Town centres must become the living room for millennials, according to Jerome Frost, global planning director and leader of consulting at Arup.
Frost told Future of London’s Creating Resilient Town Centres event that town centres must become a place for learning, leisure, sports and all other aspects of life.
Sue Foster, strategic director for delivery at Lambeth council, said that we can’t stop thinking about tomorrow but stressed the need to balance gentrification and growth with heritage.
Victoria Hills, chief executive of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, outlined how the changes to the area presented a real opportunity for creating resilient town centres because they could be planned as a whole from the start.
Gerry Hughes, head of planning, development and regeneration at Bilfinger GVA, summed up by saying: “Town centres rely on a special collaboration between the public, private and communities. The changes that come about must be the result of genuine partnerships and must result in the right blend of uses.”
Click below to hear Victoria Hills discuss balancing the needs of the community in new centres and the challenges of starting with a blank slate.
