Old Kent Road Audits

Two audits of industrial areas in the Old Kent Road in 2015 and in 2016 found a wide range of businesses in an exciting and varied range of sectors. This is not nothing!

In 2014 the London Borough of Southwark and the Greater London Authority announced plans to transform the Old Kent Road and began work on an Area Action Plan. The Old Kent Road survey. In order to ensure the evidence base is sound, in late 2015 Cities audited industrial areas in the Old Kent Road Opportunity Area, where we focused on known industrial locations with a door to door survey, identifying businesses of all kinds. The audit was extended and updated in 2016.

We found almost half the jobs around the Old Kent Road are industrial, with nine major courier and delivery businesses; 42 construction-related businesses; 50 vehicle repair, service and hire firms; fifteen businesses supporting the arts and theatre in central London and more than 20 publishers/printers. There were also more than 200 small studio-type spaces hosting entrepreneurs, artisans and creative professionals. In food-related sectors around 320 people were employed in five butchers and fishmongers; seven commercial caterers; several wholesale bakeries, ice cream producers and breweries.

The work was put on display at Mardyke House in January 2016 and at the Livesey Exchange later in the year. The research has also formed the basis of ‘making the case’ for considering industry in the planning and regeneration process at numerous other events including the Shaping Southwark Hustings, and has been disseminated at numerous talks, lectures, presentations and policy advisory sessions by Jane Clossick and Mark Brearley.

Raw data and survey materials from the audit of the Old Kent Road and higher quality versions of the images seen here are available upon request, please contact us at cities@londonmet.ac.uk to discuss your needs.