John Lewis boss praises leaders as ‘men of vision’

Oct 30 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

LIVERPOOL city council’s current and former chief executives will today be described as “men of vision” for being in the forefront of urban regeneration.

Andy Street, chief executive of the John Lewis Partnership, is to hail Sir David Henshaw and Colin Hilton at a major conference in Manchester on urban regeneration and renewal.

Mr Street will tell delegates that without a visionary approach Britain would end up with “empty” city centres, which he saw as common in the USA.

John Lewis is currently putting the finishing touches to its new department store in Paradise Street, the anchor shop in Grosvenor’s £1bn Liverpool One development.

The new Liverpool store is one of 11 being built by the partnership over the next seven years as part of a £500m investment programme – mostly in city centre locations.

Mr Street is to tell an audience of developers, planners and public officials about the importance of continuity, particularly in dealings with government at all levels.

“The energy and vision shown by local authorities has been crucial in attracting investment and making retail-led regeneration a reality,” an advance copy of his speech reads.

“Consistency in national planning policy is also a prerequisite: without a continuation of the existing focus on town centres, future retailer and developer investment in urban regeneration scheme will be put at risk.

“Strong, effective civic leadership has made a key difference. Council leaders and chief executives such as Sir David Henshaw (and since 2006, Colin Hilton) in Liverpool, and Sir Howard Bernstein in Manchester, Sir Bob Kerslake in Sheffield, have demonstrated a vision to make things happen.

“They have helped to ensure that the complexities of the planning process do not slow things down.

“And they have provided the leadership needed for effective partnership with the private sector.”

The praise for Sir David is in stark contrast to the bitter fall-out he had with former leader Cllr Mike Storey, before his resignation from the top town hall job.

Sir David is now chairman of the North West Strategic Health Authority, while Mr Hilton is overseeing the city’s preparations for Capital of Culture year in 2008.

Mr Street added: “Effective local authority leadership can also support long-term, holistic planning for city centres.

“This has been absolutely vital in cities where we are making major investments such as Liverpool.

“On their own, retailers and developers cannot create the preconditions for a thriving retail destination; the wider context of the city is a decisive factor.’’

The John Lewis Partnership is a co-owned business, held in trust for the benefit of 68,000 employees or ‘Partners’, who share in the profits of the business.

larryneild