Aldgate Pavilion – Community Consultation– Leaders Pack / City of London


Aldgate Pavilion – Community Engagement

1Introduction

1.1This information pack is for consultation leaders and provides the background to the project and the topics that we require feedback on from local communities and stakeholders.

1.2The City of London Corporation (CoLC) is currently reconfiguring the Aldgate Gyratory system to create a new public space between St Botolph’s Without Aldgate Church and the Sir John Cass’s Foundation Primary School. It is proposed to site a pavilion to the north end of the space to provide a café and toilet facilities which are to be available for public use under the City’s Community Toilet Scheme.

1.3The current proposal is for a pavilion building with a footprint in the region of 105m2, containing a seating area, servery, a small preparation area, storage and disabled toilet. A lift which will be mainly for goods use connects down to the back of house function in a re-used subway. The re-used subway contains the food preparation area and storage for chairs and tables are also included. In addition there will be four unisex toilets.

1.4The facility is important to the success of the area as a recreational amenity which is welcoming to a wide range of users. It needs to offer opportunities for more passive enjoyment of the new space as well as providing natural surveillance and a meeting point for both private and community events.

1.5The CoLC intends to tender for the management and operation of the Aldgate Pavilion with a view to engaging a Social Enterprise.

1.6Scope

1.6.1The scope of the Service will include;

  • Management of the Aldgate Pavilion and Public Toilets
  • Providing a catering service from the pavilion
  • Supervision of the square
  • Operational Management of events in the square
  • Seating outside in the square; both café and public seating

1.7Visuals and design scheme

1.8The key outcomes are;

  • A financial return that will help to maintain the new public square
  • Use of the facility by the local business and residential communities
  • Use of the public square at weekends and evenings
  • Identification of the pavilion as a community hub that connects other facilities in the Portsoken area
  • The outcomes of this procurement process are;
  • To have an operator identified, selected and in place by September 2015.
  • To select a financially and operationally secure operator
  • To ensure value for money for the City of London Corporation
  • To ensure the selected operator is adaptable, has a true partnership approach and has the capacity and willingness to further develop and expand services in the City of London should this be required.
  • Local Consultation
  • The City has initially consulted with local communities to understand their aspirations for the pavilion and square and the key outcomes of this are;
  • Pavilion Opening Hours extended to weekends and evenings to provide local community hub
  • Pavilion to provide venue for locally based activities in off peak hours
  • Low cost menu options for local residents.
  • Use of local suppliers
  • Local employment and apprenticeship opportunities
  • Healthy eating educational programmes
  • Making the environment safer by providing a staffed facility in the public square
  • Promoting other local facilities and attractions
  • Timescales
  • The indicative timescales for the project are;
  • Consultation period / soft market test October 2014
  • Expression of interest/PQQ November 2014
  • Initial Invitation to tender January 2015
  • Shortlisted final tenders April 2015
  • Contract Award July 2015
  • Mobilisation July – August 2015
  • Contract start September 2015
  • Lisa Forsyth will be co-ordinating the consultation and will be able to support you in providing more information or answering questions from the people you are consulting with.

Lisa Forsyth – tel: 07724 001773

1.14We need you to return the consultation feedback under the four headings set out below so we can co-ordinate all the responses but you can ask people questions in a way that you think is most appropriate for their community. The fourth heading allows up to pick up almost any issue that people want to raise.

1.15The way that you ask the questions is also completely up to you, you can produce a questionnaire, interview people or hold meetings and you can do it physically or electronically.Please see an example questionnaire at the back of this document, with a word version in separate document.

1.16We need all the community consultation feedback completed and returned to Lisa by 28th November 2014.

1.17Consultation Leaders are;

  • Rosie Farrer – Public service providers
  • Caroline Masundire and Portsoken Pioneers – Residents
  • Steve Berwick – Artizan Street and Green Box users
  • Laura Jorgenson – Church community
  • Tim Wilson – School Community
  • Fay Cannings – Business Community
  • There will of course be some overlap with people being asked more than once but as this is an open consultation that is not being asked to decide a specific issue that will be fine.

Consultation Areas;

  • When would you like to see the Pavilion open outside the core hours of weekdays 8 to 3?
  • What kind of food would you like to see on the café menu and what type of healthy eating offers should be on offer?
  • What type of activities would you like to see happening in the Pavilion / Café at non-peak times (peak times will be weekdays 8 to 3)?
  • What other things should be considered to make the Pavilion attractive for you to use?

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