Focus on Bexley

One to One Business Information Sessions

The One to One business information advice service offered by Bexley Libraries is available remotely via Skype to support start-ups.

If you are you thinking of starting a new business or have an early stage business that you want to grow, one to one business information sessions can help you; •

Identify business information needs and discover what support is available.

Create an action plan to help you progress in your goal of starting your business.

Receive help in researching your business idea.

The sessions are part of the Startups in London Libraries programme and must be booked in advance.

To find out more please visit https://arena.yourlondonlibrary. net/web/bexley/business-support

Bexley’s Business Newsletter

If you are a start-up or local business in Bexley sign up to receive our weekly Bexley for Business email newsletter and receive the latest information, support and guidance.

You can sign up at https://www.bexley.gov.uk/stayinformed-about-subjects-youchoose

Creativity in the heart of Bexley

Creativity, design, start-ups and new technology can all be found at

The Engine House in Bexley. Following a significant refresh in 2020,

The Engine House is a hub for start-ups, entrepreneurs and thriving businesses, with a range of flexible spaces and options to use them.

As we emerge from the prototyping, AutoCAD Covid-19 pandemic, courses, e-commerce support it is clear that the real and training in social media estate requirements of many marketing. There is also an businesses will have changed on site café. forever. Organisations whose workforces have adapted well to homeworking may now be seeking more flexible, cost effective solutions, such as that offered by The Engine House. It offers start-ups, entrepreneurs and small to medium enterprises flexible and modern workspace. The aim is to provide not just a desk, but the space, facilities

The building, which is located and a network to develop within easy distance of Abbey and grow businesses. Wood and Belvedere stations and a good road network, has Over the last year, the had a complete overhaul and creative team have been has over 120,000 square feet working closely with local of flexible studio and office companies on some exciting used in-house technology facilities. It has more than new projects and have led the such as 3D printing, laser 50 modern studios, hot desks way in developing new ways of cutting, and CAD design to and fixed desk spaces as well manufacturing. These include produce a range of vital PPE as event space. converting 2D drawings of train visors and face masks. It houses some of the latest technology for video components into reliable, costeffective 3D printed parts and The team have adapted facilities so that they are conferencing and meeting laser cutting materials for the COVID secure and are now rooms. Its in-house business fashion industry. working on ways to offer more development team offer During the pandemic, online services for AutoCAD services such as rapid The Engine House team, training and virtual viewings.

To find out more about The Engine House Bexley go to www.enginehousebexley.co.uk or call 020 8320 1000

‘Over the last year, the creative team have been working closely with local companies on some exciting new projects and have led the way in developing new ways of manufacturing.’

British BID Accreditation

We are delighted to share with you that we have been awarded British BID Accreditation!

Commenting on their recent accreditation, Chief Executive of British BIDs Chris Turner said “Sidcup Partners have adopted some very good policies and procedures often evident in larger BIDs in their second terms. They should be congratulated on their achievements in such a short space of time and their commitment and energy to liaising with levy payers who have the opportunity to play an active part in the BID”.

Cheryl Curr, BID Manager for Sidcup Partners

“We signed up to Accreditation to give businesses confidence that our BID is credible, has clear and robust management processes in place and as a company, we are open and transparent. The process was very rigorous and has made us think very carefully about every aspect of our work. It was really worthwhile and we are delighted to have achieved the award and to be recognised accordingly”.

Update from The Sidcup BID Chairman

It is with very mixed feelings I write this piece.

The year started in the typical way preparing to deliver our business plan however as we have heard so many times over the last months our financial year ended in unprecedented times.

We have all struggled to come to terms with Lockdown, not seeing friends and family but I like to believe every cloud has a silver lining and in some ways Covid–19 has bought the community closer together and we have seen lots of acts of kindness and we have all shown open appreciation for many of our essential service workers on a Thursday evening applauding those in the front line.

One of the important lessons I think we have learned is how important our high streets are.

Many shops and businesses have had to remain closed, however we don’t want this to become the new normal and very much hope the local community will support the high street when they are fully able to and continue to shop locally.

The ethos of Sidcup Partners is to do just that.

At every opportunity we endeavour to support our community and to use local suppliers in the knowledge that this helps to sustain a viable local economy.

