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Cafe Society Debate in Kingston 

Open HEART Surgeries

 

Presentations and Ideas Generation

 

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On this page you will find original copies of the presentations prepared by our invited experts, and notes of ideas generated by participants in each of the surgeries.

Thank you ALL for taking part, but especially to our speakers and discussants for your well-prepared input.

 

Some interesting statistics:Maggie Ufot & Juweriya Mohamed

  • There were 4 Open HEART Surgeries, 1, 2, 3 and 5. No 4 (Tourism) was cancelled as our speaker was indisposed.
  • We had 81 participants over the 4 sessions with over 8 hours of discussion.
  • We had
    • 13 Councillors and Council Officers, 
    • 12 built environment professionals (architects, property agents, builders, lawyers, academics), 
    • 16 members of the business community including Kingston First and the Chamber of Commerce
    • 38 members of the public 
    •  2 representatives of independent community development bodies...and 
    •  0 Landlords. We tried hard to interest them but they didn't come!
  • All presenters have agreed to be members of the Vital Kingston Academy. There are links to their profiles - just click on their names below.


Download notes of ideas generated by open group discussions in the Surgeries HERE

 

 

SURGERY 1: It's Our Place - Our Powers as a Community
- Daisy Froud

Download Daisy's presentation (994kb) HERE

Highlights of the presentation:

How to exercise your powers!

1. Influence local policy, approach relevant officers and councilors, be specific about how you would like to be involved.
2. Help manage development.

  • Comment upon planning applications and Planning / Development Briefs
  • Suggest ‘planning obligations'.
  • Contribute to pre-application consultation by developers - make sure they know you are there, in a proactive, positive and non-adversarial way

3. Make suggestions re sites.
4. Contribute to local authority's own projects e.g. Kingston public space redevelopment. 

 

 

SURGERY 2: Landlords as Partners
- David Whipp

Download David's presentation (94kb) HERE

Highlights of the presentation:

 

Sustainable options for mixed use from the Landlords perspective

1. Influence local policy starting with the Area Action Plan.
2. Landlords looking to gain from development, rental yields, sale - will stick to what they know unless they (and their banks) can be convinced otherwise.
3. Kingston's untapped potential - unique identity, role of the university in new global knowledge markets.
4. PFI a safe pair of hands - Increase in profit comes from an increase of alternative use.
5. Landlords may prefer to shared risk, mix the uses, increase community benefit, and attract funders.
6. Examples of mixed use schemes.

  • Health centre with a Library.
  • Sports Hall with a Health Centre.
  • School with a Housing Estate.
  • Office with Shop.
  • Hospital with Car Park.
  • Elderly care with a Nursery.
  • University with a Cinema.
  • Fire Station with a Youth Club.

7. From VISION, look for OPPORTUNITY, provide INCENTIVE.

 


SURGERY 3: Tenants as Partners
- Philip Downer

Download Philip's presentation (315kb) HERE

Highlights of the presentation:

Sustainable options for co-design from the perspectives of large/chain and independent family businesses

1. Third place is a commercial opportunity - Growth of semi-formal dining - from Berni Inns and Pizzaland to Wagamama, Jamie's, etc.
2. Retail tenants and landlords share the same interest-MONEY and requirements can be met (and quality enhanced) through attention to broader community benefits, BUT drive has to come from the local community, and the councillors who represent that community.
3. Always seek planning gain - eg the better integration of different spaces for shared use.
4. Make participation a given for key traders in Kingston.
5. Create events that resonate for the whole community.
6. Get the crowds into the town!
7. Use the resources, places and people we have - council, schools, art and sports institutions, residents.

 
SURGERY 4: Tourism and Culture strategy, what do we think?

(This workshop was cancelled as the speaker was indisposed)

 

SURGERY 5: Café Society and Kingston after Dark
- Simon Browning and Mark Allibone

Download Simon and Mark's presentation (4mb Large file) HERE

Highlights of the presentation:

Café Society - Creating a viable third space

1. An overview on what a third space cafe concept could be.
2. Competing against the chains - Nero, Starbucks, and Costa.
3. Despite the challenges (unproven, getting started), there are many examples of excellent independent third places, from Bar Italia to Howl at the Moon featuring fresh live entertainment, music, poetry slam, round the clock food.
4. BUILDING THE OFFER:

  • Local, Convenient
  • Open when people want to go
  • Somewhere to go for a coffee
  • Enough Space
  • Somewhere different
  • Somewhere to go in the evening
  • Where interesting people meet
  • Dividing the offer across the day parts
  • Entertainment

5. Who do you get to do this? Owner operators, passionate advocates, experts in their own area.
6. Entertainment, low or no costs, placed to fit the day part. Free venue for local artists, musicians to find an audience.
7. Weekly sales - £20,000.