In November 2013 I was approached by the South Wales Argus to supply a commentary piece on why I thought taking out a £90m loan to fund Friars Walk was a bad idea. I'm a nobody, so I suspect I was the only person they could find prepared to voice their opposition to such an idea.
My reasoning was simple. Friars Walk was the wrong thing at the wrong time. In a city which is economically depressed, employment and ways to earn money is what we need, not ways to spend it. And the fact that nobody from the private sector could be found to take the financial gamble suggested it probably wasn't the safest bet anyway.
On 26th November Newport City Council voted overwhelmingly to a deal that would see the city borrowing £90m which it would them loan to Queensbury to cover the cost of construction and fit-out of the development. This loan would be paid back at a commercial rate of interest.
On Nov 12th 2015 Friars Walk opened to much celebration from local media, politicians, and indeed the city as a whole, almost all of whom viewed the development as Newport's salvation around which a city-wide regeneration would arise.
That was then, this is now.
Today (29th June 2016) just seven months after Friars Walk opened its doors, the surprise news has broken that a proposed sale to Talisker Corporation - a Canadian real estate and management company - has fallen through. This has potential serious implications for the city that the Council (and indeed local media) appear to be downplaying, and we need to return back to November 2013 to understand why.
A news report in the Telegraph & Argus at the time revealed that...
"If Queensberry couldn’t pay back the cash the council could take the scheme over and sell it on or re-finance it. The firm has until 12 months after completion to repay the money – by June 2017 at the latest. But if it can’t refinance it or sell it, the council could be faced with costs of between £4 million to £7 million to fund the borrowing."
If such a situation were to transpire this would be extremely serious for a city already trying to balance the books following government cuts to its budget (Newport City Council has had to make £11 million in cuts in 2016 alone). Even at the optimistic figure of £7 million a year (not including interest), it would be 12 years before the Friars Walk loan is paid off. At the lower rate of £4 million we would be looking at over 22 years.
The press coming out of Queensbury/Newport City Council today is predictably blase about the deal falling through, with plenty of 'speaking to others', as if it's not a problem.
But it IS a problem, and the harsh reality is that finding a buyer in the current climate will be EXTREMELY difficult. The only way Friars Walk will attract a buyer is if it is an overwhelming commercial success.
So how successful is Friars Walk, and how bright or otherwise is its future?
To answer the second question first, and without even factoring in post-Brexit uncertainty, the future for shop retail isn't looking good. Experts are predicting a significant decline in the fortunes of brick and mortar retail that will be comparable with recession. At the same time online retail is coming to dominate the landscape to such a degree that John Lewis has already revealed it expects its online sales to overtake store sales by 2018, and has invested £500 million in preparing itself.
John Lewis you will remember is a direct competitor of Debenhams, which provides the anchor store for Friars Walk. It's safe to assume they share the same future vision for their businesses.
Internet retail is hitting certain types of retailers hardest, and is changing the face of retail. Women's clothes stores in particular are suffering as women become more comfortable with the convenience of online shopping, and according to the Local Data Company (the UK's retail experts) women's clothes stores are closing faster than any other type of High Street business. Women's clothes shops make up a sizeable percentage of outlets in Friars Walk.
[As an aside, the types of businesses doing well in this brave new world are barbers, mobile phone shops, tobacconists, hair & beauty salons, nail salons, and health clubs.]
Shopping centers in generally, like high streets, aren't particularly thriving. Latest data shows footfall is 9% down on high streets in the last five years, 3% down in shopping centers, and 5% up in retail parks. Evidence of this can be seen by the ongoing success of Newport Retail Park in Spytty.
With regards to the success of Friars Walk, we only have the PR and the number of units let on which to judge.
In May 2016 Queensbury proudly announced that 'more than five million shoppers have visited Newport's Friars Walk since it opened to the public six months ago.' Impressive figures indeed, but can we believe them, or is this merely an over-egging of the PR mix intended to attract a buyer? The PR surrounding Friars Walk has been nothing if not bullish and glaringly optimistic since the start.
To put that figure of five million shoppers into context, it would mean over 27,300 shoppers visiting the centre seven days a week since Friars Walk opened. On the times when I have visited I felt it hard to believe such a consistently high number was being achieved or sustained, but of course that is just my observation and opinion.
