2. meanwhile…?
In the intervening time; while
something else is waiting to happen
meanwhile is realising the
opportunities vacant spaces present
to manage transition and change
www.meanwhilespace.com
3. What does that look like?
Libraries
Galleries
Pop-up shops
Workspaces
Growing spaces
Kitchens
Museums
Schools
Skills swapping
Bike repair
Festival offices
Theatres
Cinemas
Urban farms
4. The end result…?
Meanwhile Space utilise vacant space to…
Give new enterprise a chance
Improve a local environment
Nurture a sense of place
Support and engage communities of interest
Provide high profile activity
An efficient use of otherwise wasted resource.
5. Meanwhile, in Wembley
Feb-Sept 12
•collaboration with Locality & BiTC
•existing and future large-scale development for the
area.
•catalyst for activity
•handbook for occupants and strategy for officers
To August 13
•expanding the work already underway
•occupy more spaces
•develop a comprehensive mechanism for
increasing self-employment and creating jobs
through empty space
6. Meanwhile, in Wembley
• Lots of underused space
• Large scale not human
scale
• Opportunities for
entrepreneurialism
• Hard to reach
communities, transience
• Undergoing massive
change
7. The Coming Soon Club
To build intrigue, capacity and
engage with the public:
•350+ members
•Varied ideas - Milliner, Boxing
club, Theatre, Tutoring ESOL
•Creating the capacity and
appetite
•Skills and know-how developed
•Action plan/empty space strategy
•Workbook for occupants
•Network of ideas created
13. Summary of Risks
• Securing a suitable building
• Concept: developing USP
• Income from tenants:
demand, tangible offer
• Timescales: premises,
planning, contrators
• Creating a self-financing
model, match funding, or
what else?
14. The sustainability challenge
•
•
•
•
•
•
Space is at a premium to live, not just
work
Can we package an offer to provide both
Where can we find resi space and work
space
Are the kind of spaces available where we
can fulfill mission of live and work space
High streets, large civic buildings,
secondary locations (sometimes primary
locations in a challenged area)
Flats above shops, what’s the biggie
15. Blending the proposal
• Mix residential and commercial
• Use Resi income to subsidise
meanwhile space
• Link affordable live space to
affordable work space in
allocations policy
• Managed premises with support
• Clever ideas for longer term
capture of value from business
creation....one step at a time!
16. The biggie!! Same problems as normal
•
•
•
•
•
•
Landlord acquisition
Landlord negotiation
Speed to deal with landlords
Picky planners!
Designing in access
Better standards of space
• Owner optimism and dodgy
valuations! Landlords of a certain
type
17. Dover and out
Owner charity, seeking best value,
offer kept changing, scheme
planned on different scenarios, all
stacked up, then.....get used to it.
18. The Margate’s open
Not high street, better space mix,
no split ownership, values
manageable, area potential,
occupier potential.....gain
credibility to tackle high street
properties, where conditions right.
Perhaps resi space not all on site,
or accumulate extra space above
other commercial space.
How else make it work
19. The Catford is out of the bag
Scale, single landlord, mixed use
development.
Mixed use, mixed income streams.
Local authority owned and maintained.
Design sensitive, found right partner
understoof what we do and budget
available.
Commissioned scoping report –
established as valued partner.
Proposal of commercial start up space,
studios, cafe, pop-up hotel [maybe],
office space, ground level public access
(important to understand landlords
requirements) and 8 live/work, 16 resi
units all affordable rate
20. Learned so far
•Understand landlord motivations
and commercial situation
•Be credible – know what your
talking about, the arrangements,
the risks
•Be quick – money, permissions,
feasibility
•Have options, don’t be held to
ransom, be decisive
•Get good support at local level
and professional level
•Know the end product, just
housing or more?
Editor's Notes
Create a Meanwhile culture
Manage process of change
Introduce human scale activity
Look strategically at empty space