There is no doubt that some businesses will not survive and vacant units will appear but Sidcup Partners will be looking to fill these creatively and find new uses for them.

Sidcup Partners are looking to find innovative ways to support businesses and we feel we will come out of Covid -19 stronger than before.

Susan Petty Chairman Sidcup Partners Ltd

Paul Scully MP

Helen McIntosh

Strategic Partners Private Business Discussion with Paul Scully MP, Minister for London - June 2020

The Chamber seized an opportunity to introduce the Strategic Partners to the Minister for London, Paul Scully MP in June. The small private discussion took place via Zoom and the event was Sponsored and Distributed by Chamber member, Think Events.

The Minister was pleased to answer questions under Chatham House Rules and the Chamber has been invited to keep him informed on matters taking place in our part of London. He has agreed to come and have a look at the area in the autumn.

Peabody is here to support businesses

100 days have now passed since the UK entered lockdown and the Peabody Economic Inclusion team has continued to provide information, advice, guidance and support to our business community.

The team have been working remotely and communicating via a variety of online mediums to support each other, our communities and our network of businesses. Helping businesses to decimate a wealth of information being provided by the government in a rapidly changing and unknown environment, we have continued to work closely with our strategic partners and stakeholders to ensure that everyone is able to access the most relevant information to help their business survive.

Within a week of lockdown we had converted our monthly Thamesmead Business Forum into an online forum and welcomed over thirty attendees whilst being supported by strategic partners at the South East London Chamber of Commerce, the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the London Borough of Bexley and the Federation of Small Businesses, who were all on hand to answer a catalogue of questions from local business owners.

Peabody have been working with our partner Mercato Metropolitano (MM) (www.mercatometropolitano.com), London’s first sustainable food market and were set to launch a Food Business Incubation Programme in April 2020 called DreaMM. Applicants would have an opportunity to pitch their idea or food business with a chance of winning a place in their indoor market based at one of MM’s London locations, a £4,000 prize to help them with start-up costs, food business training delivered by MM’s Executive Chef and a tailored business support package by an expert Business Advisor. Due to social distancing and closure of food and hospitality businesses, the project looked unlikely to take place, but after reviewing alternatives and wanting to provide entrepreneurs with some hope, the project was launched in May 2020.

We know the Coronavirus crisis has created the most challenging environment ever for a number of businesses and at Peabody we want to do everything we can to help. If you are a Thamesmead or South-East London Business keep in regular contact with the team and up to date with the information from government, local authorities and the wider business community about the assistance available and where needed we will be available to assist you. We can support established and new businesses to secure finance, space and provide guidance which includes the monthly Thamesmead Business Forum and even supporting businesses to enter awards boosting their profile and reach.

For more information please contact madeinthamesmead@peabody.org.uk to arrange an appointment with one of the team. Please also check the enterprise section of the Thamesmead Portal for updates www.thamesmeadnow.org.uk/portal/enterprise/

All photos are of our classes

Adult Learning Lewisham

DAY, EVENING AND WEEKEND COURSES

30 YEARS 1990| 91 2020| 21

We will be reopening our centres in September. Enrol online now for courses running in the autumn term. Our full spring and summer 2021 programme will be available for enrolment at a later date. To keep you safe we have reduced class sizes and we will be offering a range of online courses.

Find out more at: www.lewisham.gov.uk/adultlearning or call us on 020 8314 3300

Adult Learning Lewisham

ALL TOGETHER WE FLOURISH

WAREHOUSE MORDEN WHARF GREENWICH

A BLANK CANVAS FOR A BIG VISION

12,500 SQ FT OF WAREHOUSE SPACE ON GREENWICH PENINSULA READY FOR TRANSFORMATION.

FOR MORE DETAILS CONTACT:

EDWARD KOOPS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER +44 (0) 7585 344 890 EDWARDKOOPS@UANDIPLC.COM

MARCELLO BURBANTE SENIOR DEVELOPMENT MANAGER +44 (0) 7831 657 836 MARCELLOBURBANTE@UANDIPLC.COM

Morden Wharf: A new berth for Greenwich Peninsula

A new Thames-side community creating 1,500 much-needed new homes, hundreds of new jobs and a new park - open to all of London

Regeneration specialist U+I is working with world-class architects, the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), to create Morden Wharf - a thriving new community on Greenwich Peninsula that will preserve and enhance the site’s rich industrial and maritime heritage while delivering much-needed housing for Londoners and a brand new four-acre riverfront park.

