All developers should embrace culture for to be “great in regeneration is to create great places,” came the call at the Develop Croydon conference.
Richard Upton of U+I was speaking on the panel ‘Between the Buildings’ which looked at investing in the arts and the return on investment of meanwhile use for the property sector.
He said: “To be great in regeneration is to create great places. Culture is a fundamental part of place. It is an inherent part of the tapestry. Croydon is looking to create a great borough for the long term so culture is fundamental.”
Mr Upton said his company was actively seeking to invest in Croydon because “there’s an energy to make things happen” and his team had demonstrated the importance of active engagement with the community over the long-term, in the regeneration of Deptford High Street.
“We built trust and engagement, learning about the nuances and I think we built a much better place. If you’re a developer for the long-term, you get more work,” he said.
Mr Upton criticised “dinosaur developers” who aren’t recognising the importance of culture.
And Croydon’s creative director Paula Murray agreed there was an “unwillingness” from some developers to embrace culture, including in meanwhile use.
Jonathan Gardiner of Savills said developers looking to the long-term tended to embrace cultural aspects rather than those who were looking to the short-term and “multiply your money quickly”.
He added: “Getting businesses to invest in places like Croydon means you often have to overcome some perception issues. Culture and heritage are used as a springboard, assuming you have got investment and development in place.” He cited Kings Cross and the placing of Central St Martins at its heart as an example of how negative connotations of a place could be overcome.
Keith Blundell of Blue Chip Tourism worked on Liverpool’s successful bid for European capital of culture in 2003. He said that “one hour” after winning, the city went from “being a liability to an asset”.
He outlined how the title provided “a platform for more permanent things” such as retail investment and increases in tourist numbers. “It changes your aspirations, it changes the way you think,” he said.