Wards Corner uses PCP to establish a community-controlled asset to revitalise the surrounding area. PCPs are radical democratic models that encourages councils and other public bodies to work with communities to design, manage and expand the commons.
Title
Brief description
The public-commons partnership (PCP) model works in collaboration with the communities and the local authorities and relevant public bodies to empower communities to democratically develop key infrastructure.
PCPs help show that communities can also have the knowledge and the decision making power to deicde how cities are shaped. PCPs are a form of radical democratic governance.
History of Wards Corner
Wards Corner building situated in London, is home to the Latin Village indoor market which is one of the last centres for Latin American diaspora in London. Transport for London has owned (TfL) the site since 1973 (as there is an underground station in its vicinity). It had leased Wards Corner's ground floor to independent operators which then developed it into the indoor market, which has been there since the mid-1980s. The market, named Seven Sisters Market, was listed as an Asset of Community Value by Haringey Council in 2014. The market is home to more than 60 businesses and provides 150 jobs, and represents over 20 different nationalities.
Before Wards Corner established a PCP, a group of Seven Sisters market traders initiated a community plan. The plan (started in 2007) had been campaigning for more than 15 years to retain and enhance the market. The suggested plan wanted to renovate the market building and provide affordable residential blocks along the neighbouring streets.
Keywords
Commons, local market, public-common partnership, revitalisation
City/Country
Time period
2021- ongoing
Lever(s)
Finance & business models
Culture, civic participation & social innovation
capacity & capability
Methodologies
Public-common partnership (PCP)- councils and public bodies work with communities to design and manage the commons. PCPs get co-ownership and co-governance of an asset. PCP was used to establish the Wards Corner building as a community-controlled asset to revitalise the area. Community can buy shares in the BenCom.
Community wealth building- resources decided and put back to community.
World Region
Scale(s) of the case analysed
Target audience and dimension
Domain(s) of application
Context addressed
Solution applied
Challenge addressed/ Problem-led approach
Barriers addressed
Main Practices
Impact
Co benefits
Engagement Journey
Impact to climate neutrality
Context & Public policy of reference
Innovative approach(es) addressed
Initiator
In 2003, Wards Corner was considered for redevelopment, and in 2007 a development agreement was signed between Haringey Council and a UK-based developer Grainger PLC. Grainger PLC wanted to redevelop Wards Corner, but UN human rights experts criticised the redevelopment, citing that it would negatively affect the cultural life there and the economic situation of the people working there. In October 2020, advocates of the PCP met the Mayor to get their support for the PCP. On the 5th of August 2021, Grainger cancelled the development.
On the 6th of August 2021, Haringey Council and Transport for London delivered a joint statement: "Grainger yesterday announced it will not proceed with the Wards Corner development. TfL and Haringey Council have agreed to work collaboratively, and alongside the traders, to explore the vision of delivering a new community-led development, with Seven Sisters Market and the wider local community at its heart. We recognise that most traders have been unable to operate for over a year because of health and safety issues with the existing market. We will work as quickly as possible to identify appropriate short and long-term solutions for the market and Wards Corner." (https://www.haringey.gov.uk/news/joint-statement-transport-london-and-haringey-council-wards-cornerhttps://www.haringey.gov.uk/news/joint-statement-transport-london-and-haringey-council-wards-corner)
On Haringey Council's page: "Haringey Council wants Seven Sisters Market to be the best it possibly can be and recognises the social value it brings to borough. We are committed to working with the local community and stakeholders to ensure a successful and sustainable market." (https://www.haringey.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning/major-projects-and-regeneration/seven-sisters-regeneration)
Stakeholder networks and organisational model
Stakeholders:
BenCom- Democratic forum for governing the development of Wards Corner
Altair- Housing and property consultant
West Green Road/ Seven Sisters Charitable Development Trust- Starting in 2007, developed four community plans and in 2019, received planning permission
Seven Sisters Market Traders Association (SSMTA)- Control over the affairs of the market- appoints and manages the market manager
Haringey Council- agreement with Grainger PLC
Grainger PLC- developer
Transport for London (TfL)- Holds the freehold on the site (public partner)
Network, communication and governance:
Public-Common Partnership is the Wards Corner Community Benefit Society (BenCom)
1. PCP for Wards Corner was to establish a community controlled asset.
i. All profits used for community benefit.
2. Five share types: community members, investor members, Transport for London, Seven Sisters Market Tenants Association, West Green Road/ Seven Sisters Charitable Development Trust.
i. Each shareholder member has a single vote. Eg. Community member share (usually available for 1 pound) are available to anyone living within the defined geography.
- TfL Veto power- decisions on physical infratrcuture on site
- Development Trust veto power- on changes regarding BenCom
- SSMTA veto power- operational aspects of the market, hiring managers
3. PCP for Wards Corner will become the long-term leaseholder on affordable terms, responsible for managing the Wards Corner development.
4. Democratic membership-based structure
5. On an annual basis, shareholders elect a specific number of representatives for the board.
6. Seven Sisters Charitable Development Trust- Community-led approach to regenerate the area: direct funds toward the expansion of democratic ownership initiatives in the area.
7. SSMTA- workplace democracy, like a worker cooperative.
Democratic Purpose
Participant Recruitment
nteraction between participants
Resources
Key enablers
1. Wards Corner proving that community-led alternatives can also produce results (when Community development plan was approved for planning)
Key inhibiting factors
1. The participatory processes are not fixed in utero, so there is no clear longer-term directions, information on what these participatory processes are/were.
Drawbacks/pros/cons of the solutions (after implementation)
Scalability
Key lessons
Indicators
External link
Heron, K., Milburn, K., & Russell, B. (2021, September). Public-Common Partnerships: democratising ownership and urban development. Common Wealth. Retrieved from https://uploads-ssl.webflow.com/5e1b5c6919c05c76379535f9/6151b9838c11fe74e0b66882_CW_PCP-Democratising%20ownership%20and%20urban%20development.pdf
Russell, B., Milburn, K., & Heron, K. (2022). Strategies for a new municipalism: Public–common partnerships against the new enclosures. Urban Studies Journal, 1-25. doi: 10.1177/00420980221094700
Wards Corner. Retrieved from https://wardscorner.org/
Wards Corner Community Plan. Design and Access Statement. (2019, July). Retrieved from https://pdfhost.io/v/DyoOdsKV6_190820_Wards_Corner_DAS_RevApdf.pdf
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