With regards units let, according to the leasing plan on the website, Friars Walk still has 19 vacant units awaiting interest. This is a significant proportion. So clearly the centre is finding it hard to achieve anywhere near full occupancy.
And of course if we are to judge Friars Walk on its attractiveness to potential buyers, we MUST consider the wider picture within which it sits - the surrounding city centre, the purchasing power of the local population, and whether it is capable of attracting outside visitors. With regards this last point, as a classic 'Clone Town' development it is certainly not attracting people from Cardiff or further afield, for why would you travel to Newport's Debenhams when you have a bigger one in Cardiff? This is the widely understood weakness and failure of Clone Town developments.
So when you look past the spin and the protective shield of optimism surrounding Friars Walk, it doesn't look so much of a good opportunity for potential buyers. The people of Newport's fondness for Friars Walk isn't enough to warrant a buyer spending upwards of £100 million on it. It needs to be a proven success and a good investment, and unfortunately for the people of Newport, it doesn't look like it is.
I don't wish to speculate on the likely reasons talks with Talisker Corporation collapsed. But they did and there is now a very real chance that Friars Walk could cost us all dearly in the very near future. I genuinely wish and hope that it doesn't, but I am deeply worried.
Showing posts with label Friars Walk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friars Walk. Show all posts
Wednesday, 29 June 2016
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Labour launches all-out war on history, heritage and culture in Newport
Most residents of the city will recognise that culturally Newport is a shadow of its former self. You only need to look back to the 1980s and 1990s to find a city that was culturally vibrant with a hugely successful and throbbing nightlife, a global reputation for music (remember ‘Newport - The New Seattle’), and when the likes of Sir Elton John and David Bowie were performing at the Newport Centre.
The museum also used to attract major touring exhibitions. There was a time when queues formed across John Frost Square for entry to an exhibition of paintings and sculptures by Gerald Scarf (the man behind the Pink Floyd ‘The Wall’ artwork and opening credits to ‘Yes Minister’). And as you walked around the town you got the feeling of a town built on a rich heritage played out on grand murals that most of Newport’s residents took for granted. That was just the way it was.
Newport was truly buzzing. All of this culture helped to bring people into the town (as it was then) and those people would spend money in our shops, pubs, clubs and restaurants. So the local economy benefitted. There were few, if any, boarded up shops and a thriving local independent retail community that gave the place identity and character.
It’s hard to think of Newport then and Newport now without being struck by the scale of the contrast.
The Labour-led Council’s long war of attrition against Newport’s history, heritage and culture stepped up a gear last year with the underhand destruction of the Chartist Mural in John Frost Square. This disastrously handled affair drew national attention and shock at just how arrogant an elected Council could be. A somewhat reluctant attempt at an apology was eventually dragged out of the Council, and promises were made by Council Leader Bob Bright that 2014 would be ‘a year in which Chartism is celebrated in diverse and imaginative ways that give their ideas a contemporary relevance.’
At the time of writing this blog we are just a few weeks away from the end of 2014. The ‘diverse and imaginative’ celebrations promised by Cllr Bright remain locked in the imagination. If it weren’t for Newport’s schools and schoolchildren recreating the Chartist march on the day of the 175th anniversary of the Chartist Uprising, we would have had virtually nothing to mark the single most momentous event in Newport’s history.
The latest assault comes with the announcement that it’s highly likely that Newport will lose its city centre museum, art gallery and library. According to a report in the South Wales Argus, ‘Proposals could see its [museum and art gallery] closure, with the collection moved out of the building and exhibited at temporary events with 13 full time jobs being lost’. This would be almost inconceivable that a city – supposedly ‘on the rise’ – would not have a city centre museum, art gallery or library. It is difficult, if not impossible to think of any other city that can make such a shameful claim.
As well as a proposal to close the museum, art gallery and library, there is also a proposal to reduce funding to the historically important Newport Medieval Ship.
The Newport Medieval Ship has been an inconvenience for the Council since the day it was discovered during the building of the Riverfront Arts Centre. As this case study from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement explains [click for link], its discovery was initially kept secret but was leaked. In one moment of inconvenience, Newport City Council’s simplest – and no doubt preferred option of quiet destruction of the remains was foiled and the Council was effectively lumbered with an albatross around its neck. The Council has never been a fan of the ship, but has had its hand forced to go along with the public, the Welsh Assembly Government, and the Friends of the Newport Ship in supporting the relic.
