Although called the 'South Bank', a large bend in the River Thames places the area in the heart of London, midway between the City and the West End. For centuries it remained neglected as low-lying marshland, prone to flooding. Then, in the first half of the 19th century, the population of London trebled and people crammed into little houses on the South Bank alongside factories and wharves. It was a poor area where families and neighbours supported each other and a close-knit community spirit developed. The railways were ‘carved’ into the area in the mid-19th century displacing any who lived in their way. Early in the 20th century, the South Bank was chosen as the location of County Hall, the home of London’s government.
During the Second World War the area suffered significant bomb damage. Afterwards, a significant amount of housing was demolished when the South Bank was chosen as the site for the 1951 Festival of Britain. The Royal Festival Hall, the only permanent legacy of the Festival, was later joined by the National Theatre, the National Film Theatre, ITV London, IPC Media and many others turning the South Bank into Europe's largest centre for the arts and media.
Many of the new office buildings were large and faceless with shops and facilities inside and 'dead' street frontages outside. Most staff commuted to work and used the internal facilities rather than spending money in shops serving the wider community. By the early 1970s, the residential population of the area had fallen from 50,000 to just 4,000. Schools and shops closed. Increasingly the area was described as 'bleak'.
The Campaign
Local people drew up a planning strategy to reverse the destruction of their community by building new homes. Central to this strategy was use of the eight, largely derelict Coin Street sites.
In 1977, after a developer had announced plans to build Europe's tallest hotel and over 1 million square feet of office space on the sites, the Coin Street Action Group was set up. The Action Group drew up plans for housing, a new riverside park and walkway, managed workshops, shops and leisure facilities.
Seven years of extraordinary campaigning, including two year-long public inquiries, followed. A number of office developers competed for the site then joined forces. After the second inquiry planning permission was granted for both the office and the community schemes.
Half of the area was owned by the office developers and half by the Greater London Council (GLC). The GLC had originally supported the office developers but after 1981 it supported the community scheme. In 1984 the office developers sold their land to the GLC which, in turn, sold the whole site to Coin Street Community Builders.
Coin Street Community Builders
Coin Street Community Builders was set up to make the area a better one in which to live, to work, and to visit. All members of the company are required to live locally and so understand the needs and opportunities of the area.
The company is 'limited by guarantee' which means that it can carry out commercial activity but profits must be ploughed back into public service objectives rather than distributed to shareholders. Members have also set up a registered housing association, Coin Street Secondary Housing Co-operative and, for each residential development, a tenant-owned 'primary' co-op.
Coin Street Community Builders employs a staff team to develop, manage and maintain the site and oversee its community and enterprise support programmes. Associated charities also support education, arts and community activities. Coin Street Community Builders works closely with neighbouring businesses and arts organisations through another 'not-for-profit' company, South Bank Employers' Group, and with other stakeholders through the South Bank Partnership
The freehold of the 13 acre (5.5 hectare) site was purchased for £1 million in 1984 using standard mortgages and a business plan showing loans being serviced from temporary uses of the land. The purchase price reflected restrictive covenants and the fact that much of the area had been derelict for over 30 years. As the company has improved the neighbourhood and established commercial activity so property values have increased. This then allows the company to borrow more for future investment.
Opening up the river
Along much of the Thames offices, hotels and private housing developments have ‘cut off’ existing communities from the river. Coin Street Community Builders wanted to open up the river for everyone to enjoy.
Between 1984 and 1988 Coin Street Community Builders organised the demolition of derelict buildings, the completion of the South Bank riverside walkway and the laying out of a new riverside park. This opened up spectacular views of the Thames, St. Paul's Cathedral and the City.
The park is called Bernie Spain Gardens after Bernadette Spain, one of the original Coin Street Action Group campaigners. Both Bernie Spain Gardens and the Thames Path (between the National Theatre and Sea Containers House) are owned, managed and maintained by Coin Street Community Builders. This stretch of the riverside now attracts visitors from all over the world as well as being a resource enjoyed by all who live or work in the area.