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News
Southwark Council's new department to deliver £4bn worth of improvements across the borough
3 May 2007
Ref: 5447
Southwark Council has set up a new Major Projects department to assist the delivery of better housing, better transport, better education and more employment opportunities to the residents of Southwark.
- Representing over £4 billion worth of financial investment, the department encompasses the following projects:
- Aylesbury Estate Regeneration – demolishing almost 2,800 homes and rebuilding a community for 7,500 residents
- Bermondsey Spa Regeneration – building 2,00 new homes, shops and healthcare services
- Canada Water Regeneration – 2,000 new homes, leisure facilities, a landmark library and office space
- Elephant and Castle Regeneration – a £1.5billion scheme to provide 5,300 homes, 75,000 square metre of retail space, and revitalised transport links
- Southwark Schools for the Future Secondary Investment - the biggest investment in the borough’s schools for 50 years, delivering 21st century education provision
For over ten years Southwark Council has been instrumental in every major regeneration programme within the borough, even where the council is not the major land owner. In schemes such as the Shard, Palestra and Tate Modern, its role has been active, frequently innovative and well beyond the traditional services of local government.
Southwark’s reputation in the development world has become strongly established. Locations previously ignored by the financial institutions are now becoming some of the hottest investment areas in the capital.
Cllr Richard Thomas, executive member for regeneration said: “With major regeneration projects now established across the borough, the amount of activity and volume of resources requires a coordinated management approach across what has traditionally been separate departmental areas.
"The Major Projects department means the allocation of housing, investment of capital and revenue monies and the use of professional and technical skills can be balanced across all of the programmes.
"To build on our achievements means that we as a council must continue to promote and support change in Southwark as a place - to permanently benefit our residents, visitors and businesses; present and future.
"It is this challenge that provides an opportunity to establish a new way of working.”
Notes to editors:
1. The Major Projects Department is headed by Stephen McDonald, and has offices at Coburg House, 63-67 Newington Causeway. Each project is led by a director:
Aylesbury Estate – Martin Smith
Bermondsey Spa & Canada Water – Tim Thompson
Elephant and Castle Regeneration – Chris Horn
Southwark Schools for the Future Secondary Investment – Sara Browning
2. Five project boards will cover the work of Major Projects:
- Aylesbury Project Board
- Bermondsey Spa Project Board
- Canada Water Project Board
- Elephant and Castle Project Board
- Southwark Schools for the Future Project Board
The project boards will bring together project lead officers and representatives from other departments and agencies who are intimately involved with the delivery of the Council’s regeneration objectives.
This gives all decision makers a more active and joint involvement in the schemes than previous, and more traditional, committee reporting arrangements have allowed.
Each Project Board will be responsible for reporting to the Major Project Board (MPB). The MPB is a sub-committee of the Executive, and oversees each of the major projects. Although the MPB will now have the decision making powers previously exercised by the Executive Committee, it will have a more immediately recognisable responsibility for maintaining project progress and achievement.