Our plans for Morden Wharf draw heavily on Greenwich Peninsula’s manufacturing past. Generations of industry have left their mark on the area; from soap and candle works, to the production of submarine cables and glucose. Although much of this has gone, nostalgic traces of the area’s past can be found across the site in the form of artefacts and other industrial structures — all of which have inspired our proposals.

Designed by acclaimed Dutch architecture firm OMA, Morden Wharf will comprise 12 high-quality residential buildings that will deliver around 1,500 news homes - of which 35% will be classed as affordable. The housing will be a mix of private sale, social rent and shared ownership, all of which will be ‘tenure blind’, meaning there will be no differentiation between affordable and private sale homes in appearance or access to open space. A number of the residential buildings will also feature vertical green façades to provide natural screening and improve air quality.

At the heart of our plans is a four-acre riverfront park that will offer breath-taking views of the Maritime Greenwich and Canary Wharf. This valuable new public space will be open for all Londoners to enjoy and, since our first public consultation. Including the public park, the scheme will deliver roughly three-and-a-half football pitches of new public realm and landscaping, which will help to address an existing deficit of open space in the area. Importantly, we will also provide

“Our plans for Morden Wharf will create around 1,100 new permanent jobs, encompassing commercial, retail and community-use as well as smaller, flexible spaces for SMEs and creative businesses.”

a play and recreation area designed for all age groups.

The public realm and park will stretch along more than 275m of the River Thames, leading directly off the Thames Path, which will be upgraded and widened to around 6m – 3m for pedestrians and 3m for cyclists. Like much of the peninsula, Morden Wharf was once marshland, so we have designed the park to serve as a more natural, ecologically diverse resource for the area. We are committed to ensuring that Morden Wharf prioritises walking and cycling and, as such, we will encourage more environmentally-friendly forms of transportation.

To celebrate the site’s industrial heritage, we will preserve and extend the industrial uses already on the site, part of which sit within a designated Strategic Industrial Location (SIL). The redbrick warehouse that dates back to the 1950s will be retained and

refurbished, and a series of new ‘maker spaces’ and industrial units introduced. All of these will allow local businesses and makers to express their creativity, build new ideas and entrench Morden Wharf as a landmark destination in London.

Key to creating a mixed, exciting new community will be the delivery of a variety of commercial and employment uses that will bring the area to life. Since the Morden Wharf site came into U+I’s ownership in 2012, we have helped nurture creative talent that has slowly started to take hold within the former sweetener refinery. Inside, giant sculpture creator MDM Props – the team behind the Warhorse horse and the famous Suffragette statue on Parliament Square – have let their creativity flourish.

Our plans for Morden Wharf will create around 1,100 new permanent jobs, encompassing commercial, retail and communityuse as well as smaller, flexible spaces for SMEs and creative businesses. Furthermore, more than 2,400 construction jobs will be created over the course the scheme’s development.

Morden Wharf will return a sense of community to the site after decades of erosion. Before the Second World War, the site was home to a close-knit community – centred around The Sea Witch Pub, which was sadly bombed during WWII. Our plans to include a new pub will celebrate this legacy and bring back a sense of community spirit. Other community-focused elements of the scheme include a new public square that will host seasonal events and markets, a boulevard through the site connecting the road to the river, a children’s nursery and other accessible facilities.

Our plans also include a new permanent boat house on an existing jetty, designed by architects Carmody Groarke. The boathouse could provide a permanent home for the Gloriana, the Monarch’s Royal Rowbarge, which was expertly crafted to mark Her Majesty’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

Morden Wharf is located in the South Western corner of the Greenwich Peninsula around 15 minutes walking distance from North Greenwich Station on the Jubilee Line. Upon completion of the Silvertown Tunnel, Tunnel Avenue, which runs along the Eastern edge of the site, will become two-way and could allow for a new bus service that runs between Morden Wharf and North Greenwich Station – further improving the connectivity of this bustling part of the capital.

Our proposals for Morden Wharf will transform this corner of Greenwich Peninsula – delivering real benefit to Londoners through sustainable, community-led and inventive regeneration. We can’t wait to get started.