D O W N T H E R E B Y T H E T R A I N S

U N E A R T H I N G A H I D D E N E C O N O M Y I N

L O U G H B O R O U G H J U N C T I O N

Research conducted by Alex Marsh on behalf of the Loughborough Junction Action Group, Loughborough Junction

Business Group, and the Remakery

All maps, photographs and text produced by Alex Marsh

Contact: amarsh9891@hotmail.co.uk

D O W N T H E R E B Y T H E T R A I N S

U N E A R T H I N G A H I D D E N E C O N O M Y I N

L O U G H B O R O U G H J U N C T I O N

Left: Down there in the canyon of Hinton Road, while comuters drift by above

C O N T E N T S

1_ I N T R O D U C T I O N 7

2_ C O N T E X T 13

3_ M E T H O D O L O G Y 29

4_ S I T E T Y P E S 39

5_ B U S I N E S S S E C T O R S 47

6_ C O N C L U S I O N 57

Bare brick expanse of the Hinton Road railway bridge, one of the many blank facades in Loughborough Junction

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Left: Locked door on Camberwell Station Road

1_ I N T R O D U C T I O NBlank facades are something of a defining feature of Loughborough Junction. Tracking the theatrical cross-cuts of the area’s four intersecting railway lines, are a series of metal shutters, corrugated warehouse exteriors and bare brick expanses. Punctuated by the occasional locked door or illegible graffito, their effect, while certainly sombre, can be strangely beautiful; giant painterly abstractions to backdrop the Junction’s everyday comings and goings. But perhaps that’s just me.

Whatever your opinion of these harsh exteriors, they are undeniably successful in fulfilling their primary function: keeping people out. These are not spaces that invite casual exploration. As a result, few locals have any exact idea what goes on behind them. There are rumours of an impossibly large number of garages, some scrap metal dealers, and other vaguely Arthur Daley-tinged activities based in the arches and tumble-down warehouses. And yet, despite the somewhat inscrutable nature of what goes in these spaces, there is a distinct sense that these activities are as much a part of the area’s character and identity as the railways and their seven bridges. This study sets out to reveal this hidden side of Loughborough Junction. Using on the ground survey work, as well as subsequent computer mapping and data analysis, it presents a snapshot in time of the businesses that make up the local economy.

I have attempted to make this a document that engages with a wider audience than the usual cadre of planning professionals and engaged planning nerds (unfortunately I belong to both groups). Wherever possible, findings are presented in clear and simple graphs, maps and graphics. The accompanying text provides additional analysis, mixing description and personal observations with robust numerical analysis. I hope this more personal perspective helps draw in some readers who might otherwise see this as an offputtingly technical document, full of the jargon and timidly insipient prose that we have unfortunately come to expect from our planning system.

This research has been conducted on behalf of the Loughborough Junction Action Group (LJAG), an independent

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Right: Bridge brickwork and

single chair (and bin bag) on

Coldharbour Lane

group of people who live or work in Loughborough Junction and share the common aim of regenerating and improving the area, as well as the Remakery, a co-operative workshop space for making things from materials that were destined for landfill. I hope this document goes someway to providing these organisations and the wider community with a new means of understanding their area, and new data with which to monitor and express their concerns about the changes they see going on.

The report itself is split into three sections, beginning with a brief introduction to Loughborough Junction and overview of the methodology used. This is followed by an analysis of the geography of the Loughborough Junction economy, before delving into the detail around the types of businesses found in the area.

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View from the Gordon Grove Adventure Playground , looking out over the Wickwood Street arches towards Loughborough Junction station

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Left: Map showing study area, main employment sites and surrounding context

2_ C O N T E X TWhile I expect that the majority of readers will be familiar with Loughborough Junction it seems only fair to provide a brief introduction to those who do not necessarily live or work in the area. Rather than waste people’s time with some inanely cursory historical overview, it seems more useful to ‘walk’ readers through the area. This should allow the uninitiated to get a partial picture of the current make-up and feel of Loughborough Junction. I would direct readers wanting a more complete historical overview towards more diligent historians than myself, in particular Edmund Bird’s comprehensive guide to Lambeth’s post-war architecture and the ever-intriguing local histories of the Urban 75 blog.

