Villiers Street Consultation

Public Realm Improvement Proposals on Villiers Street

F.M. Conway Ltd / WSP have been commissioned on behalf of Westminster City Council to undertake stakeholder engagement to find out your views about the proposals for the Villiers Street Public Realm Improvement works.

The Vision for the scheme is:

Provide a street that is both visually inviting and pedestrian friendly, supported by enhanced security and timed road closures, to improve the look and feel of the public realm and help to improve the way it is used.

Read full City of Westminster Letter here

Find out more here

Click here to complete consultation survey. Consultation ends Monday 30 November 2020.

All responses to the consultation can be emailed directed to WSP

Advent Calendar – 12th December

Win 90 minutes of free social darts at Flight Club Darts Victoria

Advent Calendar day 12

Win 90 minutes of free social darts at Flight Club Darts Victoria

T&Cs Apply. 

Read the full Terms and Conditions here

The winner will be contacted the following working day via email.

#ChristmasinLondonHQ

Advent Calendar – 16th December – Prize 1

Win a 1-hour group workout for up to 20 people at Cathedral View with Sarah Ryder of BEAR Fitness

Advent Calendar day 16

Win a 1-hour group workout for up to 20 people at Cathedral View with Sarah Ryder of BEAR Fitness

T&Cs Apply.

Read the full Terms and Conditions here

The winner will be contacted the following working day via email.

#ChristmasinLondonHQ

Advent Calendar – 9th December – Prize 2

Win an Afternoon Tea for 2 at St Ermin’s Hotel

Advent Calendar day 9

Win an Afternoon Tea for 2 at St Ermin’s Hotel

T&Cs Apply. Valid until 31st December 2023 inclusive & is subject to availability. Black-out dates apply. This voucher is non-transferable. Afternoon Tea is served in the Tea Lounge or The library at St Ermin’s Hotel.
Advance booking is required.

Read the full Terms and Conditions here

The winner will be contacted the following working day via email.

#ChristmasinLondonHQ

Advent Calendar – 8th December – Prize 2

Win an overnight stay with breakfast for 2 in a superior room at Page 8 Hotel

Advent Calendar day 8

Win an overnight stay with breakfast for 2 in a superior room at Page 8 Hotel

T&Cs Apply. Valid until March ’23

Read the full Terms and Conditions here

The winner will be contacted the following working day via email.

#ChristmasinLondonHQ

Advent Calendar – 7th December – Prize 2

Win a one-year free membership for Two Temple Place

Advent Calendar day 7

Win a one-year free membership for Two Temple Place

T&Cs Apply. The offer also includes two Temple Place books and a copy of their recent catalogue. Lasts until December 2023.

Read the full Terms and Conditions here

The winner will be contacted the following working day via email.

#ChristmasinLondonHQ

Advent Calendar – 2nd December – Prize 3

Win a pair of tickets for the London Transport Museum’s virtual Hidden London tour

After months of anticipation, London Transport Museum has virtually restarted their popular Hidden London tours programme.

The team are now running three digital tours of Brompton Road, King William Street and Kingsway.  These disused spaces have extremely restricted access so the Museum will never be able to offer public tours, but with these digital tours, you will get the special opportunity to take a peek inside with an expert guide via Zoom.

As part of the South Westminster BIDs Christmas Advent Calendar, one lucky winner will have the chance to win a pair of ticket to join a virtual tour of Brompton Road station. This special behind-the-scenes tour of the station which has been closed since 1934, is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the stations forgotten past as a Second World War bunker. Each tour lasts for approximately 90 minutes over Zoom including a Q&A session. More details about the virtual tour programme can be found here.

T&C’s Apply. 

Read full Terms and Conditions here

Winner will be contacted the following working day via email.

#SWBIDsChristmas

New BID research shows vaccine ‘could boost London’s economy by £41bn and save 57,000 jobs’

The South Westminster BIDs and Midtown BID have commissioned research from Arup, which has found that there will be a significant boost to the central London economy if a successful vaccine is found.

The report models for a three-day return to the office as a result of a successful vaccine. This would add £22 billion to the central London economy and has the potential to save 31,000 jobs in entertainment, retail, hospitality and accommodation.

