05.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
The long-term success and vibrancy of areas such as Fitzrovia doesn’t happen by coincident, it requires attention and more importantly, it requires collaboration. That’s why, at The Langham Estate, we are very supportive of the proposals. 
Phil Hardie, Chairman
The Langham Estate
The BID will focus on delivering on six interconnected programmes which together will be effective at supporting and promoting the growth of Fitzrovia businesses, while at the same time reflecting any additional interests of the wider community.
These six key programmes will be underpinned in their delivery by economic, environmental and social objectives:
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 1
VOICE AND REPRESENTATION
The Fitzrovia Partnership is recognised as a representative voice of business. It serves as a focus for bringing together and allowing a two-way dialogue between its members and a range of local, London and national bodies, particularly Camden Council, the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL).
The West Fitzrovia BID will be a catalyst to encourage public and private sector partners, working together to support and invest in projects that will enhance Fitzrovia and ensure that the district continues to evolve and thrive.
The power of partnership extends beyond business and government. The BID actively engages with other elements of the Fitzrovia community so that projects are selected and designed with input from, and a clear understanding of residents’ interests and those of other nearby institutions and organisations. The Fitzrovia Partnership ensures that the history and heritage of the area is respected in the approach.
The West Fitzrovia BID will be a voice for business interests, but any vision can only be achieved with the support of partners in the local authorities and wider community.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 1: VOICE AND REPRESENTATION
The Fitzrovia Partnership will:
- Provide essential business-led leadership and influence. Through this advocacy and collective voice, the BID will seek to inform policy and affect change on the issues that matter most to our members and the neighbourhood.
- Represent Fitzrovia businesses at local and central Government seeking business-focused support on policy matters, business rates and taxation, responding to consultations with a collective voice.
- Provide a representative voice for businesses by working alongside the Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum to comment on proposed development and infrastructure changes, and local planning policy and licencing regulations to ensure they support Fitzrovia, its businesses and wider community.
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Drive a collaborative campaign in response to the climate emergency to:
• Improve Air Quality
• Reduce carbon emissions
• Reduce surface transport and congestion
- Engage with property owners and their occupiers, small and niche businesses to encourage an eclectic mix of uses and maintain the area’s diverse and unique offering. Ensuring that the area remains economically sustainable for all size and sector businesses; social sustainability being at the heart of the area and its bohemian makeup.
- Establish a property owner forum so we can share proposals for public realm improvements and help integrate individual developments into the neighbourhood.
- Establish a positive working relationship with resident and other non-business communities to ensure that the BID’s business-led priorities also reflect and respond to their issues and concerns. Provide a platform for businesses to work together with representatives of the local community to achieve agreed goals that benefit all stakeholders.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 2
ESG – ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE
COVID-19 and climate change have made us realise that we are not masters of our planet but rather stewards of nature. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) has taken on a greater significance in recent years. Sustainability will be at the heart of everything we do and deliver for Fitzrovia during the BID term. How we do business in Fitzrovia can make a difference to the Carbon Net Zero and wider sustainability agenda.
ESG criteria is of increasing interest to companies, their investors, and other stakeholders. With growing concern about the ethical status of companies, these standards are the central factors that measure the ethical impact and sustainability of investment in a company. It is an increasing possibility that ESG will become compulsory and to stay ahead of regulations and the competition, companies will look to integrate their business into the ESG framework.
Organisations that find it difficult to embrace environmental or social factors may end up struggling to deal with regulatory, legal, or reputational issues. Evidence is beginning to demonstrate that companies performing on ESG practices have higher growth and lower volatility, higher employee productivity, reduced regulatory and legal interventions and cost reductions.
The Fitzrovia Partnership will seek to assist members achieve these important targets through its collaborative work in the district and will promote the adoption of quality employment practices such as the London Living Wage to businesses and contribute to the Council’s Fairer Westminster Strategy. With our members and partners, we will help West Fitzrovia build a more sustainable and resilient future.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 2: ESG
The Fitzrovia Partnership will:
- Develop a sustainability framework within to establish a delivery programme to set the area on its path to net zero that will work with businesses and employees to minimise their environmental impact and contribute to their ESG objectives. It will help facilitate sustainable solutions so all stakeholders in Fitzrovia can make a positive impact through cost-effective actions.
- The programme will focus on the following issues: • Improving Air Quality • Reducing carbon emissions • Increasing recycling • Reducing surface transport • Reducing business costs • Maintaining a vibrant community and enhancing outdoor spaces • Security and safety • Business Resilience
- Support members in embracing environmental and social matters and identifying and adopting new sustainable opportunities.
- Set environmental targets across the Fitzrovia neighbourhood and measure performance against them to monitor progress towards creating a zero-carbon neighbourhood.
- Explore opportunities towards a circular economy in the area.
- Provide an advisory service on compiling sustainability policies for member businesses.
- Work in partnership with Westminster City Council to support inclusive business, recruitment, and employment practice and support businesses to access the council's carbon reduction programmes such as their Business Energy Audit Scheme and Climate Essentials for businesses and becoming signatories to the Council's Sustainability City Charter.