For the purposes of clarity I have divided Loughborough Junction into 3 different areas; the Junction, Milkwood Road estates and the northern railway spine. I realise some readers may take exception to the extensive study boundary, arguing that my inclusion of parts of Milkwood Road and Camberwell Station Road is taking undue liberties with excepted definitions of Loughborough Junction. I would certainly not be the first to point out difficulties in defining the boundaries of Loughborough Junction. It is an area that suffers somewhat in the dominating presence of its illustrious neighbours - Brixton, Camberwell, and Herne Hill. Where these areas begin and end is always going to be ambiguous, and my boundary may push the limits of what can ‘legitimately’ be called Loughborough Junction. Nevertheless, I would encourage proud Junction-ites to be unashamedly expansionist in establishing their territory. Such fuzzy border areas can fall easy victim to the “rebranding” exercise of some ambitious estate agent. ‘East Brixton’ or ‘Camberwell West’ anyone? I thought not.

Given the definitional difficulties it is probably safest to begin at the Junction - an area that even the most creative estate agent must (for now) concede as Loughborough Junction proper – before covering the Milkwood Road estates and the northern railway spines. The focus on businesses and employment means these three areas only cover the various employment sites around Loughborough Junction and do not include the exclusively residential areas that surround them.

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01 View down Hinton Road towards crossing railway lines and the ‘Riff Raff’ tattoo studio

2.1_The Junction

“No performance so far, but tremendous promise…a triangle of high-level railway lines. Each road has a bridge along a few yards along it. This unique feature could so easily be an enrichment instead of an embarrassment…It is a natural centre, so that there would be no fear of tickling up an artificial relationship”

Ian Nairn, Nairn’s London, 1966

In many ways little has changed since the mid-60s when the writer Ian Nairn honoured the Junction with a mention in his idiosyncratic guide to the capital. The enchanting tangle of arching railway lines, bridges, and busy road junctions are still in place. And yet the mildly cajoling tone of Nairn’s “must try harder” assessment still hangs over the area. It very much remains a “performance” waiting to happen.

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03 The ongoing botched conversion of Loughborough House

02 Door from MDM Prop’s former unit on the Higgs Estate onto Herne Hill Road

04 Parade of shops along Coldharbour Lane, including recently uncovered David Greig signage

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06 Vacant and under-used arches along Rathgar Road have led to on-going problems with crime

05 Branching off Coldharbour Lane, Belinda Road is home to a branch of Powerday Recycling, as well as a number of smaller businesses based in the railway arches

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07 The Shakespeare Business Centre, a former granary building on the corner of Coldharbour Lane and Shakspeare Road

08 Coldharbour Lane railway viaduct 09 Entrance to the Barrington Road arches

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01 View from Hinton Road into GMR Scrap Metal yard, with the Hardess Street arches visible behind

2.2_Milkwood Road Estates

Exiting the Junction-proper up Hinton Road takes you past the prominently placed GMR scrap metal yard, a business that often shapes (and sometimes hardens) peoples’ perceptions of the area. Behind it sits the decidedly less visible Hardess Street. With artist studios, a cinema, two garages, engineers, boxing gym, church, and food preparation all crammed into this tiny site, it is unfortunate that many people are unaware of this characteristically coexistant diversity.

As Hinton Road blends into Milkwood Road – plausible connections with Dylan Thomas’ famous poem being tenuous at best –a rather scraggy looking high street parade rears up the right, beyond which stretch three large industrial estates masked by unchecked growths of buddleia.

