Businesses from across the city centre gathered yesterday at Co-Space Jubilee Gardens for the official launch of the St Albans City Centre BID ballot campaign.
Our presentation was delivered by Gemma Jones, Volunteer BID Director, Alison Berneye, BID CEO and myself, Vivien Cannon, BID Manager.
Attendees from BID businesses and partners were among the first to hear about BID’s proposed third term priorities for ensuring St Albans remains the vibrant city it is and a good place to do business. and
Following the presentation, businesses had the opportunity to connect directly with the BID team to ask questions, sharing feedback, and playing an active part in shaping the future of St Albans City Centre BID.
Vivien Cannon, BID Manager, reflected on the success of the event, saying:
“It was wonderful to see businesses come together today. The level of enthusiasm, and thoughtful feedback has been incredibly encouraging. The launch event highlighted the strength of our business community and the shared commitment to continue supporting businesses to create a vibrant, thriving and resilient city to benefit those who live, work and visit”.
Yesterday’s launch event represents just the beginning of the BID’s engagement programme ahead of the ballot on October 8th. It underscores the importance of collaboration and ensures that businesses remain at the heart of the decision-making process for the city’s future.
Missed the Event?
If you were unable to attend, you can still find out everything you need to know about the upcoming ballot, including how it works, key timelines, and further details, by visiting the BID website: https://www.stalbansbid.com/bid-ballot/
Following recent media coverage regarding Victoria Street, we want to reassure businesses that no decisions have been made regarding future changes to the street.
Following an initial public engagement exercise in 2024, Hertfordshire County Council established a temporary Victoria Street user working group comprising representatives from a range of local interests to help explore challenges, opportunities and possible ideas for Victoria Street. Membership of the steering group was determined by Hertfordshire County Council and was intended to bring together a range of community perspectives. The user group’s work has now concluded and no recommendations have been formally adopted.
Throughout the process, HCC made it clear that concepts discussed by the group were intended to stimulate discussion and test ideas, rather than represent final proposals.
BID’s representative on the group consistently highlighted issues that matter to businesses, including customer access, deliveries, servicing, parking provision, wayfinding, waste collection and maintaining a successful trading environment. These points formed part of wider discussions involving a broad range of community interests and viewpoints.
We recognise that recent coverage has raised concerns amongst businesses regarding access, traffic flow and the potential impact of future changes. These are important issues and we know they will be a priority for many businesses when proposals are brought forward.
Victoria Street is a complex and important part of the city centre, serving businesses, residents, visitors and commuters. Any future proposals will need to carefully balance these different needs while supporting a vibrant and successful city centre economy.
The next stage of the project will be a formal public consultation, expected later this year. This consultation will provide businesses, residents and visitors with the opportunity to review proposed options and provide feedback before any decisions are taken.
BID’s role will be to support and encourage business engagement throughout this process, ensuring that the views of businesses across Victoria Street and the wider city centre are heard and understood.
We welcome a wide range of views and encourage all businesses to participate when the consultation opens.
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