In a cityscape as unwieldy and complex as London's, the recent NLA event “BIDs: Bettering the City”, revealed something heartening – a relentless commitment to revitalise and improve London sustainably with Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) working in partnership with London government.

The event showcased the plans and day to day work of four improvement districts – some old, some very new. The recently formed Fleet Street Quarter (FSQ) BID, headed by Lady Lucy French, was the first we heard about.  Leading one of four (now five) BIDs created in the City of London, Lady Lucy outlined the underlying opportunity and ambition the Fleet Street area has to offer; drawing on its rich history of newspaper-making and world-wide status as a centre of England’s law institutions and the legal profession.  Lady Lucy highlighted that (as with so many parts of central London), Fleet Street was in the process of recovering from the lasting impacts of the Covid pandemic; especially in relation to lower levels of commuter footfall.  This has created knock-on impacts on retail, leisure and cultural activities. In partnership with the City of London, FSQ’s response is built around four themes: putting Fleet Street back on the map, connecting up its community, ensuring the district is clean and green and finally making it more safe and secure.  

Lady Lucy demonstrated how Fleet Street Quarter is making (impressive) progress.  It has issued a prospectus highlighting major real-estate development plans for the area (worth some £5 billion to 2028).  These include a new Justice Quarter providing Crown, Magistrate, County and Civil Court buildings as well as new City of London Police headquarters.   At the other end of the scale, Fleet Street Quarter was about to open a herbaceous urban farm to coincide with EcoCity week (held in the first week of June).  And to help activate the streets and bring in leisure footfall, Morph’s Epic Art Adventure will form a free public art trail through central London. This is being developed in co-operation with the other City BIDs and the Corporation.

Next up was Mark Williams, director of destination for the Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA) which covers the entertainment centre of London - Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Piccadilly and St James’s.  In addition to many of the day to day activities that BIDs engage in, Mark highlighted the transformational work HOLBA has undertaken in bringing art onto the streets of the West End.  These included “Art of London” which brought together artists, creatives, businesses and some of the UK’s biggest cultural institutions, in an “explosion of colour and creative expression “ on West End streets.  It is geared towards celebrating the diversity and vibrancy of the district.  There was also the exclusive launch of Paramount+ (a new video on demand service), with a series of consumer-led installations, pop-ups and activations inspired by popular film and tv shows featured by Paramount. 

Mark also talked about HOLBA's “Scenes in the Square” installation - celebrating a century of cinema. Leicester Square has been brought to life with iconic film characters including Paddington Bear and Laurel and Hardy and Mr Bean, amongst others.  More dramatically, Wonder Woman can be found bursting through a wall whilst Batman watches from a rooftop!

As with all the speakers, Mark highlighted that HOLBA have been focusing on securing recovery for their district post-Covid.  This has taken the form of strategies to support the needs of a changing workforce as well as bolstering the night time economy. Mark was keen to highlight the wider economic benefits that the entertainment and cultural economy bring and in turn, how investment in the public realm can generate good value socio-economic returns for both the private and public sectors.

Alexander Jan, chair of the Central District Alliance BID which runs from St Giles’s through to Clerkenwell, followed Mark.  As chair of one of London’s first five BIDs, set up in 2000, he also emphasised the importance of getting the basics right.  BIDs that struggle to make their districts clean, green, safe and welcoming will have a credibility gap in tackling climate change or delivering a post Covid recovery he observed. 

In the context of the role of culture and arts in driving recovery, Alex highlighted the recent opening of Outernet with its enormous “wow factor” high-definition screens -and the associated refurbishment of buildings just south of Outernet’s main site.  These are all very close to Tottenham Court Road station – now served by the Elizabeth line and one of the most visited locations in the UK. Alex highlighted some of the attributes of Outernet’s unique immersive display technology which is used for commercial product launches but also wellbeing and charitable campaigns such as those involving CALM and BBC Children in Need.   

He went on to talk a about the work CDA undertakes to help make the experience for those entering and leaving the BID area more pleasant.  Otherwise there was a risk that the public would leave the “cathedral like” stations of the Elizabeth line and be disappointed by the cleanliness and general state of the public realm that they enter into.  

Alex concluded by saying that BID activities must complement those of other major players – such as the boroughs and wider private sector.  He  pointed to the major positive impacts that the advent of the Elizabeth line was having and its essential role in driving footfall into central London areas.

Matthew Sims, the chief executive of Croydon BID was the final speaker. Croydon BID has been in existence for fifteen years and is supported by more than five hundred organisations.  Matthew challenged some of the common perceptions that might exist about Croydon. He reiterated earlier points speakers made - emphasising the importance of Croydon town centre being safe and welcoming.  

With respect to art and culture, Matthew highlighted a number of initiatives that had been undertaken.  These included life-sized brick models installed as part of “Brick Live Safari” and “Brickosaurs”.  The footfall generated by walking tours helped to increase sales whilst new pieces of art including oversized inflatable creatures added across the town centre, have helped to transform pockets of neglected spaces into vibrant, colour filled masterpieces. 

As part of Croydon’s London Borough of Culture 2023 programme, the BID has organised the Croydon Stands Tall campaign with dozens of local schools. Artists have been invited to submit striking designs for eight feet tall giraffe sculptures that will then form part of a ten-week art trail this year. Matthew also highlighted the prospect of the Whitgift shopping centre moving towards renovation as well as the scale of development around East Croydon station  - much of it residential  - that is well underway.  

In conclusion, the event was more than a mere sharing of experiences. It was a testament to the resilience and tenacity that so many London's BIDs embody.  It was evident that whether covering central or outer London locations, the BIDs share many common goals - to shape their districts in a way that that balances economic vibrancy with cultural enrichment and community spirit. 

Whilst gentle competition between improvement districts is no bad thing, the goal is perhaps not so much for BIDs to eclipse one another, but rather to illuminate collective success. This event went a long way to doing just that.