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03 View down Milkwood Road highlighting the typical edge condition of the industrial estates

02 Hardess Street arches towards Herne Hill Road. With the edge of the Hardess Street Industrial Estate to the right, access to 7 of the arches is limited to a narrow footpath

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05 Typical frontage of larger warehouse units within the Bessemer Industrial Estate

04 Blank street-facing facade of a unit occupied by Libra Accident Repair Centre in the Dylan Road industrial area

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07 Shared servicing and car parking space within the Bessemer Industrial Estate

08 View down Shakespeare Road at the southern extent of the study area

06 Stacked pallettes within the Bessemer Industrial Estate

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02 Gordon Grove Adventure Playground01 Pedestrian access in Gordon Grove

2.3_Northern Railway Spine

Connecting through to the Junction via Rathgar Road, Wickwood Street is a small pot-holed road providing access to 20 railway arches, for the most part occupied by small car garages. While the road definitely has something of a reputation locally, the reality (during working hours at least) is surprisingly peaceable. Across Lilford Road, as the railway arch starts a leisurely eastward arc, are a series of 3 industrial estates: Ilford Business Centre, Chartwell Business Park and the Camberwell Trading Estate.

Finally, crossing Denmark Road, as well as the borough boundary, and into Camberwell Station Road; a series of railway arches open out onto the road opposite the sizeable Camberwell Bus depot, before terminating at the Camberwell New Road.

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04 View down Carew Street, including the largely inactive frontage of the Chartwell railway arches

03 View from Gordon Grove Advenutre Playground of Wickwood Street. The yard is home to several small car garages, a company manufacturing ventilation ducting, and a large unmanned substation

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05 The Chartwell Business Park includes a mix of warehouse units, railway arches and offices. These house a range of businesses including churches, a cafe, wrestling school, and film/photographic studio

06 Office type units within the Chartwell Business Park

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07 A typically deconstructed car on Camberwell Station Road. With 13 seperate car garages the road is often filled with parked and part serviced cars (see below)

08 View down Camberwell Station Road towards the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church

Large warehouse of the Powerday recycling site on Belinda Road

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Left: Example of the handdrawn maps created during the survey process

3_ M E T H O D O L O G YI am all too aware that when viewed from the outside, these types of employment studies can seem offputtingly complex and technical. However, it is worth stressing that the method that underpins the study is in fact surprising straight forward. I began by drawing up a study area (whose boundaries we have already discussed) and, over a period of six days, systematically visited every employment site falling within it. Basic information was gathered for every business premise – both vacant and in use - including the name of the business, its location and primary activity, as well as an approximate number of employees (0 - 9, 10 - 49, 50 - 249, 250+) and the type of space occupied. While the steps that follow are somewhat more technical, it is this relatively straightforward process of exploration, cataloguing, and talking to businesses that forms the basis of this study.

All this information was then gathered into a database, with each business being placed within one of the 16 categories shown overleaf, before finally being imputed into GIS mapping software for further analysis. More detailed interviews were also carried out with a further 71 businesses, around 17% of all businesses within Loughborough Junction. Questions included the exact number of employees, what percentage live locally (living within Southwark and/or Lambeth), the age of the business, expected employee growth over the next year, what improvements businesses would like to see in the area, and awareness and interest in being involved with the Loughborough Junction Business Association and / or Remakery.

The graphic overleaf shows interview rates for each of the sectors. While interview rates are generally high a number of sectors are noticeably lower or completely absent. These include utilities, public and professional services, faith groups, and to a lesser extent the creative sector. Reasons for these low interview rates vary across the sectors. Utilities and public services - schools in particular - are not particularly amenable to the “cold calling” interview style that this study relies on, while professional services are few in number (only 13 businesses) and tend to be hidden away in business centres or private homes, making them more difficult to access. By

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Right: Graph showing interview

rates by business sector, as well as examples of the

types of business within each sector

contrast, the creative sector is made up of hundreds of sole trader artists and other creative practitioners, and while a large number where interviewed it is almost impossible find, let alone interview, all of them. The faith groups are perhaps the most problematic omission, although I should stress that this was in no way purposeful. Interviews were carried out on weekdays between 9am and 5pm, when the majority businesses would be operating and available to talk. However, faith groups and churches in particular, tend to be open on the weekend and the occasional weekday evening. While undoubtedly more could have been done to include these groups, their omission was a product of crossed schedules rather than premeditated exclusion.