At the time of writing, news is breaking that Associated British Ports (ABP) have stepped forward as a hard-cash sponsor helping the Friends of the Newport Ship towards its target of £100,000 to rebuild the ship in a purpose built museum. ABP must be applauded for its vision and generosity.
Just a month earlier, a Newport City Council report [dated 3 October 2013] discusses disposal as a potential option. The negatives against destruction are listed as:
- Loss of opportunity to develop a visitor experience that tells a unique story
- Possible loss of museum’s accredited status
- Grants might be reclaimed
At the heart of the problem is the fact that the Labour-led Council really doesn’t see any value in Newport’s history, heritage and culture. Instead we have a Council that has given its unswerving loyalty to big brand retail logos. They just want Newport to be distilled down into a city of mere consumers spending what little hard-earned cash we have in the familiar retail brands of the typical clone High Street.
History, heritage and culture doesn’t really fit with multinational retail. The two tend to live in entirely different unconnected worlds. But if and when history, heritage and culture become an obstacle or an inconvenience, Newport City Council has no qualms in brushing it aside. Chartism is not as important as Next and Nandos to this Council.
The scale of this misguided devotion can be seen in the Council’s eagerness to put the city into hock for £90 million for a new shopping centre (built as a response to the popularity of Cwmbran Shopping Centre), yet it claims poverty and budget pressure as justification for closing down the museum, art gallery and library. No developers were prepared to take a gamble on funding Friars Walk, but such is the conviction to multinational retail that the Council signed OUR collective names on the loan form. So if we have to lose our history, heritage and culture to help them realise their dream of Newport as a city of shoppers, that’s the way it has to be.
This nonsense has to stop. Whatever side of the political spectrum we individually sit, we cannot let this arrogant, self-serving, misguided Council to ransack OUR city, OUR history, OUR heritage any longer.
NOTE At the time of writing neither Paul Flynn MP (Labour) or Jessica Morden MP (Labour) have stated an opinion on the proposed closure of Newport museum, art gallery and central library. One would expect a staunch criticism of the closures considering the reason behind them is apparently the Coalition's programme of austerity and budget cuts. However, in the absence of any such criticism from the MPs, this writer will assume they agree with any forthcoming closure, and by extension the austerity programme.
Friday, 20 June 2014
Newport BID a crucial element of city regeneration
Thursday 19th June saw around 40 business leaders, councillors and others attend the opening of the Newport BID Office. The event included presentations by Martin Tressider of Queensberry who is managing the Friars Walk development, and Julie Vellucci, Head of Regeneration at Newport Council. A planned presentation by Inspector Mike Richards on the impact of the NATO Summit was postponed.
The presentations by Martin Tressider and Julie Vellucci were impressive. Martin's presentation included a CGI flythrough of the Friars Walk development. While I remain cynical that such a development is needed in Newport at this moment in time, I have made clear my belief that if it must happen, Queensberry are the best choice to deliver. But while it all looks very nice in CGI where the sky is always blue, I still fail to see how the me-too retailers and food outlets will transform Newport into a destination that can attract people away from Cardiff, Cwmbran and Bristol, and I worry that Friars Walk will only serve to further suck the life out of Commercial Street.
Julie Vellicci's presentation impressed me more. For the first time I got a sense that there was some strategy behind the council's thinking. This is what has always been missing in Newport. The tradition has been for scatter-gun tactics whereby good money has been thrown at various bad redevelopment schemes with no concept of integration or any 'bigger picture' thinking. 'If you build it, they will come' is a seductive line for a movie about a guy building a baseball field for ghosts, but it doesn't always work in real life.
However, Newport City Council has clearly done some good work in standing back and looking long and hard to analyse just what the centre of Newport is, and what can be done to inject some life and vibrancy into it. They have even managed to divide it up into logical zones that include a retail zone, creative & education zone, entertainment zone, and gateway - and at long last the council is looking at how it can work with landlords to make best use of the stunning buildings we have to create accommodation and get more people living in the city centre.
A lot of physical work has been done to improve the city centre, for example outside Newport Market and at the top of Commercial Street, and a lot more physical work is planned. It's all good positive stuff and it complements the bigger picture ambition for Newport as defined by reNEWPORT that sees Newport's future as a technology hub.