The research has also modelled for worst case scenarios. Should the lockdown continue for most of 2021, London’s economy could see an £8.4 billion hit and around 117,000 jobs in entertainment, retail, hospitality and accommodation would be at risk by 2021.

Our Chief Executive, Ruth Duston OBE OC, said:

“The realistic prospect of a vaccine will fill many in the business community with great hope. It’s clear from these projections that any measures which mean people can return to their offices come with enormous economic benefits.

But even with office workers at their desks three days a week by next year, we must remember that occupancy rates will still be significantly lower than they were pre-Covid-19.”

The report is welcome news given the recent announcements about vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna. We will continue to push for the Government to look into how our great city will adapt and re-open in the future.

Read the Evening Standard article here

Read the full report here

Terms and Conditions – London Heritage Quarter online Christmas Calendar

  1. The competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom.
  2. Participants must be over 18 years of age.
  3. There is no entry fee and no purchase necessary to enter this competition.
  4. By entering this competition, an entrant is indicating his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
  5. Multiple entries from the same person are only permitted for different prizes. Strictly one entry per person per prize.
  6. The overall competition will run from 1-24 December 2023. After this time, no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
  7. No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
  8. Participants can only enter competitions on social media if stated within the prize T&C’s.
  9. The Promoters (Victoria Business Improvement District, Victoria Westminster Improvement District,  Whitehall Business Improvement District and The Northbank Business Improvement District) reserve the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter’s control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
  10. Prizes will be allocated on a random selection basis. Prize is as stated and no cash or other alternatives will be offered. The prize is not transferable. Prize is subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
  11. Prize winners will be chosen at random by software, from all entries received and verified by the Promoter and/ or its agents.
  12. Winners will be notified by email within the time frame specified within the said prizes T&C’s. If the winners cannot be contacted or do not claim their prizes within 24 hours of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winners and pick replacement winners.
  13. Winners of prizes entered between 22nd & 24th December will be notified in the first few working days in January 2024.
  14. The Promoter will notify the winners to arrange redemption.
  15. The Promoter’s decision will be final in respect of all matters to do with the competition and no correspondence will be entered into.
  16. The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
  17. The winner agrees to the use of his/her name and image in any publicity material. Any personal data relating to the winner or any other entrants will be used solely in accordance with current UK data protection legislation and will not be disclosed to a third party without the entrant’s prior consent.
  18. The winners’ names will be available upon receipt of a request by email to the following address: Marketing@thenorthbank.london/events@victoriabid.co.uk 24 hours after the closing date.
  19. Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
  20. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. Information is being provided to Victoria, Victoria Westminster, Whitehall and The Northbank BIDs only and not to any other party.

South Westminster BIDs Virtual Events – November

This month we are back with more virtual events

Less Stress, More Focus

We all know what it’s like to feel stressed – being under pressure is a normal part of life. Becoming overwhelmed by stress can lead to mental health problems. Mindfulness has received growing attention recently, with studies highlighting that it can support individuals in reducing stress, increasing focus, promoting creative thinking and enhancing communication skills.

To mark National Stress Awareness Day, our resident mental fitness expert, Charlotte Wiseman, hosted a webinar exploring what mindfulness is, looking at the benefits and practices. Watch the event again here.

Connect with your customers digitally

“Effective digital marketing is less about displaying your products for people scrolling past and far more about cultivating an engaged community.”

Join Westminster Digital for two webinars where they will explore how to connect with your customers online, how to cultivate an engaged community, how this leads to more effective marketing and what to look for when commissioning a digital agency.  Book your place here.

Illuminated River

Join Ciron Edwards from Illuminated River to learn more about the Illuminated River project, a new public art commission which is transforming the capital at night.

Learn about the artwork, the history of the bridges and how the team installed such an ambitious project on a working river. Book here.

Lockdown restrictions

As the country enters a second lockdown, we’ve put together a quick summary of the new restrictions in place, economic support available to our business community and what the BID is doing to help.

