Royal Greenwich welcomes two new town centre managers as part of the million-pound drive to boost our town centres and get things done.
The council has invested £2.1milion in improving town centres, part of which was to appoint new town centre managers to make sure Eltham, Greenwich and Woolwich are well-run, welcoming, and vibrant places.
Their remit not only includes the coordination of everyday services that keep our town centres safe, clean and attractive, but they are also responsible for sparking interest around them. This means driving footfall to the town centres by bringing people together and showcasing the rich diversity on our doorstep, stimulating demand for the high street, curating our markets, supporting local businesses and ensuring money is spent locally.
Councillor Asli Mohammed, Cabinet Member for Economy, Town Centres and Co-operatives, said: “Having dedicated managers is vital in making each of our town centres vibrant and thriving places. We are lucky to have three unique town centres in Royal Greenwich, each with their own heritage, character and identity. The new town centre managers are not only responsible for day-to-day running; they will be listening to businesses and residents, collaborating with stakeholders and supporting community life. Greenwich is already world-famous, but with the help of our town centre managers, we want to put Eltham and Woolwich on the map.”
Who are the new town centre managers?
Wendy Bell is the town centre manager for Eltham and Greenwich. Previously the CEO of Crawley Town Centre Business Improvement District, Wendy has a strong track record in town centre management and business engagement. She works closely with Peter Marsden, World Heritage Co-ordinator at Maritime Greenwich, to complement the ongoing work to preserve and celebrate the cultural significance of the historic UNESCO site visited by million each year.
Kaia Charles is the town centre manager for Woolwich. Local to Greenwich for over 20 years, Kaia has a strong connection to the area combined with an extensive career in creative programming. In her previous roles, Kaia led and delivered cultural placemaking initiatives for Knight Dragon and played a key role in shaping the programme and profile of NOW Gallery in Greenwich Peninsula.
Getting things done in Eltham, Greenwich and Woolwich
We have been getting things done to make all three town centres cleaner, safer and the places to be. We have invested £5million into tackling fly-tipping boroughwide, which includes an increase in CCTV in hotspot areas, a larger taskforce team and a £100 reward for those who help us identify fly-tippers as part of the Person of Binterest campaign. Thirty-six fixed penalty notices have also been issued for fly-tipping in Eltham's Orangery Lane carpark. We have invested £267,735 in new cleaning equipment courtesy of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), a grant provided by central government to rejuvenate the high street.
The rebrand of Beresford Square will soon be complete, thanks again to £54,438 of UKSPF investment. A place where you can eat around the globe in one postcode, the food trucks have had a makeover, gazebos are being rolled out to all stalls and Eltham favourite Bob’s Your Uncle have opened a new café in the market pavilion. The Business Watch scheme has continued to prevent shoplifting and there are extended evening community safety patrols during the lighter evenings in time for our summer events programme. An exciting addition to this is Woolwich Summer Lates, a showcase of al fresco eating and outdoor entertainment, funded by the Mayor of London's Summer Streets programme.