Agenda item

This report outlines the ongoing efforts in civic renewal to promote increased community activities, with a specific focus on play streets and community events across the borough.

Ian Hawthorn, Assistant Director Highways gave a presentation on café culture, play streets and the street parties initiative. This focused on the ongoing efforts in civic renewal to promote increased community activities, with a specific focus on play streets and community events across the borough.

The presentation covered the following points:

• An explanation of what the initiative was and what it sought to achieve.
• The mechanics and steps required to enable street activities to take place.
• An across the Council approach with a team of enablers from many service departments working together.
• Building partner support, including contractors / consultants, Developers, Hammersmith  bid and Football Clubs based in the borough.
• Details of those projects which had been delivered, and those planned for the future.
• Details of the Fun Under the Flyover project and the types of activities this supported and delivered.

Councillor Adam Peter Lang commented that some of the street parties had taken place in the road where he lived and also in the ward where he was a councillor. He asked what was being done to engage with those harder to reach groups and whether officers were speaking to residents’ groups to ensure they were aware events could be held. Given the complexity of arranging street parties, he suggested that residents may well need assistance in getting events up and running.

In response, Ian Hawthorn confirmed that at the end of the meeting, Councillors could have his email address, and any Committee Member could email him with a proposal which he would do his best to facilitate. Moving forwards, Ian Hawthorn confirmed the Council would be developing a communications strategy, including a website to promote these concepts, provide guidance on best practice and make events easier to realise.

Ian Hawthorn confirmed the Council had to consider its messaging and how this would be achieved, either through the website, by adapting and updating its current information and pro-formas, as well as the use of word of mouth to best effect. Ian Hawthorn commented that when civic renewal through the street parties and community events was first proposed, it seemed a significant challenge. However, events such as a theatre production in Brackenbury ward would be taking place soon which illustrated what could be achieved.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Stephen Cowan, explained that the idea behind civic renewal (through events) was to activate people’s goodwill and good neighbourliness in order to create greater social cohesiveness. He provided details of a street market which took place in Hammersmith Grove shortly after the Administration gained control of the borough and explained that residents had found they were a good way of people getting to know their neighbours. He commented that in any large city, there was a high degree of transience, so the question posed was whether there was a social benefit in making people feel a sense of belonging, which he felt there was. He commented that the Council was measuring the number of street parties that were taking place, and these had increased significantly. Councillor Stephen Cowan outlined what the challenges were in arranging street parties and the answer lay in trying to promote social entrepreneurialism. It was important to ensure residents knew across all communities, that if there was event they aspired to arrange, the Council would encourage it.

Councillor Jackie Borland thanked officers for the presentation and for the work they were doing. She also commented the ideas and concepts behind civic renewal were wholly positive. She encouraged event organisers to think big and small, so events did not necessarily mean the closure of large sections of a road. As it could just be something low key, like a barbeque, which still brought residents together.

Councillor Liz Collins echoed these sentiments and stated it was a great initiative. She praised the work of the Law Enforcement Team (LET) and commented on how the recent Wandsworth Bridge event had gone well. She explained she was particularly interested in the scope for further theatre productions and steps to encourage residents into the Arts.

Councillor Ashok Patel agreed with the positive aspects of the scheme but highlighted that negative factors also need to be considered such as issuing traffic orders, arranging physical barriers, engaging in agreements with the Local Authority, extra Policing and site clearance. These were factors which needed to be paid for, and while he acknowledged these were joint ventures between the Council and local communities, it would be interesting to learn how events were financed.

Councillor Ashok Patel commented that he enjoyed the Wandsworth Bridge event, however, he felt it had been a missed opportunity and he would have preferred to have seen less stalls and more educational stands.

Commenting on the use of green spaces, he noted that within a 10-minute radius, there was Eel Brook Common, South Park and Parsons Green. He stated that any events held there would be cost free, such as the recent Festival for English Wines (at Eel Brook Common), so the innovative use of parks could be investigated further.

In response, Councillor Stephen Cowan explained that some of these decisions were based on the Administration’s political decisions. He confirmed that parks were being used, such as the Community Day in Ravenscourt Park and the wine tasting at Eel Brook Common. Part of the reason why the Council closed roads and had special days was because the High Street was facing challenging times and also to develop a sense of community based on two factors. Firstly, that residents would visit somewhere immediately outside their front door, and secondly, that it was possible to then support local businesses.

He provided details of when the Council first closed North End Road and the committee heard that some retailers had taken a month’s takings in a single day. Councillor Stephen Cowan reiterated the Administration’s pledge for Hammersmith and Fulham to be the best location in Europe for business, which meant in turn a hard stretched retail and hospitality sector. So, when events were staged, residents enjoyed them and businesses thrived. In a post pandemic world where businesses were still struggling, the impact of the internet / e-commerce and punitive business rates, this was why local events , supporting the local economy were vital.

The Chair, Councillor Rory Vaughan commended the presentation which had illustrated the huge number of events that were being held.  He noted that the number of activities had grown over recent years, which in turn meant the teams supporting these events had become more developed, so future events were easier to hold. The Chair praised the work done by the Events Team, Ian Hawthorn and the host of officers for facilitating these events, as well as the work being done to engage with hard-to-reach groups to ensure events were fully inclusive. The Chair confirmed that the committee would be interested in monitoring how civic renewal projects and events developed in the weeks and months ahead.

RESOLVED

For the Committee to note and comment on the report.