- We will set up a Corporate Social Responsibility programme, connecting businesses with third sector organisations who are based in Fitzrovia, or who deliver services in the neighbourhood, to provide businesses with volunteering opportunities in a systematic way that best meets the needs of both sectors. As part of this we will promote the City Council’s Responsible Business Network and engage with the Council to maximise the local impact of the programme.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 3
ENVIRONMENT AND PLACE
This theme encompasses day-to-day public realm management services to improve the appearance and safety of the area. Support will be provided for businesses moving towards net zero and longer-term aspirations to help the Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood move towards net zero, working with its sister BID The Fitzrovia Partnership and the Neighbourhood Forum to make the whole of Fitzrovia a sustainable neighbourhood.
Heightened awareness of sustainability is affecting consumers’ purchasing choices, increasingly selecting property location based on the environmental performance of a building and rising commodity prices and supply chain uncertainties are affecting business performance and viability. Consequently, there also is a strong business case for migrating to sustainable ways of operating across the whole of Fitzrovia.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 3: ENVIRONMENT AND PLACE
We will provide additional street management services in partnership with the local authority and explore innovative approaches to create a cleaner, safer and more welcoming place. This will include enhanced security to tackle anti-social behaviour and street crime:
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Propose and promote the adoption and delivery of public realm and street management improvements, to include:
• Al fresco dining (streatery spaces)
• Green space
• Enhanced seating
• Additional bike parking - Seek to enhance and encourage owners and developers to deliver more permanent greening, including more trees, to support biodiversity and climate adaptation, while creating a more attractive streetscape for all in Fitzrovia.
- Work with the Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum to bring forward priority public realm projects including those that provide more cycle parking and electric vehicle charging points.
- Install a seasonal lights installation and support London-wide installation campaigns / programmes.
- Promote and deliver active travel plans with particular regard to cycling, e-scooter rental schemes and walking.
- Employ a uniformed Street Team service. Their core services will encompass safety and security, customer and visitor services, the provision of information, event management, enhancing the street environment, helping to manage anti-social behaviour and generally supporting the statutory services in maintaining the quality of the street environment.
- Join Safer West End – the business crime reduction partnership for the West End – to provide access for businesses to free training, crime intelligence and roll out initiatives such as Ask for Angela to improve night-time safety, especially for women and vulnerable groups.
- Promote and provide additional street management services in partnership with the local authority. Work with Westminster City Council to improve cleanliness and maintenance across the district judged against a baseline agreement.
- Explore options for appropriate digital infrastructure (Smart Cities) to support the growth of businesses in Fitzrovia and retain London and national competitiveness.
Our programme to support businesses in their journey to net zero will initially offer incentives and advice on sustainable travel reducing commercial and polluting vehicles in the area and reducing single-use plastics and food waste. The programme will be expanded in each year to cover more sustainability strands:
- Recommend an expanded panel of preferred suppliers that can offer the widest range of recycling possible, send zero waste to landfill and are migrating to zero emission vehicles.
- Offer free or discounted waste and recycling audits, freight servicing and delivery plans for businesses and agree discounted rates with preferred suppliers to directly reduce costs to businesses choosing to dispose of their waste in a more sustainable way for at least their first year.
- Promote and introduce new services, such as Delivering London, which can reduce delivery vehicle trips in Fitzrovia by two thirds.
- Support businesses in reducing their energy costs, via for example advice on retrofitting their buildings by promoting case studies and engaging sustainability consultants to provide subsidised advice to businesses, across all the sectors in the area including hotels.
- Promote Green Leases, so building owners and tenants can work together to maximise the energy efficiency of their buildings. Lobby for investment and incentives to retrofit older buildings with energy saving measures.
- Promote the use of cargo bikes and bike-based delivery services to reduce the use of vehicles in Fitzrovia.
Today people expect much more from public places than ever before. Rather than wanting purely functional and safe places, the public realm needs to be a place for people to meet, relax, enjoy public art, for trees and planting, informal play, alfresco dining, and a place that mitigates the impacts of climate change. The case for investment in Fitzrovia’s public realm is strong and will directly contribute to attracting visitors, workers, and further inward investment, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of new businesses and jobs.
We will work with the statutory Fitzrovia West Neighbourhood Forum to bring about longer term and lasting improved public realm and our activities will include:
- Look to increase pop-up parks and tree planting throughout the district.
- Create a network of walkable streets with places to dwell and relax.
- Support the provision of more al fresco dining in suitable locations.
- Improve safety at junctions to reduce collisions and casualties.
- Improve connections and wayfinding from Oxford Street.
- Widen footways and create better facilities and routes for walking and cycling.
- Introduce more electric vehicle charging points.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 4
REDUCING COSTS
Increasing occupancy costs continue to challenge business in Fitzrovia. Through specialist and sustainable procurement and economies of scale, we will provide added value and tangible benefits to help meet members’ economic, corporate, and social responsibility, and environmental ambitions. Our Fitzrovia Partnership programme has already realised circa £6m in bottom line cost savings for business members since it started.
