We are organising a SEE3 Town Team meeting on Thursday 30 October at Here For Good, 17 Sydenham Road at 7pm. The key topic will be the Mayor of London's High Street Fund. Up to £9million is available to support London's High Streets to become even better places to visit, to live in and to do business in.

Funding will be directed to places that have potential for growth and where there is the commitment and capacity for real long-term change. Successful projects will create vibrant, attractive places that underpin good growth.

The fund is flexible around the activities it will support, however it is focused towards places where groups [such as Town Teams] have formed.

The fund is open to Boroughs, Sub-regional Partnerships, Town Teams and Business Improvement Districts, Community Groups, and Charities within London.

The fund would like to see proposals from the following themes, however these are by no means exhaustive, and some examples are listed below;

Proactive Stewardship - Guiding the changes ahead:
• Help form traders' associations and town teams
• Bring together multiple stakeholders to coordinate collective action
• Establish a marketing strategy for a place.
• Deliver physical projects, such as a community hub or garden, that facilitate engagement and around which groups can form.
• Establish a baseline, as a snapshot of current standard and performance, as part of a monitoring regime or regular health checks.

Stimulating activity - Designing High Street to attract people
• Improve the look and feel of places
• Develop events and attractions, such as festivals or street markets
• Provide better wayfinding and signage
• Help with Licencing issues that can hold back use of the pavements by cafes, restaurants, shops and community activity
• Help traders, budding entrepreneurs and community groups to embrace digital technology

Occupying Empty Space - Ensuring a diverse and desirable mix of uses
• Explore Town Centre Investment Management models such as real estate investment trusts and joint ventures to pool and manage property
• Make it easier for businesses to find premises and move in
• Explore and exploit the evening economy
• Use empty premises for flexible workspace, pop-up shops, crèches, cafes, learning or making space.
• Create temporary uses for empty sites awaiting development.
• Establish Community food growing projects on unused public spaces.
• Ensure usable ground floor space in new developments, that makes a positive contribution to the street.

Accommodating Growth - Recognising the role of High Streets in Development and Intensification
• Defining a High Street vision
• Shaping New Development on or around the High Street
• Supporting High Street Investment Companies, Joint Ventures, and real estate Investment trusts that are well placed to pool, manage and redevelop property and deliver housing
• Making better use of spaces above and behind shops

If you are interested in discussing a bid for the area then please come along on Thursday and share your views on what next for the high street.