Client: lambeth council
Project: Lambeth Evening & Night-Time Economy Strategy
What were MAKE asked to do?
The London Borough of Lambeth stretches from the world famous South Bank arts centre and London Eye on the Thames to the epicentre of London’s gay club scene in Vauxhall, to the rapidly changing town centres of Brixton and Clapham to emerging neighbourhoods of Streatham and Norwood. MAKE and our associates were asked to create an after dark strategy for the borough and a framework for the development of Lambeth’s evening and night-time economy over the next five to ten years.
How did MAKE do it?
We worked with a huge range of stakeholders including planners, club owners, councillors, bar managers, the police, residents’ groups and local churches to get the after dark low down on what works, what doesn’t and what was promising.
We surveyed hundreds of visitors and residents to understand what they liked about the area’s evening and night-time economy, what was missing, how they felt about safety and their use of transportation. We learned a lot!
MAKE worked with niche associates specialising in urban economics and town centre management to measure the night-time economy and its potential for growth, as well as to develop specifically post-5pm ‘placemaking’ solutions.
We brought the MAKE NightMix cost-benefit model we pioneered in Australia to the UK and Lambeth was the first location to measure both the positives and the negatives of its after dark scene.
Our biggest challenge was to spend time with political leaders in the borough to change attitudes: that the evening and night-time economy is an asset that needs support as well as regulation.
What happened next?
We made recommendations to: develop night-time business improvement districts in Clapham and Brixton (which are now active); and to bring street pastors and safe space schemes to the borough (which are operational and recognised as examples of best practice). Our measurement of the night-time economy was integrated into the borough’s economic and employment strategy, as were our growth projections for jobs for local people.
The bar and restaurant were granted planning and licensing consent within the CIP in line with the council’s core hours but with drinking as an exception.
What unique value did MAKE add to this project?
This was the world’s first multi-nodal* night-time economy masterplan. (The urbanist way of saying it covered several town centres!).