With the more obvious locations already developed as Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), a ‘third wave' of BIDs is now underway, and includes more marginal locations, such as industrial estates, where property values are low.

The Means has been invited by London Borough of Southwark to identify whether the BID model might be appropriate to smaller commercial centres in Southwark, and whether BIDs in these areas could be developed simultaneously via a ‘cluster' approach.

The project will also test whether these BIDs - in response to the anticipated low levy outturn - could share management/administration resources.

The sites under scrutiny are  Bermondsey, Camberwell, Canada Water, Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, Peckham and Walworth Road.

Commented Means partner Giles Semper: 'As with any BID project, success or failure depends on the commitment of traders and their representatives. On the other hand there are probably BID models that have not yet been trialled in the UK and which might work in these smaller, focused urban areas. We hope that Southwark's innovative project will allow us to explore some of these.'