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Mural on the Riff Raff tattoo salon, part of the GMR scrap yard site

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P E O P L E W O R K I N T H E A R E A

421

B U S I N E S S E SB A S E D I N T H E A R E A

1250

L I V E I N T H E L O C A L A R E A

7 1%

O F A L L J O B S I N I N D U S T R I A L A R E A S

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O F A L L J O B S O N T H E H I G H S T R E E T

89%

O F B U S I N E S S E S E M P L O Y L E S S T H A N

10 P E O P L E

400P E O P L E W O R K I N M A N U F A C T U R I N G

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W I T H R O B O T S

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14T A K E A W A Y S H O P S

9B A R B E R S H O P S

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290 P E O P L E W O R K I N V E H I C L E R E P A I R

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V E H I C L E R E P A I R G A R A G E S

28C H U R C H E S

293R A I L W A Y A R C H E S

1 19V A C A N T R A I L W A Y

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140N O . O F B U S I N E S S E S T H A T C O U L D F I T I N

C U R R E N T LY V A C A N T A R C H E S

450N O . O F N E W J O B S

T H E S E B U S I N E S S E S W O U L D C R E A T E

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A R T I S T S T U D I O S

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A R T G A L L E R I E S

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T U R N E R P R I Z E W I N N E R

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P E O P L E W O R K I N G I N C R E A T I V E I N D U S T R I E S

24 key facts and findings emerging from the research

Series of arches along Hardess Street, home to a range of businesses including a boxing gym, independent cinema, artist studios, church and 2 garages

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Left: Entrance to Barrington Road railway arches

4_ S I T E T Y P E SAs should be clear from the context setting, there are a number of very different employment sites across Loughborough Junction, ranging from small railway arches through to cavernous bus depots. However, despite being very different types of spaces and clearly catering for very different types of businesses, these tend to get lumped together as generic “industrial” spaces. By grouping together numerous buildings into coherent sites it becomes possible to present a more geographical analysis of Loughborough Junction’s economy. Sites were drawn up during survey work before being placed within 1 of 6 categories listed below.

Standalone industrial siteLarge warehouses occupied by a single business, typically with their own external yard space, access routes, car parking, and security.

Industrial estatesWarehouse units occupied by multiple businesses, accessed off of a shared yard space. Typically unit sizes are smaller than in standalone warehouses.

Railway landRailway arches as well as any employment sites found immediately adjacent to railway viaducts.

High streetsTraditional high-street with small retail units on the ground floor and residential or other uses above.

Business centresTypically provide a large number of small office units within a single building. Parking is generally provided, although this does not cater for large-scale loading and unloading.

Businesses in primarily residential areasBusinesses found within residential blocks and/or areas that are primarily residential. These businesses are typically schools, doctors surgeries, some small retail premises and community centres.

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Left: Map showing the distribution of the 6 site types across Loughborough Junction

From the map one can clearly see the sweeping blue lines of employment sites characterised as Railway Land, the larger dark red Standalone Industrial sites and the smaller unit sizes of the Industrial Estates, shown in light red. The area’s five schools shown in light green, along with a number of smaller sites, can be seen scattered throughout the more residential areas, while the two business centres - the Shakespeare Business Centre on Coldharbour Lane, and the Lilford Business Centre on Lilford Road - are somewhat difficult to pick out by virtue of their small footprint. Finally, the map clearly highlights the fragmented nature of the high street in Loughborough Junction, with few extended stretches of continuous retail frontage in the area.