So where does the BID fit into this, and why is it so important?
In case you don't know, BID stands for 'Business Improvement District'. Many towns and cities across the UK have BIDs in place and in the most basic terms; a BID delivers services - street cleaning, security, events, marketing - paid for by businesses within the BID area, that are additional to those delivered by the council.
I have a great interest in a Newport BID as I've done a lot of work helping to promote the Bath Business Improvement District - an impressive BID that has achieved much, including high levels of street cleaning, security, and a full programme of events that attract major footfall, such as getting the likes of Nicholas Cage to switch on the Christmas Lights. So I understand fully what a BID can deliver. However, it could be argued that a BID in an already successful and thriving city such as Bath is more of a nice-to-have than a need-to-have.
For Newport, a BID is an absolutely-must-have.
It's widely agreed that Newport city centre has pretty much hit rock bottom. Both the daytime and night-time economies have declined dramatically and public perception is at an all-time low. The reasons given for why people stay away are also universal and generally centre on 'there's nothing there', 'it's scruffy and dirty', 'I feel intimidated', and 'there's nowhere to park'. While the arrival of Friars Walk may begin to address the first and (to a degree) the last of these common criticisms, the wider scruffiness and poor state of the city around it will certainly impact negatively on the success of Friars Walk. People will either have to walk through a decomposing and scruffy city centre to reach the shiny new development, or park within Friars Walk and not venture out. Again, this will impact on the rest of the city. The ideal scenario would be one where footfall happily passes in and out of Friars Walk.
A BID has the potential to dramatically improve the rest of the city centre and address both the scruffiness and its intimidating nature. These two negatives have done an immense amount to speed the latter stages of decline and especially to deter older people from visiting. So the sooner these problems are addressed the better. My yardstick for success is my mother-in-law. The day she feels inclined to visit Newport over Cwmbran and doesn't complain about the state of the streets or the beggers and winos that scare her, I'll know that Newport is, finally, on the rise.
Businesses in Newport have been surveyed as part of a Scoping Study for the BID (certainly worth downloading and reading) and their opinions echo those of the public at large. The perception of crime is the third highest concern for businesses (after vacant premises and parking) and tackling anti-social behaviour their second highest priority (after parking).
There is a process before Newport can have a BID (you can read all about it at http://newportbid.com/about/) and it involves a vote from businesses in the proposed BID area. But such is the pressing need for a BID that any business voting against it will be voting against their own survival. In my opinion, it's that important.
In fact, I would go as far as to say a BID would do more for Newport than the Friars Walk development. It would help support local businesses and increase footfall to the businesses that have hung in there, and which stand to have what little footfall there is tempted away to the multinationals in Friars Walk.
I've been impressed by the team working hard to set up a Newport BID. They have enthusiasm, drive and commitment that hopefully will help to convince businesses that it's the right thing to do. It's certainly in the interests of both Queensberry and Newport City Council that a bid is set up.
The presentations by Martin Tressider and Julie Vellucci were impressive. Martin's presentation included a CGI flythrough of the Friars Walk development. While I remain cynical that such a development is needed in Newport at this moment in time, I have made clear my belief that if it must happen, Queensberry are the best choice to deliver. But while it all looks very nice in CGI where the sky is always blue, I still fail to see how the me-too retailers and food outlets will transform Newport into a destination that can attract people away from Cardiff, Cwmbran and Bristol, and I worry that Friars Walk will only serve to further suck the life out of Commercial Street.
Julie Vellicci's presentation impressed me more. For the first time I got a sense that there was some strategy behind the council's thinking. This is what has always been missing in Newport. The tradition has been for scatter-gun tactics whereby good money has been thrown at various bad redevelopment schemes with no concept of integration or any 'bigger picture' thinking. 'If you build it, they will come' is a seductive line for a movie about a guy building a baseball field for ghosts, but it doesn't always work in real life.
However, Newport City Council has clearly done some good work in standing back and looking long and hard to analyse just what the centre of Newport is, and what can be done to inject some life and vibrancy into it. They have even managed to divide it up into logical zones that include a retail zone, creative & education zone, entertainment zone, and gateway - and at long last the council is looking at how it can work with landlords to make best use of the stunning buildings we have to create accommodation and get more people living in the city centre.