The call to action to achieve net-zero carbon emissions for Fitzrovia ahead of the 2030 goal spurred us to ascertain the cost to the area of waste companies in the area. There are currently more than 50 waste and recycling companies operating in the West End. Each provide at least one daily collection. The additional vehicle congestion and resulting pollution led us to take a sustainable approach for the area and undertake a tender process to select preferred suppliers for business waste and recycling for member businesses based on their environmental credentials. We will roll this scheme out to West Fitzrovia businesses to reduce the number of waste vehicles in the area and secure discounted rates to save businesses money.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 4: REDUCING COSTS
The Fitzrovia Partnership will:
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Maintain our industry-leading joint procurement and savings scheme to include West Fitzrovia businesses. Key commodities will include:
• Energy, including securing energy saving grants and incentives and partnership with preferred suppliers
• Freight consolidation
• Office supplies
• Business rates
• Professional service providers, i.e. testing, trades, general labour etc.
• Free certified training for first aid, fire marshal and any other training needs required by businesses - Provide a waste management and freight consolidation scheme to reduce costs to those businesses choosing to dispose of their waste in a more sustainable way for at least their first year of adopting new sustainable practices.
- Encourage a switch to renewable sources of energy through collective procurement.
- A discounted cargo bike scheme for businesses to help them move away from car or van delivery services.
- Actively promote business support provision provided by the City Council to help business grow, including their free Westminster Works employment scheme focused on recruitment in the hospitality sector.
- Provide free training and advice to businesses to improve their resilience and develop contingency plans so they are better prepared for emergency situations and be able to mitigate against risks by joining the West End Security Group.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 5
INSIGHTS
To support the success of Fitzrovia businesses across the neighbourhood we are constantly evolving our approach to data-driven performance – capturing, publishing and utilising information to help inform our members work and business decisions.
We will deliver insights to support members in West Fitzrovia, enhance customers experiences, attract visitors and investment, showcase the impact of our work programmes, evidence our advocacy and measure our overall impact.
Our communications programme will provide regular updates of relevant news and business insight for members together with a programme of networking and business insight events.
We want businesses in West Fitzrovia to be equipped to perform at their optimum every day – and to assist that the BID seeks to provide business members with tools, guidance and support they need to thrive.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 5: INSIGHTS
The Fitzrovia Partnership will include and make available to businesses in West Fitzrovia its current activities that include:
- Providing business intelligence and market data.
- Circulating weekly and monthly reports that contain insights into the performance of the area and central London.
- Establishing a structure for regular assessment of the priorities and needs of different business sectors, and especially the office sector, to ensure that activities are focused on sustainable working, increasing revenue, and reducing business costs.
- Host business networking meetings and business insight events with experts on key issues and topics, providing information, learning and development opportunities.
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Collecting data to aid, inform and guide commercial decision making:
• Footfall monitoring
• Underground access/egress numbers
• Night tube numbers
• Office vacancy rates and other office market data
• Impact reports (where applicable)
• Air quality
- Providing access to existing business support available through the local, London and National partners, as well as work in partnerships that can create additional local business support.
- Developing ‘Smart Cities’ thinking and developing which benefits apply to Fitzrovia, for example by linking into available data sets to monitor our progress towards our sustainabIlity targets and equally sharing our data with partners such as the City Council.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 6
PROMOTION AND COMMUNICATIONS
The Fitzrovia Partnership has a broad communications and events programme that is free to use for member businesses. We promote and communicate to targeted audiences, from local business owners to employees to the local community to visitors to Fitzrovia.
Our events, business collaborations and promotional programmes will grow into West Fitzrovia with bespoke offers for member organisations, making the area a fun and vibrant place to be.
SIX WORK PROGRAMMES 2023 > 2028
PROGRAMME 6: PROMOTION AND COMMUNICATIONS
The Fitzrovia Partnership will:
- Provide access to local marketing promotional platforms at no charge.
- Work with Westminster City Council and partners on targeted, district-wide events to attract visitors and a strategy to promote the district, including participation in London-wide events such as the London Design Festival as well as the annual local Fitzrovia Arts Festival to help in raising the profile of Fitzrovia as a destination.
- Deliver promotional activity via social media, websites and newsletters.
- Deliver exclusive member-to-member offers and a consumer loyalty scheme whilst facilitating member collaborations, connecting the office community with retail and hospitality venues.
- Deliver a seasonal lights campaign to attract more visitors to the area.
- Provide weekly business and operational enewsletters to ensure our members are kept up-to-date with what is happening in the area.
- Ad hoc e-alerts with time critical information e.g. security updates.
- Provide monthly email communications to the local community, visitors, website subscribers with local news, new openings, offers.
- Identify opportunities to encourage and foster new enterprises.
- Work in collaboration with Westminster City Council and business to improve local employment and skills with a particular focus on the hospitality sector and work with their Investment Service and wider Business and Enterprise services
- Facilitate collaboration amongst the business and wider community.