4.1_AnalysisThe differences in this subtle patchwork of site types is further explored in the graphs opposite, showing each sites percentage share of the area’s 421 businesses, 2470 jobs, and 116,500sqm of employment floor space. Beginning with the first three site types, which can be broadly grouped as being more typically “industrial” in terms of their occupants and building stock, we can start to see the differences between these spaces. Standalone industrial sites tend to be very large sites occupied by a single business, reflected in the low number of businesses based in these spaces (1%). However, these sites take up a large amount of space (19% of all employment land) and are home to 12% of the area’s jobs. By contrast, industrial estates tend to provide much smaller units with a number of smaller businesses sharing yard and car parking space. As a result, there a much larger number of businesses based in industrial estates (17%), which provide 28% of the area’s jobs. However, it is interesting to note that, when compared the standalone industrial sites, the large number of jobs found in industrial estates are housed within a proportionally smaller share of overall employment space (20%).

Similarly, railway land - which is characterised by a large number of small railway arch units - houses the largest share of businesses (32%) and a sizeable number of jobs (22%), within approximately the same amount of space taken up by the standalone industrial sites (both 19%). However, in contrast to the first two sites, railway land is characterised by high vacancy rates, with 26% of all employment space currently vacant. This innocuous sounding statistic masks the fact that, at the time of

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Right: graphs showing each

site type’s % share of overall businesses, jobs

and floorspace, as well vacancy rates

surveying, 119 of the area’s 293 railway arches were vacant, an astonishing 41%. This 14,000sqm of unused employment floor space could, if filled at densities similar to those found in the area’s occupied railway arches, house somewhere in the region of 140 businesses, creating close to 450 new jobs.

Unsurprisingly there are a large number of businesses are found in the high streets and business centres (18% and 14% respectively). The large number of businesses based in residential areas (18%) is at first glance a little surprisingly. However, these are for the most part made up of sole trader artists and other creative practitioners based in 2 artist studios, Coldharbour and Clockwork Studios. However, the large number of jobs found in residential areas (18%) come mostly from the area’s five schools, which also account for the large share of employment floor space (29%). It is perhaps worth pointing out the relatively low vacancy rate along the high street (6%), comparing favourably to the London wide average (7%). However, this seemingly low rate is perhaps less a reflection of a flourishing high street, and can instead be attributed to the large number of retail-to-residential conversions that have occurred in places like Hinton Road and parts of Coldharbour Lane.

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STANDALONE INDST. SITE

INDUSTRIAL ESTATES

RAILWAY LAND

HIGH STREET

BUSINESS CENTRE

BUSINESS IN RESID. AREA

Interior of Invisible Blue, a company specialising in creating bespoke scenery, sets and furniture for events

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Left: ABB IRB6400 industrial robots used by Robofold, a business that is exploring new ways of bending and forming metal

5_ B U S I N E S S S E C T O R SUsing the 16 categories outlined earlier in the methodology, I have created a map of businesses in the Loughborough Junction area, as well as a series of graphs showing each sector’s share of the area’s total businesses, jobs and employment floor space (see overleaf). I believe these graphics go some way to proving the surprising scale, as well as diversity of activities going on around Loughborough Junction. From the map one can clearly see the larger school sites (brown), transport and storage (light green) and utilities (dark blue) sites towards the peripheries of the study areas, with the railway arches and smaller industrial estate units along the curve of the railway viaducts hosting a variety of different sectors. However, in order to gain a more complete picture the map needs to be read in conjunction with the 3 graphs showing each sector’s percentage share of the area’s total businesses, jobs and employment floor space.

5.1_Sector AnalysisThe first graph (% share to total businesses) in particular show the area is home to a wealth of activities beyond the breakers yard and Arthur Daley tinged stereotypes. In terms of the number of businesses there is a fairly even spread across the sectors, with slightly higher numbers in the Vehicle Sale and Repair, Creative, Retail & Restaurants, and Faith sectors. All of these are characterised by a large number of small businesses and / or sole traders, and it is worth pausing briefly to highlight the sheer numbers of these small businesses; 66 garages and vehicle sale businesses, 92 artists and creative businesses, as well as 28 churches, 1 mosque, and 1 “spiritual university”.

