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Long-running plans to redevelop Queens Market in Newham have been withdrawn after regeneration specialist St. Modwen and the local council were unable to reach agreement on timescale.

St Modwen presented revised plans for the site last year – including a request for a time extension to deliver the proposals - after London mayor Boris Johnson vetoed its original planning application, involving the construction of a 31-storey tower block.

The veto followed a long campaign by the Friends of Queen's Market group, which argued that St Modwen’s redevelopment would disrupt trading, increase rents and make the market less affordable for customers.

The decision to scrap the plans is seen as a victory for the campaign.

Secretary of the Friends of Queens Market group Pauline Rowe said: ‘It’s a great day for the hundreds of traders and ordinary people who have supported the seven-year long fight and we give them our heartfelt thanks. Our market is saved.'

St Modwen said its plans would have seen a £100m investment, providing improved market facilities and ‘much-needed’ housing, although campaigners claimed only 30 of the flats would have gone to local people on the housing waiting list.

In February Newham Council announced it had been in talks with St Modwen to thrash out a 'mutually acceptable timeframe’ for the project but acknowledged that an agreement over timing ‘might not be achievable’.

This week, the regeneration specialist announced its withdrawal, after failing to agree with the council on how to progress the scheme.

London regional director at St Modwen Tim Seddon said: ‘Without agreement on the fundamentals of design, approach and timing, the sensible course of action now for us is to, reluctantly, withdraw.

‘We are hugely disappointed for Queens Market’s traders and shoppers with whom we have developed a strong working relationship. Queens Market is a wonderful place but it is crying out for regeneration.’

A Newham Council spokesperson said the local authority was unwilling to wait until 2014 for works to begin under St Modwen’s revised timetable.

He added that the council remained fully committed to the future of Queens Market, and viewed the decision as ‘an opportunity to take stock and find a developer who can bring continued success to the market’.

But Ms Rowe said the Friends group will continue to fight private development that does not meet the needs of local people.

‘Our campaign, with the backing of local communities, has seen off Asda in 2006 and now St Modwen in 2010. If the council tries to bring another private developer in over the head of the people without proper consultation we will certainly do our best to see them off, too.’

This article is provided courtesy of the news feed at http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news

Families on the lowest incomes will be hit hardest if bus subsidies are scrapped, a new report warns.

The Passenger Transport Executive Group (pteg) has called on the government to maintain its support for buses through the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG), which is currently undergoing a review.

Its report shows how low income families in urban areas outside London are already struggling with bus fare rises of 95% since buses were deregulated in 1985.

In such areas buses are often the primary means of getting around for those on lower incomes; an anticipated rise of 10% in fares following the scrapping of the BSOG would disproportionately impact those families who already spend a higher proportion of their income on bus travel.

Pteg, which brings together England's six Passenger Transport Executives, found that the best value fares are often not accessible to lower income families who struggle to pay the upfront costs of yearly or monthly bus tickets.

The roll-out of Oyster style ticketing outside of London would ensure the cheapest fares are accessible to all, it said.

High transport costs can be a barrier to employment, the report said, and it called for the roll-out of Workwise, which offers free or discounted fares for those travelling to interviews and new jobs.

Councillor Mark Dowd, chair of the group of six integrated transport authorities, said: ‘For low income families outside London the bus is a ticket to opportunity - relied upon to access work, education and other vital services. Low income families have already struggled to keep pace with bus fares that have consistently risen faster than inflation.

‘If BSOG were to go, the situation would worsen with the inevitable fare increases hitting those who can afford it least.  We must protect BSOG and look at other ways of making bus travel more affordable if we are to help ensure everyone has equal access to opportunity, particularly those on a low income.’

A coalition of public transport campaigners have warned that scrapping the BSOG could lead to ‘Beeching-style cuts’.
 

This article is provided courtesy of the news feed at http://www.newstartmag.co.uk/news

Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) has announced it is ‘essentially closed for any new business’.

In response to the coalition government reducing the NWDA’s budget this year by £52m, the agency has revealed there will be no new financial commitments in 2011-12.

A statement on its website reads: ‘Any northwest programme or project that has not had NWDA funding contracted for 2010/11 will not now secure funding from the agency and the agency is essentially closed for any new business.’

Operational or capacity funding for partner organisations will end in March 2011 for urban regeneration and economic development companies including Liverpool Vision, Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre EDC, Central Salford and New East Manchester.

Sub-regional partnerships including Lancashire Economic Partnership and Cheshire and Warrington Economic Alliance will also be hit.

Scores of projects as diverse as World Series Netball, Wirral’s higher education campus and a direct rail link for Manchester, Burnley and Accrington that had approached NWDA for possible funding will now need to seek alternative investment.

NWDA chief executive Steven Broomhead acknowledged there was ‘bound to be an economic impact on the partners, businesses and communities with whom we work’.

‘In addition, the size of the cuts means that we have little flexibility in our future budgets and the agency will not be able to make any new investments or renew partner contracts before our dissolution in April 2012,’ he said.