INVESTING IN OUR BOROUGH – JOBS, HOMES AND REGENERATION

On Thursday we discussed with a group of Councillors and Hounslow residents our plans for the future of Hounslow town centre – described in the Hounslow Town Centre Master Plan.  It identifies the key development sites, their likely uses, and the distinct character of each area of the town centre, and describes how the town centre could become a more attractive place to visit and to live in.  We are working on Brentford’s stalled developments.   We have a housing crisis,  that is why we aim to deliver 2500 affordable homes in the borough between 2010 and 2014.   We are moving office staff from several buildings across the borough into the Civic Centre, and we want those sites redeveloped for a useful purpose.  We plan to redevelop Heston Swimming Pool into a modern facility.  Our community plan sets our aspiration to bring an international university, and a major sports and/or cultural venue to the borough and we also want to support the growth of the “green” business sector.   This is just some of the work taking place to bring jobs, homes and regeneration to Hounslow borough and to protect and enhance our open spaces and community facilities.   All this has taken place since we took over the Leadership of Hounslow in May 2010
To do all this needs partners; developers, housing associations, architects, planners those with funds to invest and those with inspirational ideas and experience.  Those people don’t come knocking at our door, there are many other boroughs with development sites and regeneration aspirations competing for their attention.  We have to go and meet them and actively promote our “usp” and that is what we have been doing in the last year, in the press and at events. Through this work we have met people who would not otherwise have considered opportunities in Hounslow.
As part of this programme I attended the international property conference (MIPIM) last week, a decision that has generated a story in this week’s Hounslow Chronicle.  MIPIM brings together 19,000 property professionals from around the world, there is no UK equivalent, so it is an unrivalled opportunity to meet in 3 days more people than one can see in a year.   With our Master plan and list of sites, we shared the West London stand with other boroughs, Housing Associations and local businesses.  In 3 intense days we spoke to over 50 people, and I spoke to an audience of a similar number in the London pavilion which generated further contacts.   Many of the people we would not have met otherwise, and many of whom will be coming to see us in the weeks to discuss in more detail the opportunities available.  This work is not about instant results, but with clear plans and objectives, does result in real change. Clearly Tory-led Wandsworth and Birmingham Councils believe that, their leaders were at MIPIM, as were representatives of Enfield, Ealing and Newham.

Our business partners clearly thought it was money well spent:  Frank Wingate, Chief Executive of West London Business, said: "We're very pleased that some of our West London boroughs are attending the MIPIM property fair. This is Europe's major event for property development and regeneration and anyone serious about encouraging inward investment and economic growth can't afford to miss the business opportunities to gain contacts and promote our attractions that are offered there. West London has a great deal to offer, but we must be active in face of international competition."

Four years ago we criticised Hounslow Tories, then in power with the Independents, for attending this conference because to us it was daft to spend £10,000 (double our spend last week), when they appeared to have no appetite for the regeneration of the borough, or to bring jobs and homes here.   Back at the Civic Centre they cut the economic Development staff to less than 2 full-timers, stalled on the town centre work, pulled the previous Heston Pool redevelopment plan that was ready to go, and had no plan for better use for our Council office buildings dotted around the borough.   Now, we have clear aspirations for Hounslow Town Centre and the borough as a whole , but it won’t be delivered if we sit in the Civic Centre waiting for people to come to us.

NB Costs of attending mIPIM:
Attendance  in 2012 cost £5,580. Around £4000 of this was spent on the promotional material and conference entrance.  I travelled by train for £145 return and my hotel cost Eu120 per night, the cheapest available for what is the 2nd busiest week in Cannes.  The other costs were those of the Council officer who also attended.