Brixton is world famous as a centre for London’s African-Caribbean community and Coldharbour has the highest numbers of Black African and Black Caribbean residents in Lambeth. In July 2014 4,000 visitors came to the launch of the new Black Cultural Archives Heritage Centre at Raleigh Hall on Windrush Square.
Brixton town centre is a lively mixture of grass roots enterprise and high street retail. The Brixton Pound, the UK’s first local currency in an urban area, is celebrating its fifth birthday this year and is now accepted by over 300 businesses.
The iconic markets, including the street markets and the arcades, are receiving national recognition and the townscape heritage initiative has received a boost of £2.6 million for the Electric Avenue area.
The main high street is now home to brands such as H&M and TK Maxx and Brixton’s department store, Morleys, has attracted new concessions, such as Mac and Benetton.
Brixton is also the civic centre of Lambeth, with the grade II listed town hall its focal point. The Your New Town Hall project works hand in hand with the cooperative council vision to open up local decision making and service delivery to residents and businesses in the borough. Creating a new centre around the town hall will save at least £4.5 million a year, improve customer experiences and provide better spaces for community and business use.
Brixton is a magnet for creative and cultural industries and will soon be home to a purpose-built new cultural space for Ovalhouse theatre as part of the Somerleyton Road project. The University of Communication Arts has moved to The Brix and the town centre launched its own Brixton Design Week as part of London Design Week 2014.
The success of Brixton Village and online forums, such as Makerhood, show the culture of enterprise is alive and well. New workspaces are opening to support fledgling businesses and self-employed people at The Brix and the Impact Hub in Lambeth Town Hall. Organisations such as Tree Shepherd and JP Creative’s Brand Amplifier programme make sure businesses can learn from and support each other.
Read more about Business in Brixton now and in the future.
The Windrush Square development and the award-winning Evelyn Grace Academy, designed by Zaha Hadid, shows how innovative design can be part of Brixton’s built environment and we want this to continue through the Future Brixton developments at Somerleyton Road, Brixton Central and Your New Town Hall.
These new developments are being tailored with local people so that we invest wisely in the homes, spaces and training that local people want. They also aspire to the targets set out in the One Planet Living framework so that they benefit the whole community and stand the test of time.
The public realm strategy is looking at the spaces in between - whether Brixton’s streets and public places can be more attractive? More sociable? Better for children, walking or cycling? Good for business?