The Caledonian Ward Partnership meetings are held twice per year and are a forum for residents and others to receive information about the premerging priorities in the ward, and to feed in about what they would like to see happening locally. The latest meeting was held on Wednesday 30 November, 6.30pm at Jean Stokes Community Centre.
The meeting was chaired by Cllr Paul Convery. In attendance were 55 residents, Cllr Rupert Perry, 10 voluntary, charities, community and faith sector organisations represented.
The items discussed:
1. Kings Cross Central Development: Anna Strongman and Angela Jewell, Argent (Property Development Company, Kings Cross Central )
Information given:
In September 2011, The King’s Boulevard road (a key part of the infrastructure) and University of the Arts opened to the public, and a well-received street market was introduced.
Public spaces will be kept public and pedestrians will be encouraged to walk through the development.
The King’s Place building next to The Guardian offices is a vibrant arts space, and the area is considered a major new piece of central London around which developers are looking to create a “cultural hub”, including Central St Martin’s University, King’s Place and the nearby British Library
Further information on the development can be found at http://www.kingscrosscentral.com/index
Questions raised:
Employment for local people – concerns raised that the development so far has not resulted in significant employment for local people, particularly young people
There is currently a Construction Skills Training Centre on York Way which provides a gateway to Apprenticeships for 16 to 24 year olds on the site. A range of opportunities are available including taster courses and opportunities for those young people who are not yet ready to enter a full Apprenticeship. Contact Jo Gattenberg Employability Officer Jo.Gattenberg@camden.gov.uk at the Construction Skills Centre for more information
Argent will also be establishing a further training centre in 2012 which will have focus on post-construction employment opportunities, such as in retail, security and other service sector employment.
Argent has a commitment that at least 15% of their workforce will be local, hopefully reaching around 30% or more. By 2016, up to 35,000 will be living, working and studying at King’s Cross.
Cllr Convery recognised that the issue of creating pathways to the opportunities available is a critical one and that Islington are reviewing the resources that are allocated to this to enable better communication between local job seekers and local jobs and training, particularly related to the Kings Cross site.
As a way forward Kristina Glenn (Cripplegate Foundation) it would be good to know who would be interested in participating in a working group with Argent, to progressively work through some of the opportunities emerging from the Kings Cross Central Development.
Transport Links – concerns raised about overcrowding at Kings Cross Station
Residents raised the point that public transport users travelling from the KCC development would benefit from travelling via York Road Station rather than using King’s Cross St Pancras Station. This in turn will provide congestion relief for King’s Cross St Pancras Station.
In 2005 a business case was prepared to reopen the station, to serve the Kings Cross development and help relieve congestion at King’s Cross St Pancras, however Transport For London have no plans to take the scheme forward.
£450m will be spent on improving King’s Cross station and there will be additional tube capacity created. Overall TFL are upgrading the transport system to increase capacity by 30%.
Cllr Convery reiterated that the best way to relive the Kings Cross Transport congestion issue is for local people that live within walking distance of Kings Cross is to gain employment directly on the Kings Cross Central site.
Heritage Buildings – concern raised that some were not being preserved
Argent will retain 20 out of the 22 heritage buildings on the site, which will remain open.
2. Cally Festival – Anya Johnson
Information given:
The first Cally Festival took place on 3 July 2011 and attracted 5,000 people to the area. Feedback was very positive with requests to make the 2012 festival bigger with a larger portion of the Caledonian Road being closed. Some residents also requested more publicity for the 2012 event. Preliminary plans have been submitted to Islington Council for an event in late May 2012. There are also plans in place to put on smaller community events throughout the year, for example, the Cally Christmas event which will be held on 3 December on Tillloch Street. Click here to view a short film about the 2011 Cally Festival.
3. Caledonian ward priorities – Cllr Paul Convery
Information given:
Information was given about these. Please click here for a list of the current Caledonian ward priorities and Ward Improvement Plan. Cllr Convery added that traffic calming and pedestrian safety are also high priorities. A zebra crossing will be created adjacent to the Iceland store on Caledonian Road and Islington Council intends to implement a 20mph limit across the borough in all current 30mph areas. It is expected that this will improve safety for all road users, including pedestrians and cyclists.
The next meeting of the Caledonian Ward Partnership will take place in May 2012. The date will be widely publicised. Team Cally convenes and facilitates the meetings of the Caledonian Ward Partnership. You can find more information about Team Cally and its work by visiting www.teamcally.org,
Team Cally is keen to widen its membership through the following theme sub groups;
• Children and Young People
• Employment, Education and Enterprise
• Health and Equalities for Older People
• Safer Neighbourhood
If you have an interest in participating in any of the theme groups, please contact Mohamed Hammoudan, Team Cally Neighbourhood Coordinator
Email: bvmoteamcally@btconnect.com
Tel: 020 7609 8959 – Mobile: 07960670435
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