Lessons from the Meanwhile Project

1. Lessons from the Meanwhile Project Meanwhile Space CIC Emily Berwyn www.meanwhilespace.com

2. www.meanwhilespace.com What is meanwhile? meanwhile is realising the opportunities vacant spaces present

3. www.meanwhilespace.com Is it a Popup Shop? • Meanwhile spaces go beyond popup shops and are an efficient use of otherwise wasted resources to… • Give new enterprise a chance • Improve a local environment • Nurture a sense of place • Support and engage communities of interest • Provide high profile activity • Experiment with new uses and activities • Bring diversity to places • An efficient use of otherwise wasted resource. • …..LOW COST, HIGH IMPACT

4. www.meanwhilespace.com What it looks like Screen printers Flower Shop Soap makers Hat makers Seamstress Skills swapping Fashion Designer Photographer Graphic Designer Juice production Food growing Town Team Furniture maker/café Bicycle repair shop Vintage clothing/styling Street dance group Barister training Foodbank/cookshop

5. www.meanwhilespace.com Meanwhile Space • CIC established in 2009 • Mission is to make unused space available to as many people as possible • Empty Space is wrong! • Full A-Z service from light touch at scale, to intensive project delivery management • Deliver projects in Luton, Hastings, Lewes, Northern Ireland and London • 3 Strands of work: Advice, Delivery and Resources • Work to influence government and property industry to make ‘meanwhile’ mainstream

6. www.meanwhilespace.com Journey so far • 2009-10: • Meanwhile Project: Government’s ‘revitalising town centres’ policy • meanwhile leases for land and property, toolkits, advice • 24 projects in 17 places • Develop network to share knowledge • 2011: • Network grows to over 1000 members • Advice and guidance to 50+ enquiries/week • Deliver projects in Hastings, Lewes, Willesden and Craigavon. • Meanwhile Centre hosts 90 projects spaces in Clerkenwell, Whitechapel, Exmouth Market and FinchleyRoad • Mary Portas praises the work of the Meanwhile Project • 2012-13: • Projects delivered in Wembley, Hillingdon, Croydon, Sutton, Hackney, Brentford, Margate  • Eric Pickles announces changes facilitate temporary uses of up to 2 years • Meanwhile Use now an industry standard term • Devising services and products around live/work, high streets, new enterprise, online platforms, European cities, masterplansetc.

7. www.meanwhilespace.com Meanwhile Project www.meanwhile.org.uk • Delivered 2009-10 as part of the Government’s ‘revitalising town centres’ policy • Now led by Locality's (formerly Development Trusts Association) Asset Transfer Unit and Meanwhile Space • Developing and testing tools including meanwhile leases for land and property on live projects • Facilitating meanwhile projects on the ground (24 projects in 17 places) • Developing a network of projects and landlords to share knowledge

8. www.meanwhilespace.com Meanwhile Project: some examples Bradford Urban Garden: Fabric Arts, Council, Westfield & RDA. Now working with Little Germany to transform into an enterprise zone

9. www.meanwhilespace.com Meanwhile Project: some examples Market Estate, North London: Housing Association, Construction Company and Tall Tales

10. www.meanwhilespace.com Meanwhile Project: some examples Maritime Heritage Centre, Scarborough: Temporary workspace to pull together Lottery bid – doubled up as pop-up museum, storytelling space, and drop off place for curiosities. See more at www.meanwhile.org.uk/showcase

11. www.meanwhilespace.com Waste not want not 25,000 shops closed since the recession 25% of currently vacant shops will never be used as shops again 14.9% vacancy rate in UK ¼ of 360 towns considered to be failing and a further 42 towns are degenerating, with those in the most deprived areas hit the hardest.  2011: Empty property rate threshold drops to £2,600. Increase from 30% to c95% properties affected.  2.5million unemployed (20% under 25) 1500ning members; 4/5 looking for space, aged 14-74, UK & 34 other countries, mostly word of mouth Meanwhile Whitechapel; 2400 visitors in 1 day, 400/hr footfall, 41 projects hosted in 89 days Sources: Local Data Company, SQW Consulting, Meanwhile Space Ning forum, Colliers CRE, Retail 2020 Research Study by Jones Lang Lasalle

