what has become one of the capital's premier party hotspots.

Brixton has a similar scheme, which includes licensee officers on board, working Friday and Saturday nights and also benefits from their own dedicated town centre police force, with an inspector, sergeant, eighteen police officers, as well as a team of police community officers. 

The bus in Clerkenwell was introduced in January this year as the main weapon of the Islington Police Alcohol Task Force.  It received high praise from the Purple Flag advisory committee, who also pointed out the work being done in the area’s best known club Fabric, in Charterhouse Street, which attracts around 7,000 people every weekend and has resulted in a 33.9 per cent decrease in alcohol and drug related offences in the past year.

Inspector Mike Cowie, who runs the Booze Bus, told his local paper the Islington Gazette: "We carry a mobile phone, so that licensees can call us directly if they are having any trouble or perceive that there will be trouble.
"With places like Fabric there will always be a problem with drugs, but they are excellent and want to stamp that problem out.

"As soon as they suspect anything they call us and we do whatever's necessary. We run joint operations with the door staff and use drug dogs in the queue or we may send some plain-clothes cops down to see what's happening.
"We are thinking of taking it one step further and getting some plain-clothes officers inside the club."

And the paper reported that in one recent incident officers gathered information about drug dealing in a Clerkenwell bar, which resulted in nineteen arrests and pointed them towards "big fish" higher up in the chain.

Camberwell is not currently the same draw, without super clubs like Fabric or the Brixton Academy, but for those supporting the campaign, the drive to get a purple flag will result in helping all businesses, including small independent shops that currently close up at around 5pm, to embrace the need to focus activity on the evening and night.

"With the council moving their offices north to a new headquarters in Tooley Street many of the businesses have lost their lunch time trade," explained Barbara Pattinson, Chair of the SE5 Forum. "But the truth is, so many areas will have this same problem. Most households do not rely on one income but two, so most residents with money are at work during the day.

The big chains like Tesco, B&Q, etc, know this that is why they have late night shopping - our independent shop keepers need to do the same."

One independent shop selling bespoke fashion to women in Grove Lane, which moved nearly four years ago from the highly prestigious Oxo Tower on the South Bank, was quick to learn this lesson. Amanda Byrnes, of Odie & Amanda's boutique, told the 'News': "I did late night opening until 7pm from day one, as I know the customers I want to attract were working during the day and want to pop by after work. It is our busiest time of the day and I am surprised when I see so many shops shutting up at 5pm."

Terry Eagles, who owns the franchise to MacDonald’s in Camberwell as well as the Walworth Road, Streatham  Close and Brixton outlets, is a massive supporter of the push for a Purple Flag. He told the 'News': "Camberwell is a vibrant, fun place, but the perception is that there is a lot of crime and it is not it is the same as everywhere else.

I have seen what can be achieved in Brixton when you join the businesses and council leaders to create an area that is focused on hospitality. We should work for a Purple Flag because by aiming for it we will get so much done - the flag itself would be the icing on the cake."

The cuts in public spending, with Southwark alone looking to draw back £76 million - 25 per cent of its spend - will make any initiatives dependent on funding difficult. However, the Cabinet member for resources, Cllr Richard Livingstone, did not rule out backing the scheme when questioned by the 'News' this week.

He said: "There are great places to eat and drink in Camberwell and the Leader of the Council has made it clear that we want it to be the new priority area for regeneration.  In the present economic situation it will be a challenge, but we are determined to work with our colleagues in neighbouring boroughs like Lambeth to find solutions and combine resources."

The SE5 Forum, in partnership with the 'News', is hoping to engage more businesses and residents in Camberwell in working towards the campaign. To get involved and find out more email barbara@se5forum.org

What do you think?
Email us at: letters@southwarknews.org


FIVE STEPS TO CAMBERWELL GETTING A PURPLE FLAG

1. Wellbeing
The judges need to see that the town centre is welcoming, clean and safe. This is what  Brixton town centre management have been working on to date - some of which Camberwell could look to implement.  

2. Movement
A secure pattern of arrival, circulation and departure. This involves working  on parking and transport, which residents and businesses alike agree needs to come from policy change at the council and investment from Transport for London

3. Appeal
A vibrant choice and a rich mix of entertainment and activity. This must include a commitment from Southwark Property to adopt a policy, so that shop licences are granted with a view to not duplicating what is already in Camberwell

4.Place
A stimulating destination and a vital place. Camberwell already boasts a strong arts community, which must be enhanced into this framework.

5. Policy Framework
Evidence of a clear aim and common purpose to ensure a positive experience. And this will come from a strong campaign involving police, the council and most importantly local businesses and residents working together for a purple flag. 

To get involved contact Leane at Southwark News via email: leane@southwarknews.org or call 020 7232 1639

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