https://www.linkedin.com/pub/guy-nicholson/2b/394/758

THE STORY SO FAR – AND WHERE IT GOES FROM HERE …if I may 🙂

Fortunately the prevailing economics and ego’s have just about kept pace with Hackney Council’s expenditure as regards owning, dis-owning, re-owning this site — our local council having had the ‘good fortune’ (even if they haven’t always seemed to see it that way) of acquiring 48-78 Dalston Lane ‘for free’ exactly 30 years ago…

“[London Borough of] Hackney inherited the sixteen houses in 1984 when the GLC [Greater London Council] was abolished. In 2002 it ignored the shopkeepers’ offers and sold them all, as one lot at auction, for £1.8million to an off-shore developer. Hackney refused planning permission for demolition and redevelopment in 2004 but, whilst awaiting the developer’s appeal, two of the houses suffered an arson attack. The Council subsequently demolished No.s 60, 62 and 64, at public expense, in September 2007. Then, in 2010, it bought back all the remaining houses and the three demolished sites for £3.8million – double what it had originally sold them for at auction…”

http://opendalston.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/hackney-to-demolish-dalston-lanes.html

I’d really want to believe that the move in 2010 to retake control of what was no doubt recognised as an important street-scape in a key regeneration area had some genuine ‘conservation-mindedness’ to it – just four years earlier, in 2005, English Heritage had declared the houses to be “remarkable survivors of Georgian architecture”…

In 2002, the year of an auction and an election, the ‘Regeneration Portfolio’ that councillor Guy Nicholson still holds today was newly acquired. However, by the time of the 2004 ‘demolition refusal’ and not fully explained fire that gutted a fifth of the terrace (did someone feel betrayed, having paid their money and then not having been allowed to have their way?) GN was more established and ‘exercised’.

Two years in, GN was perhaps more confident as to how he might apply the experience gained from three years ‘on the ground’ in late 1990’s Shoreditch, during a period of accelerated ‘evolution’ of the skyline and street frontage, with much conservation work to do and indeed done to keep the 19th century street-scape still standing – at a time when, thankfully and rather remarkably, planning decisions had been decentralised and were being put before open meetings of Neighbourhood Committees, far from Mare Street ‘central command’…until the Labour majority put a stop to such nonsense! (Hard work but happy memories — I still keep the agenda in the hope that one day… )

Guy Nicholson had appeared on the scene in Shoreditch, as a councillor, having studied Theatre Design at the Central School of Art & Design and “worked with a broad range of UK and international companies staging many productions, including opera, musicals, drama and dance; assisting the creative and production teams realise productions in a broad range of venues in the UK, across Europe, the United States and the Far East.” So not a bad man to be dealing with then or now 🙂

And as well as the ‘big briefs’ that have followed – including the Directorship for Gateway to London, the inward investment agency for East London – GN is/has been in the ensuing years London Regional Council Member for the Arts Council; on the board at the Barbican; a member of the advisory board for Art in the Open, a pan-London public art initiative; Chair now trustee of CREATE; and observer to the board of the much ‘fought for’ and imaginatively funded Hackney Empire theatre, while also ‘doing his duty’ at Shoreditch Trust.

And so it is that my albeit limited experience of Guy Nicholson is certainly that at heart he is – wants to be 🙂 – a ‘community’, ‘arts’, ‘heritage’ and socially responsibility investment’ man. So if we can help him deliver on ‘the personal mission’ as well as the political remit – as the Ian Whittaker/Spitalfields Trust/Circle 33 proposal surely does — then maybe L.B.H and Murphy can somehow find the will and finance to re-write the existing contract, effectively writing off the deal as is 🙂

The regeneration boss and L.B. Hackney generally will certainly have an easier job in this respect if there are apprenticeships to be had (16-25 year-olds, under the tutorship of Society For the Protection of Ancient Buildings/Spitalfields Trust, learning to mix lime plaster?!) as well as a ‘workable business framework’ by which independent businesses can be secured, lined up in support and in principle even if not yet or ever signed up as actual tenants (a supporting statement from the East End Trades Guild perhaps?).

The ‘helpful precedents’ are there, literally there; behind its period shop-front ‘FARM:shop at no.20 has been voted one of Time Out’s Top 100 shops http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI326DbCVY4 // http://farmlondon.weebly.com/farmshop.html “no.20 once a derelict shop, is the world’s first urban farming hub – a workspace, cafe and events venue packed to the rafters with living and breathing food – literally a farm in a shop.” Obviously there are more everyday businesses in need of space and profile but this happens to be a much-loved and valued local enterprise that L.B. Hackney has found the ways to actively support and indeed ensures wears its badge as project ‘sponsor’.

And yes, up the road, with a 1868, Hackney-owned warehouse to ‘make good’ Ben Todd at Arcola Theatre actually had his ‘big corporates’ paying to ‘volunteer’ and acquire then apply some painting and decorating skills. So possibly there are not insignificant in-kind contributions that can and should be factored in to make the numbers and scheme work re Dalston Lane. [more details on request!]

And with ‘Marquis’ now ‘laid to rest’ – for the time being at least – might the project also be able to gift the Geffrye Museum some positive PR? …not least as the basis for a more constructive and co-operative artisan–academic working relationship, into the future, between the museum and local trusts, societies and communities — ‘period interiors’ being their thing and Dalston Lane have many in need of resources and perhaps a photo exhibition at the end of it all, framed of course by the curatorial force that is Spitalfields Life!

But yes, first and foremost, let’s be confident that we can tick plenty of boxes for Hackney’s ‘sustainable regeneration’ man, and in so doing help Guy Nicholson make the right ‘socio-economic and cultural development’ decision, within the terms of his current office. Know thy enemy… as a friend 🙂

“Regeneration Councillor Guy Nicholson

Lead responsibility for promoting investment into the Borough and bringing about the sustainable regeneration of Hackney’s neighbourhoods and town centres. Responsible for the socio-economic and cultural development of the borough, increasing employment opportunities for residents, maximising the legacy from the 2012 Games, and the forming of planning and land use policies for the borough.”

http://www.hackney.gov.uk/l-cabinet.htm#.U8JlHpWm8ng

Otherwise we could always ‘threaten’ to get Prince Charles’ widely respected ‘Prince’s Foundation for Building Communities’ involved http://www.princes-foundation.org – pro-refurbishment of the historic fabric to say the least!

“…our roots remain at a local level and one of our core values is being conscious of the impact of our projects from a social, economic and environmental view. …Essentially, we always endeavour to maintain positive relationships built on good communication.”

How about we find out what that means in practice!

Although there is a external PR agency – Suzanne Murphy (coincidently) at Golley Slater 
suzanne.murphy@golleyslater.co.uk – Justin Fitzgerald is the internal ‘communications and marketing’ lead, 9 years into the job so I’m sure he knows the brief well enough to deal with a few extra emails 🙂  justinpfitzgerald@murphygroup.co.uk

Love & Peace
ACHIM