However, in order to get a more complete picture of the area’s economy we need to go beyond merely looking at the number of businesses, and start comparing these with the second graph showing the sectors’ percentage share of overall employment. From this graph it should become clear that while Vehicle Sale and Repair, Creative, Retail & Restaurants, and Faith sectors have a large number of businesses, their percentage share of the area’s overall employment is somewhat lower. This is particularly true for the Creative sector which makes 22% of all businesses but accounts for just 6% of all jobs, largely due to the high number of sole trader artists and creative practitioners. By contrast, although there are only 8 Transport and Storage

Map showing the distribution of businesses by sector, as well as graphs showing each sector’s share of overall businesses, jobs, and floorspace

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businesses (2% of all businesses), they account for 15% of the area’s employment. Similarly, while there are relatively few public service or manufacturing businesses / employment sites they account for a high percentage of the area’s overall employment (15% and 16% respectively).

Finally it is worth comparing sector’s share of total employment floor space. When compared with the overall share of businesses and employment one can start to get a sense of those sectors which are space efficient and those which are space hungry compared to the jobs they generate. Thus, it should be clear that while Utilitites and Services, Public are both space hungry, utilities are particularly so when compared to the number of jobs it generates. By contrast, Transport and Storage and Manufacture, Other both create a large number of jobs in a comparatively small amount of space.

5.2_Size and type of employersIn addition to looking at the share of businesses, jobs and floor space by sector, the 2 graphs opposite help us develop a more complete picture of the Loughborough Junction economy by showing the share of total businesses and jobs by the size and type of employer. From the top graph it is clear that both in terms of the sheer number of businesses and share of overall employment, micro businesses - those employing less than 10 people – are the dominant workplace and employer within the area. However, it is also important to note that 32% of jobs come from only 10 workplaces that employ more than 50 people. This story seems to be reflected in the second graph which shows the share of businesses and employment by the type of businesses. Again, in terms of the number of businesses and share of overall employment independent businesses are clearly important contributors to the local economy. However, while branches and subsidiaries make up a relatively small proportion of the total businesses within the area, they tend to be large employers. Examples include the Veolia vehicle depot in Milkwood Road and the Camberwell bus depot, which by themselves provide close to 10% of the area’s jobs.

5.3_Interview AnalysisHaving developed a more nuanced overview of the types businesses within the area, it is possible to start introducing some of the other data gathered during the interview

Right: Graphs showing share of

overall businesses by size of

workspace, and type of employer

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Right: Graphs showing the age of businesses, as

well as types of improvments they

want to see happen in the area

Businesses were asked both how long they had been operating in Loughborough Junction and the year the business was established, the results of which are plotted in the top graph opposite. This should allow us to get a rough sense of whether Loughborough Junction is a place where start-up businesses develop, or whether it provide follow on space for businesses established elsewhere. While the findings are somewhat inconclusive, of the 71 businesses interviewed 41% have been located in Loughborough Junction for more than 10 years. A picture starts to develop of a series of well established businesses who are not necessarily “high growth” but have developed strong links with the local area. This seems to be borne out in businesses’ response to a question around their expected growth in employee numbers over the next year, with 66% expecting to remain the same over the next year. 4% expect slight decreases, with the other 30% expecting an (23% of those slight and 7 % substantial).

Finally businesses were asked what improvements they would like to see in the area, the results of which are plotted in the bottom graph opposite with categories of improvements grouped by colour. To those familiar with the area it will be no great surprise that parking jumps out as an issue, with 18% of businesses identifying the lack of employee, customer and general delivery spaces as affecting their day to day operations. However, a large number of businesses also pointed to need for better public spaces (14%), as well as better maintenance of existing spaces (13%). A desire for a wider variety of food and retail offer (10%) and more local amenities (7%), such as high quality green space, and sports and leisure options, can also be seen as connected with this desire for a more pleasant working environment. Finally it is also worth pointing out that 12% of interviewed businesses were happy with the area as it is today, having no particular changes they would like to see made. While this can be dismissed as the product of disengaged interviewees suffering from consultation fatigue (the question did come towards the end of the survey), I believe it serves as useful reminder that while the somewhat neglected spaces that characterise the Junction are not to everybody’s taste, for many they do serve their purpose as functional places of work.