A lot of physical work has been done to improve the city centre, for example outside Newport Market and at the top of Commercial Street, and a lot more physical work is planned. It's all good positive stuff and it complements the bigger picture ambition for Newport as defined by reNEWPORT that sees Newport's future as a technology hub.
So where does the BID fit into this, and why is it so important?
In case you don't know, BID stands for 'Business Improvement District'. Many towns and cities across the UK have BIDs in place and in the most basic terms; a BID delivers services - street cleaning, security, events, marketing - paid for by businesses within the BID area, that are additional to those delivered by the council.
I have a great interest in a Newport BID as I've done a lot of work helping to promote the Bath Business Improvement District - an impressive BID that has achieved much, including high levels of street cleaning, security, and a full programme of events that attract major footfall, such as getting the likes of Nicholas Cage to switch on the Christmas Lights. So I understand fully what a BID can deliver. However, it could be argued that a BID in an already successful and thriving city such as Bath is more of a nice-to-have than a need-to-have.
For Newport, a BID is an absolutely-must-have.
It's widely agreed that Newport city centre has pretty much hit rock bottom. Both the daytime and night-time economies have declined dramatically and public perception is at an all-time low. The reasons given for why people stay away are also universal and generally centre on 'there's nothing there', 'it's scruffy and dirty', 'I feel intimidated', and 'there's nowhere to park'. While the arrival of Friars Walk may begin to address the first and (to a degree) the last of these common criticisms, the wider scruffiness and poor state of the city around it will certainly impact negatively on the success of Friars Walk. People will either have to walk through a decomposing and scruffy city centre to reach the shiny new development, or park within Friars Walk and not venture out. Again, this will impact on the rest of the city. The ideal scenario would be one where footfall happily passes in and out of Friars Walk.
A BID has the potential to dramatically improve the rest of the city centre and address both the scruffiness and its intimidating nature. These two negatives have done an immense amount to speed the latter stages of decline and especially to deter older people from visiting. So the sooner these problems are addressed the better. My yardstick for success is my mother-in-law. The day she feels inclined to visit Newport over Cwmbran and doesn't complain about the state of the streets or the beggers and winos that scare her, I'll know that Newport is, finally, on the rise.
Businesses in Newport have been surveyed as part of a Scoping Study for the BID (certainly worth downloading and reading) and their opinions echo those of the public at large. The perception of crime is the third highest concern for businesses (after vacant premises and parking) and tackling anti-social behaviour their second highest priority (after parking).
There is a process before Newport can have a BID (you can read all about it at http://newportbid.com/about/) and it involves a vote from businesses in the proposed BID area. But such is the pressing need for a BID that any business voting against it will be voting against their own survival. In my opinion, it's that important.
In fact, I would go as far as to say a BID would do more for Newport than the Friars Walk development. It would help support local businesses and increase footfall to the businesses that have hung in there, and which stand to have what little footfall there is tempted away to the multinationals in Friars Walk.
I've been impressed by the team working hard to set up a Newport BID. They have enthusiasm, drive and commitment that hopefully will help to convince businesses that it's the right thing to do. It's certainly in the interests of both Queensberry and Newport City Council that a bid is set up.
Monday, 4 November 2013
Why it's wrong to demonise Queensberry
In all the furore surrounding - and indeed triggered by - the destruction of the Chartist Mural, people are venting their anger in many directions, some right, and some not so. Queensberry Real Estate, the developer of Friar's Walk, is increasingly being talked about in negative terms. But the reality is that Queensberry is almost definitely an innocent party in all this.
A little bit of background on my experience here...
For some time I worked for a very good PR company in Bath. I was very happy there and I enjoyed the city, the team I worked with, and the clients I looked after. Our office - in a very quaint converted townhouse in Lower Borough Walls - sat on the verge of the SouthGate Centre, one of Queensberry's landmark shopping centre developments.
One of the clients I looked after was Bath Business Improvement District (BathBID). A BID is a business-led and business funded body formed to improve a defined commercial area. It was set up by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BaNES) and basically all businesses over a certain revenue have an extra 'tax' (for want of a better word) that they pay which goes into a pot to help with the promotion and management of the BID area. It's a great idea and the BathBID delivers real results - from better security and refuse management, to organisation of events like the Christmas Market, to getting John Cleese to turn on the Christmas lights. Newport could really benefit from having a BID, and indeed for taking lessons on how to run a city from BaNES and the BathBID. But that's for another blog.
