The Love Wimbledon BID Ballot has Begun!

Five years ago, the businesses of Wimbledon Town Centre voted positively to become a Business Improvement District (BID). The new BID, named ‘Love Wimbledon’, saw businesses enter a 5 year term and contribute an annual investment to improve the town centre. With the first term approaching its end, Wimbledon BID businesses have now ‘gone to ballot’ to vote to secure another five years of investment into Wimbledon Town Centre.

That renewal ballot for the second term opened on Thursday 22nd September and will close on Thursday 20th October.  Only Businesses can vote. The Love Wimbledon result will be announced on 21st October at 10am.

Securing the future with long term investment

An extra half a million pounds a year is invested by businesses into the BID. This delivers increased cleaning and security, hanging baskets, bee friendly planting, popular events (Big screen tennis/ Winter Wonderland / Autumn Arts) , Christmas lights, markets and pop ups – these are the things visitors are likely to see in Wimbledon Town Centre.  But it’s also the things that visitors probably don’t see , the work on reducing crime and improving safety, lobbying utility companies, getting dead trees replaced, pursuing the station façade clean or patrolling the streets to secure the removal of graffiti and fly tipping that make a big difference. The BID provides added cleanliness and street improvements that make Wimbledon town centre a much nicer place to visit. They are also working to minimise the impact of Crossrail 2 on the town centre.

Part of Love Wimbledon’s role is to let customers and residents know what’s happening in Wimbledon. They have  printed 1 million What’s On guides, have  6,000 followers on twitter, keep the town centre website up to date which includes a full business listing, manage very active social media and they work with local arts organisations and community groups to build longevity.

Why should the BID stay?

Love Wimbledon has provided significant positive benefits for the town over the last five years. The opportunities for the events programme, the marketing and promotion of the town centre as well as a cohesive placemaking strategy enables locals and visitors to enjoy the benefits the business community investment in a BID brings. Without a BID there is no additional investment to provide these additional initiatives and enable the links between the businesses and residents of Wimbledon.

Five Year Planning 

To get the most out of this business investment, Love Wimbledon developed a five year plan in 2012, which outlined targets and key performance indicators to enable a clear strategy.  These targets have been met; in fact Love Wimbledon has exceeded many of them.  Love Wimbledon has created its plan for the next 5 years (see here).

“Since Love Wimbledon started in 2012, we have made a significant difference to the town centre, to make it more attractive and exciting for residents to visit, increasing footfall, which encourages more shops and offices to locate here. This then provides a virtuous circle and leads to improvements for everyone. I am looking forward to securing the support of the business community for another 5 year term so we can continue to support Wimbledon town centre to be a strong town centre.”  Helen Clark Bell, Chief Executive of Love Wimbledon BID

New “Hopper” fare means cheaper travel

Travelling on a bus in London will become cheaper and more convenient for millions of passengers with the introduction of the new Hopper fare from Monday 12 September

Hopper will allow passengers to change from one bus or tram to another bus or tram for free within one hour of touching in at the start of their journey. It will be automatically given to anyone who uses pay-as-you-go with Oyster or contactless payment cards. Passengers could make extended journeys across London for just £1.50 for a standard adult fare if the second journey begins within an hour.  The new fare will mean an estimated 30m bus journeys currently costing £1.50 will now become free every year.

Transport for London is also working towards delivering unlimited bus and tram transfers within one hour from 2018. In addition, from 2018 customers who travel on a tube or train between their two or more bus or tram journeys will also be eligible for the Hopper fare.

Helping Wimbledon businesses keep lean and green

Love Wimbledon works hard to help businesses save money and operate with environmental responsibility. Over 25% of BID businesses have taken up recycling services and utility contracts with providers we have sourced. Through these partnerships BID businesses have saved:

over £100,000 on bills since we initiated our Meercat procurement scheme

over £135,000 on recycling and waste collection since we launched our First Mile service

Amost 700,000kg of waste has been recycled and businesses have saved over 1,000 tonnes of CO2 – the equivalent of over 7,000 trees!

Love Wimbledon will continue to help businesses save money and keep Wimbledon clean and green. Find out more about these and other business services we offer here.

Polka Theatre plans major redevelopment of premises

Polka Theatre has exciting plans for the first major improvement to the building since 1979.

Earlier this year Arts Council England approved the first stage of Polka Theatre’s application for a grant of £2.5m towards the proposed £5.1m cost of redeveloping the premises. This is the first major investment in the building since it opened its doors on The Broadway, Wimbledon in 1979, pioneering the idea of a theatre dedicated to children – a stimulating, fully integrated venue, including performance spaces, indoor and outdoor interactive play areas, family-friendly café and activities. Since opening, Polka has attracted over 3.4m children, teachers, parents and carers from across London and the South East and its productions are staged nationally and internationally.

The planned redevelopment will be instrumental in helping Polka redefine and improve its visitor experience and provide an environment in which artistic excellence can flourish. Key features will include the creation of a National Centre for Early Years Theatre including a new auditorium for the under 6s and a multipurpose rehearsal space, as well as a new Creative Learning Studio. The plans also support Polka’s desire to increase its sustainability and financial resilience.

Polka Theatre invites any interested parties to come along to one of their drop-in sessions to learn more about this redevelopment and how it will benefit future generations of children and families.

When:
Thursday 15 September, 6pm-9pm: drop-in anytime
Saturday 17 September, 1pm-5pm: drop-in and a panel discussion at 3pm

Venue: Holy Trinity Church, 234 The Broadway, Wimbledon, SW19 1SB (next-door to Polka Theatre)

If you would like to support the redevelopment by making a donation, then please click here or contact the Development Team directly on 020 8545 8368 or via email.

Wimbledon Town Centre shop vacancy rates remain low

Over the last year the shop vacancy rate in Wimbledon has fallen dramatically from 7% in April 2015 to just 4.6% a year later, and has been consistently lower than many other areas of London and compared to the UK as a whole. Over the last quarter in particular the vacancy rate has remained low while both the London and national rates have seen marked increases to 9.1% and 10.1% respectively.

Love Wimbledon strives to make Wimbledon Town Centre an attractive, safe, well presented and represented location of choice for business as well as visitors and residents. Our focus is on promoting the town centre and supporting local businesses and we aim to ensure the businesses, attractions and facilities of Wimbledon Town Centre are connected, clearly presented and represented with a strong collective voice, and to provide services to support existing businesses and attract new ones.