Overview of new measures:

  • The following businesses have to close: all non-essential retail, hospitality (although takeaway is allowed), indoor and outdoor leisure facilities, entertainment venues and personal care facilities.
  • Note: the Government’s guidance around non-essential retail says “including, but not limited to clothing and electronics stores, vehicle showrooms, travel agents, betting shops, auction houses, tailors, car washes, tobacco and vape shops”.
  • No household mixing indoors, apart from childcare and previous support bubble rules remaining
  • International travel is not allowed, except for work purposes, while travel within the UK is not advised
  • Outdoor recreation and exercise is still allowed
  • Education settings – schools, universities and colleges – will remain open

Economic support:

The Government has announced a raft of measures for additional economic support. In terms of the most significant:

  • The furlough scheme will be extended until the end of March, at 80% of people’s wages. Employers will have to pay NICs and pension contributions. The Government will review the policy in January to decide whether economic circumstances are improving enough to ask businesses to contribute more.
  • The Job Retention Bonus will no longer be available. Instead, they will redeploy a retention incentive at the appropriate time.
  • For self-employed people, the next income support grant which covers November to January will increase to 80% of average profits (up from 40%) up to £7500.
  • Giving reassurance to the devolved Governments, the Chancellor emphasised that this scheme was for all people in the United Kingdom. He also announced that up-front guaranteed funding for the devolved administrations is increasing from £14bn to £16bn.

The BID’s work:

Over the past seven months, we have been working to support our local community through a range of different initiatives to keep you safe. Read about our work here.

CSSC London GREEN Message – MPS Bulletin – 4 Nov 2020

Industry Sector Leaders,

As London is set to enter a new phase of national restrictions, the Met is setting out how officers will work with communities across the city to keep people safe.

From Thursday, significant new restrictions are being introduced in England by the Government, in order to control the virus, protect the NHS and save lives.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist, the Met’s lead for Coronavirus, said: “Over the course of this awful epidemic, Londoners have responded brilliantly as regulations were introduced, both during the first wave and more recently when alert levels were established. Coronavirus poses a grave threat to everyone and to our NHS and I am confident we will all do the right thing as the heightened restrictions start on Thursday.

“For the rest of today, we remain in the “High Alert” level restrictions, and I know there will be many people thinking about whether they should head out tonight to support the hospitality sector before it closes. It is hugely important that people who are going out, stick to the current regulations and do not see tonight as an excuse for other gatherings or parties that are illegal, and could ultimately put other people’s lives at risk.

“It is vitally important that we’re all sensible, use common sense and stick to the rules. By working together, we can help prevent the spread of this deadly virus which has already claimed so many lives.

“Tonight, we will have more officers on duty to engage with the public and ensure that we all continue to keep each other safe. We are ready and prepared to take enforcement action against those who are deliberately breaching rules and putting people at risk.”

The Met will continue to use the ‘4 Es’ approach of engaging, explaining the regulations, encouraging people to following them and only enforcing as a last resort. However, immediate enforcement action will be taken in those cases where deliberate, dangerous and flagrant attempts have been made to ignore the regulations.

Likewise, officers will continue to support local authorities who are seeking to take action against those licensed premises and any other business that is putting their customers’ health at risk by reckless and dangerous breaching of the current regulations.

In addition to this, the Met will also be working closely with City of London Police and British Transport Police, to reassure the public following events in Europe which yesterday led to the terrorism threat level changing from ‘Substantial’ to ‘Severe’ as a precautionary measure.

DAC Matt Twist, added: “I know Londoners will be anxious following the truly awful attacks across Europe in recent weeks and our hearts are with all those affected. Last night it was announced that the threat level has been increased to “Severe”, this means an attack is ‘highly likely’.

“I would ask Londoners to not be alarmed by this, but to remain vigilant. If you see or hear something that doesn’t feel right to you, let us know.

“In London tonight, we will have a number of policing resources on duty to look out for you and keep you safe. We will be working closely with BTP and City of London Police to provide a heightened policing presence in key areas, such as high streets but also at transport hubs.

“If you have any concerns or if you see or hear anything suspicious, I would urge you to reach out to us and let us know. Anyone with information is asked to contact police by calling 0800 789 321 or by visiting www.gov.uk/ACT.”