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Vacant warehouse in the Higgs Estate being used for Perrit Lang’s consultation process. The unit was formerly used to make children’ s memorabilia

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Left: Rolled up drapes stored in ‘Cover it Up’, a hire firm specialising in drapes for theatres, events and media use. Recent clients include the X Factor, Ricky Gervais’ ‘Science’ tour and the Natural History Museum

6_ C O N C L U S I O NI hope this study has provided some useful insights into the Loughborough Junction economy, helping to reveal the scale and range of activities going on in a small corner of London. Of course this document should only ever be seen as a snapshot in time, and although Loughborough Junction is not characterised by the high levels of churn found in some of London’s larger industrial areas, there will inevitably be changes. Nevertheless, this study provides a solid baseline from which to work from, offering an intriguing opportunity to repeat this study in a few years time.

However, taking this opportunity to look forward in time, I cannot help but feel that Loughborough Junction remains precariously balanced on the edge of a decidedly uncertain future. Many occupants of the railway arches already report substantial recent rent rises and, at the time of writing, plans for redeveloping the Higgs Estate are making their way through the planning system for the second time. Even if the developer’s application is once again rejected, the site will almost certainly sit vacant for quite some time to come. All of the Higgs tenants, with the exception of one church, have already moved out quite some time ago, at the loss of 7 businesses and more than 100 jobs. Long term vacancy, with the inevitable vandalism, anti-social behaviour, and sporadic criminality that it tends to attract, will make any future applicant’s proposals look considerably more attractive to both the planners and the local community.

The Higgs Estate is therefore a warning shot, highlighting the types of development pressures that other employment spaces in the area (particularly industrial) will be under. The railway viaducts, which make up 19% of the area’s employment land, will hopefully ensure that the loss of workspace is partially limited; for fairly obvious reasons you cannot build on a railway arch. However, as this report has shown, the various other industrial sites are also important jobs generators. Although many of them are designated by Lambeth as ‘Key Industrial Business Areas’ (KIBAs) - providing some protection from housing development - we should be under no illusions that these designations are in any way set in stone.

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While the focus of this study is necessarily local, I hope it can also contribute in its own small way to a growing chorus of concern about the future of work and industry in London. All across London, small patches of industrial land, like those found in Loughborough Junction, are being lost to housing. In and of themselves, these seemingly small losses may appear insignificant. After all, ‘Strategic Industrial Land’ is (for the most part) being protected, ensuring that critical day-to-day services - utilities, distribution centres, waste recycling and other similarly un-glamorous activities – will continue to function. However, the Mayor’s benchmark figure for the release of surplus industrial land (set for around 40 hectares per year) have regularly been exceeded by around 120%.

Much of this substantial loss has been made up of small industrial sites dotted around London. The impact of this loss can be measured locally in the number of businesses forced out, along with the jobs they create, as well as the loss of employment diversity within the area. Contrary to the stereotyped mono-culture of breakers yards and car mechanics, these spaces host a huge variety of businesses from larger wholesalers and logistics uses serving central London, through to small photography studios and art fabrication firms which form an integral part of London’s much envied creative industry. Whilst employment floorspace is often re-provided in the “mixed use” developments that replace these sites, the type and affordability of space they offer is radically different. Whilst often classed as a B1 use, which does allow for some light industry, the design of the new workspaces is such that practically it can only ever be used for office type uses (the proposed B1 uses on the Higgs Estate redevelopment provides a perfect example of this). The affordable, light-industrial workspace which these types of smaller industrial sites provide, is not going to reappear in the mixed-used dreams of planners and developers.

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