I’d like to thank Neelofar Khan for hosting this morning’s event in her restaurant.  Chilli Chutney is one of my favourite places to eat out in Streatham, although I’ve never been here this early before.  I’d like to thank all of you for joining us here for this month’s Streatham Business Breakfast. 

It’s not for the Council to tell you how to run your business.  But there is a role for the Council in helping to create an environment for businesses to succeed.  I want the Administration I lead to be business-friendly, because your success means Streatham succeeds. 

I’m a Streatham resident, and I’ve spent my whole working life in business before I was elected Leader of the Council last year.  I’m determined to see the Council committed to promoting physical, social and economic regeneration in Streatham. 

It’s time for the Council to improve the support we give to business.  That’s why we will be creating a new model of town centre management that focuses on helping business to succeed.  Streatham’s new Commercial Town Centre Manager will initiate a series of business-led initiatives around investment, promotion, marketing and branding Streatham so we can attract more business and more customers to our high street.   That will benefit your business, and it will benefit local people too.

We will promote private-sector and public-sector investment in Streatham, and we will use our planning powers to ensure there are real benefits for the local area. 

In Streatham Hill, we have a developer working up final proposals for the Caesars and Megabowl site.  Local businesses and residents will be consulted about those proposals over the coming month.  I’m determined that the proposals must include a new youth facility to replace the Megabowl, and I’ve proposed we set up a local youth panel to decide what that should be. 

We have just signed an agreement with Tesco for the new development near Streatham Station.  That Agreement will deliver us a new ice rink, a new swimming pool, a new leisure centre, new offices, new homes, and a new Tesco store.  The whole deal is worth £90 million, and we’re putting in just £19 million of public money to get it.  That’s a great deal for local people. 

Just down the road in Gracefield Gardens, we’ll be opening a new joint Customer Centre and Health Centre this December.  That’s the Council and the local Health Service working together to bring regeneration as well as service benefits to people living here in Streatham.

In December the Council will be leading a consultation on the next phase of road improvements due around the Odeon.  That’s continuing work already begun to improve other stretches of the high road.

More broadly, our regeneration team will be working with you to develop a masterplan for Streatham High Road over the next few months.  That will give us a clear, ten-year strategy to bring investment and development to Streatham.  I expect that to deliver real improvements in the shopping environment so we can get more people – from our area and beyond – coming here to spend their money and boost our economy. 

For each part of the high road, we will look at how we can provide extra retail facilities.  Whether we can promote a market to attract more people in.  How we can upgrade the pedestrian environment to improve circulation and linkages and create a better balance between traffic and pedestrians.  We will work with businesses to improve shop fronts and create a stronger sense of place by promoting statement buildings at key intersections.  We will also look at combining retail outlets to create bigger spaces to attract the anchor stores that will encourage people back to Streatham to do their shopping. 

I want to say a little about the action we’re taking against crime, because I know that’s a major concern for everyone living and working here.  I know many of you are members of Lambeth Business Against Crime, who we’re already doing great partnership work with.  Over the year and a half since our Administration was elected, we’ve completed the roll-out of Safer Neighbourhood Police Teams across Streatham.  We’ve brought in a squad of Police Community Support Officers under direct Police command to replace the random assortment of council wardens.  We’ve set up the Council’s first-ever Anti-Social Behaviour Team to target persistent offenders.  We’ve introduced a drug deterrence policy to crack down on street drug dealing and turn round our reputation as a borough that tolerates drugs.  We’ve agreed the biggest-ever investment in youth services to tackle youth crime and give our young people a more positive future. 

That’s just some of what we’re doing to support Streatham and to support your business.  We’re bringing in the investment our area needs.  But I know we will succeed only if we create a real partnership between the Council, local people and local businesses.  I believe in Streatham, and I believe Streatham has a great future to look forward to.