SouthGate Centre (and the businesses within) is a significant contributor to the BathBID, and so I spent a lot of time either in SouthGate Centre, or working with the Centre management on various stories and initiatives.
The one thing I can tell you about Queensberry is; they are very, very good at what they do. SouthGate Centre revitalised a part of the city which was in dire need of attention (between the railways station and the bus station). Queensberry delivered a shopping centre that is very well designed, very convenient and easy to use, and extremely well managed and promoted. From moving in fake beaches and deckchairs in summer, to Christmas events, there is always something going on there and it is genuinely a really nice place to be.
Crucially, Queensberry delivered a development which perfectly compliments the city of Bath. From the look to the ambiance, it just works. It doesn't sit as a 'sore thumb'.
We need to appreciate here that Bath is a heritage city that has in place a very strict rule book for building and development, and even for how shops present themselves. For example, if you want to build you need to use Oolitic Limestone - better known as Bath Stone, the warm honey-coloured stone that defines the city. Even the global giants McDonalds and Starbucks are restricted on how they present themselves. They can't simply do as they please, as it would appear they are allowed to over here in Newport. There is a rulebook in place, and they like it or lump it.
Queensberry, as a highly professional and experienced developer will not have railed against the design considerations and limitations when they read the brief and starting their thinking about SouthGate Centre. They will have considered it an exciting challenge to rise to. The thinking would have been simple, 'Right team, we need to develop a shopping centre in Bath. It needs to use Bath Stone, and it needs to fit in with the wider Bath landscape. Thinking caps on...'
Ultimately, they will have taken great delight when their design ticked all the boxes and was approved by BaNES.
So let's now look at the Friar's Walk development in Newport which I'm personally against, but only because I don't see that we need more new shops [see my previous blog for the reasons why]. But if we are going to have Friar's Walk, then I'm glad that Queensberry got the gig because it won't be half-arsed. It will look good and it will be well managed.
We - the people of Newport - were 'threatened' many times that the Chartist Mural would jeopardise the Friar's Walk development. The inference was that if we didn't shut up our whinging, Queensberry would go off in a huff and never look back. Like so many naughty kids we were told to sit down and be quiet or Santa wouldn't come.
I don't believe this for one moment.
My suspicion is that what we have here is a particularly negative aspect of Welsh political and business culture - fear.
I suspect that the Council never actually approached Queensberry to talk about the issue of the mural and certainly never thought to stipulate that the mural was incorporated into any design for approval. The Council just IMAGINED that Queensberry would react negatively and, as is so often the case, decided to simply not raise the problem to the developer. Instead, they thought they could sort the issue out themselves, and as we now see, this was an incredibly foolhardy approach which has done nobody any favours, including Queensberry.
I believe that, if Queensberry had been invited to tender a design which incorporated the mural, they would have simply relished the challenge, added it to the brief, and would have done what was required with no problem. This is what they do. This is why they are good at what they do.
Of course I stand to be corrected, and I welcome any response from the Council that they DID stipulate the incorporation of the mural at the invitation to tender. But I really don't expect that to be the case, and I will certainly be both surprised and disappointed if Queensberry actually turn out to be the stroppy teenagers that Newport City Council has, through their threats, inferred they are.
So don't automatically diss Queenberry Real Estate. We are all in the dark about the exact timeline and dialogue leading up to the destruction of the Chartist Mural and the briefing and approval for Friar's Walk. Queensberry are, in all likelihood, holding their heads in their hands over the complete pig's ear Newport City Council has made of this so far, and of how they have been dragged into this as part of Team Bad Guy by the Council's ineptitude, and ultimately how the Council has delivered at their door bad PR and bad feeling even before demolition has started to make way for Friar's Walk.
A little bit of background on my experience here...
For some time I worked for a very good PR company in Bath. I was very happy there and I enjoyed the city, the team I worked with, and the clients I looked after. Our office - in a very quaint converted townhouse in Lower Borough Walls - sat on the verge of the SouthGate Centre, one of Queensberry's landmark shopping centre developments.
