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| Better Bankside | |
|---|---|
| Name | Better Bankside |
| Type | Business Improvement District |
| Founded | 2005 |
| Area served | Bankside, London |
| Headquarters | Southwark |
Better Bankside is a Business Improvement District (BID) operating in the Bankside district of London, coordinating place management, streetscape enhancements, cultural programming, and business services. The organisation works with property owners, tenants, local authorities, cultural institutions, transport bodies, and community groups to deliver public realm projects, events, and safety initiatives across a zone that includes parts of the London Borough of Southwark and borders the City of London. Better Bankside acts as a convenor among stakeholders such as the Tate Modern, Shakespeare's Globe, Borough Market, Southwark Cathedral, and commercial landlords to drive urban regeneration and visitor management.
Better Bankside formed after the first wave of BIDs in the United Kingdom, emerging in the context of regeneration initiatives around South Bank, Waterloo, London Bridge, and the redevelopment of the Bankside Power Station. The area’s transformation involved interventions linked to the opening of the Tate Modern in 2000 and the expansion of cultural infrastructure like Shakespeare's Globe and the adaptive reuse of industrial sites adjacent to the River Thames. Early 21st-century milestones included coordination with the London Development Agency, the Mayor of London’s planning frameworks, and transport projects associated with London Underground and Network Rail. The BID model that Better Bankside follows was legislated by the Local Government Act 2003 and took cues from earlier schemes in Canary Wharf, Westminster, and Kings Cross.
Better Bankside is governed by a board of levypayers and representatives from major institutions, including property owners and occupiers like those behind One Blackfriars, firms occupying Southwark office buildings, and cultural partners such as the National Theatre and Royal National Theatre nearby. Funding derives primarily from a mandatory levy on non-domestic ratepayers within the BID boundary, supplemented by project grants from bodies such as the Arts Council England, philanthropic donations, and partnership contributions from entities like the Port of London Authority and corporate donors. Governance practices align with guidance from British BIDs, oversight by the London Borough of Southwark, and audit standards akin to those followed by charitable bodies like the Heritage Lottery Fund. Strategic planning incorporates policy frameworks from the London Plan and consultation with statutory consultees including Historic England.
Better Bankside has collaborated on physical projects that link heritage-led regeneration exemplified by the conversion of Bankside Power Station into the Tate Modern and the refurbishment of warehouses into office space used by firms such as Google (company) and Facebook. Streetscape projects reference precedents in Covent Garden and Southbank Centre placemaking, and have delivered pedestrian improvements connecting landmarks including Blackfriars Bridge, Southwark Bridge, Borough Market, and the Golden Hinde. The BID has supported infill and activation projects that intersect with housing and mixed-use developments like Bermondsey, Southwark Towers renewal, and new schemes tied to developers such as Landsec and British Land. Regeneration efforts coordinate with transport infrastructure upgrades associated with Thameslink and the Elizabeth line.
The organisation programs temporary and permanent public art commissions involving artists and institutions comparable to collaborations between Bankside Open Spaces Trust and gallery partners like the Tate Modern, Hayward Gallery, and White Cube. Initiatives have showcased work from sculptors and visual artists whose practices are represented at venues such as the Serpentine Galleries, Royal Academy of Arts, and Southbank Centre. Cultural programming leverages anniversaries and events linked to Shakespeare's Globe, London Film Festival screenings, and tours connecting literary landmarks tied to figures like William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and Virginia Woolf. Festivals and pop-up commissions coordinate with funders and curators from institutions such as the British Council and Arts Council England.
Better Bankside’s interventions interact with transport operators and infrastructure projects including Transport for London, Network Rail, and the Port of London Authority. Works have focused on pedestrianisation, wayfinding, lighting upgrades, and legibility improvements near stations like Blackfriars station, London Bridge station, and Southwark station. Projects respond to initiatives by the Mayor of London on active travel and cycling strategies related to Cycle Superhighway routes and the London Cycle Hire Scheme. Public realm schemes reference precedent planning from Design Council Cabe and guidance issued by Historic England for conservation areas and listed buildings such as those within the Bankside Conservation Area.
Better Bankside runs business services including street cleaning, safety patrolling, and events programming, coordinating with local charities and social enterprises such as Bankside Open Spaces Trust, Southwark Community Foundation, and workforce development agencies like Jobcentre Plus. The BID supports small and independent traders in Borough Market and nearby retail strips, offering marketing, concierge services, and small-grant schemes similar to programs operated by Westminster BIDs and New West End Company. Community engagement includes partnerships with educational institutions such as Goldsmiths, University of London, London South Bank University, and arts training from organisations like City Lit.
Advocates highlight improvements to safety, cleanliness, and footfall that benefit anchor institutions like the Tate Modern, Borough Market, and restaurants and firms occupying buildings owned by developers such as Canary Wharf Group and Grosvenor Group. Critics argue that BID-led regeneration can accelerate gentrification patterns observed in areas undergoing redevelopment like Shoreditch and King's Cross, raising concerns about displacement of long-standing businesses, pressures on affordable workspace, and tensions with social housing policies overseen by the London Borough of Southwark and registered providers like Peabody Trust. Academic and policy debates reference research from universities and think tanks including UCL, LSE, and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation on the distributional effects of place-based interventions.
Category:Organisations based in the London Borough of Southwark