12. www.meanwhilespace.com High Streets: Out with the old, in with the new • Peak retail, transactional places, consumerism • Startup bank loan • 25 year lease • Upwards only rent reviews • Yellow pages listings • Silo mentality • Fondling stock • Spend ratios • Town centres as leisure, experience, entertainment • Crowdfunding • Meanwhile lease • 1-3 year brand cycles • Multiple sales channels • Cross fertilisation • Embracing technology • Family friendly • All weather al fresco

13. www.meanwhilespace.com House of Hastings • Landlord contributed towards some costs • One year 13 projects • Mixed cultural and enterprise space • Now let commercially

14. www.meanwhilespace.com House of Hastings

15. www.meanwhilespace.com Willesden Green

16. Phase 1 – 25! www.meanwhilespace.com

17. www.meanwhilespace.com Local people wanted

18. www.meanwhilespace.com Landlord fears • Too much hassle… • Will I be liable if something goes wrong? • What if I need my property back? • What if they trash the place?

19. www.meanwhilespace.com Proposal workshops I am scared of the financial risk Do I need a license? I haven't run a shop before Panel assessment: 30% The idea 30% Community give-back 20% Sustainability 10% Relevance to Brent 10% Passion & commitment

20. www.meanwhilespace.com Renovations 25 trainees from College of North West London

21. www.meanwhilespace.com Launch

22. www.meanwhilespace.com Tenants Art Lobby Contemporary art gallery Jardins D’Eden Handmade natural beauty products Paint Mine Website hosting & graphics studio Roses & String Hand-crafted gifts & accessories Vintage Green Vintage fashion & photography My Pop Up Design Shop Homewares, interiors styling consultations The Unlimited Printshop Screenprinting retail & studio Indikidual Kids’ clothing & play Ariane Prin Design products from upcycled local waste The Wise Owl Venue Events & workshops Punch & Juicy Fresh health juices & events

23. www.meanwhilespace.com Promotion

24. www.meanwhilespace.com Models • Delivery models: • Meanwhile Space led • Local Authority led • Central Government led • Joint venture • Revenue models: • Participation fees • % of project profits • Contracts/ service provision • Grant funding (HCA, Outer London Fund) • Crowd funding (Space Hive) • Investment (Big Issue Invest)

25. www.meanwhilespace.com Barriers • Accessing landlords • Business Rates and charities (FT article) • Money: making it pay • Bureaucracies (rates, planning, licensing) • Time & energy • Managing expectations

26. www.meanwhilespace.com Benefits

27. www.meanwhilespace.com Sheffield Bird’s Yard Common People, working with Sheffield Council to promote meanwhile use to independents and startups

28. www.meanwhilespace.com Findings Place Making: 31 Spaces Occupied 10 Shops 13 Cultural & Art Community Centres 11 Enterprise Hubs Employability 100 New Jobs 246 Occupants 1133 increased employability Legacy: 20 Partnerships and Town Teams created “Meanwhile Space has played an integral part in both the generation and growth of the Willesden Green Team” Louise Wadsworth, Willesden Town Team

29. www.meanwhilespace.com Findings Experience 12 London Boroughs 23 UK Boroughs “Meanwhile Space work helped us to deliver regenerative benefits to a place right now, and help us re-imagine that place in the longer term.” Alex Hearn, Brent Council Awards 2010 Best Community Project in Luton Best Award 2012 Regeneration and Renewal Award for High Street Vitality

30. www.meanwhilespace.com What next? • Now we’ve paved the way for shops: • Increase enhanced project delivery management • instigate short-term mixed use property developments • development of a European consultancy • Social media-led technological platform

31. www.meanwhilespace.com Get in touch Meanwhile Project: www.meanwhile.org.uk Meanwhile Space website: www.meanwhilespace.com Or email me: emily@meanwhilespace.com Chat with us on the network: www.meanwhilespace.ning.com