One of the clients I looked after was Bath Business Improvement District (BathBID). A BID is a business-led and business funded body formed to improve a defined commercial area. It was set up by Bath and North East Somerset Council (BaNES) and basically all businesses over a certain revenue have an extra 'tax' (for want of a better word) that they pay which goes into a pot to help with the promotion and management of the BID area. It's a great idea and the BathBID delivers real results - from better security and refuse management, to organisation of events like the Christmas Market, to getting John Cleese to turn on the Christmas lights. Newport could really benefit from having a BID, and indeed for taking lessons on how to run a city from BaNES and the BathBID. But that's for another blog.
SouthGate Centre (and the businesses within) is a significant contributor to the BathBID, and so I spent a lot of time either in SouthGate Centre, or working with the Centre management on various stories and initiatives.
The one thing I can tell you about Queensberry is; they are very, very good at what they do. SouthGate Centre revitalised a part of the city which was in dire need of attention (between the railways station and the bus station). Queensberry delivered a shopping centre that is very well designed, very convenient and easy to use, and extremely well managed and promoted. From moving in fake beaches and deckchairs in summer, to Christmas events, there is always something going on there and it is genuinely a really nice place to be.
Crucially, Queensberry delivered a development which perfectly compliments the city of Bath. From the look to the ambiance, it just works. It doesn't sit as a 'sore thumb'.
SouthGate Centre, Bath. A Queensberry development that compliments the city
We need to appreciate here that Bath is a heritage city that has in place a very strict rule book for building and development, and even for how shops present themselves. For example, if you want to build you need to use Oolitic Limestone - better known as Bath Stone, the warm honey-coloured stone that defines the city. Even the global giants McDonalds and Starbucks are restricted on how they present themselves. They can't simply do as they please, as it would appear they are allowed to over here in Newport. There is a rulebook in place, and they like it or lump it.
Queensberry, as a highly professional and experienced developer will not have railed against the design considerations and limitations when they read the brief and starting their thinking about SouthGate Centre. They will have considered it an exciting challenge to rise to. The thinking would have been simple, 'Right team, we need to develop a shopping centre in Bath. It needs to use Bath Stone, and it needs to fit in with the wider Bath landscape. Thinking caps on...'
Ultimately, they will have taken great delight when their design ticked all the boxes and was approved by BaNES.
So let's now look at the Friar's Walk development in Newport which I'm personally against, but only because I don't see that we need more new shops [see my previous blog for the reasons why]. But if we are going to have Friar's Walk, then I'm glad that Queensberry got the gig because it won't be half-arsed. It will look good and it will be well managed.
We - the people of Newport - were 'threatened' many times that the Chartist Mural would jeopardise the Friar's Walk development. The inference was that if we didn't shut up our whinging, Queensberry would go off in a huff and never look back. Like so many naughty kids we were told to sit down and be quiet or Santa wouldn't come.
I don't believe this for one moment.
My suspicion is that what we have here is a particularly negative aspect of Welsh political and business culture - fear.
I suspect that the Council never actually approached Queensberry to talk about the issue of the mural and certainly never thought to stipulate that the mural was incorporated into any design for approval. The Council just IMAGINED that Queensberry would react negatively and, as is so often the case, decided to simply not raise the problem to the developer. Instead, they thought they could sort the issue out themselves, and as we now see, this was an incredibly foolhardy approach which has done nobody any favours, including Queensberry.
I believe that, if Queensberry had been invited to tender a design which incorporated the mural, they would have simply relished the challenge, added it to the brief, and would have done what was required with no problem. This is what they do. This is why they are good at what they do.
Of course I stand to be corrected, and I welcome any response from the Council that they DID stipulate the incorporation of the mural at the invitation to tender. But I really don't expect that to be the case, and I will certainly be both surprised and disappointed if Queensberry actually turn out to be the stroppy teenagers that Newport City Council has, through their threats, inferred they are.
So don't automatically diss Queenberry Real Estate. We are all in the dark about the exact timeline and dialogue leading up to the destruction of the Chartist Mural and the briefing and approval for Friar's Walk. Queensberry are, in all likelihood, holding their heads in their hands over the complete pig's ear Newport City Council has made of this so far, and of how they have been dragged into this as part of Team Bad Guy by the Council's ineptitude, and ultimately how the Council has delivered at their door bad PR and bad feeling even before demolition has started to make way for Friar's Walk.
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