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HOLBA
Heart of London Business Alliance is a 500-strong multi-sector business membership organisation in the Heart of London’s West End.
Who we are
Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA) has been the catalyst for positive, tangible change in London’s West End. For the past 20 years, we have proven our ability to improve the commercial, cultural and trading environment of the Heart of London area.
Comprising property owners and occupiers from all sectors, we bring businesses together to consider, agree on and invest in improvement plans for their individual and shared trading environments. This delivers economies of scale, joint procurement of key services, greater influence and better results for all. Throughout our lifespan, we have already invested a total of £42M of BID levy directly into the area to address the shared priorities of our property owners as well as occupier members. The strength of the Heart of London area’s performance is testament to our focused and agile work and commitment over the last 20 years.
The HOLBA board of directors is responsible for the long-term success of the company. Its role is to provide oversight of the company's strategic and fiscal management. It is made up of non-executive directors and presided over by an elected chair. The membership of the board is representative of all business sectors operating in the HOLBA Districts.
HOLBA employs a team of experts to drive and execute the delivery plan in accordance with the board’s strategic direction and agreed budget.
Our purpose
A BID in St James’s will mobilise the business community to tackle current challenges, drive future prosperity & realise its full potential as a place for culture, heritage and commerce.
Our pillars
All that we do to deliver benefits to our members is structured across five pillars of work. Click on each to read more.
Benefits
A glance at the countless benefits HOLBA brings to St James's District.
Ringfenced investment & guaranteed additional income
A coherent place plan that delivers on the vision & ambitions of the district
A comprehensive programme of tangible & transformative projects & services
An empowered business community working collaboratively for the collective good
An enhanced area experience, profile & proposition for everyone
A united & influential voice for businesses to drive positive change
Passionate, experienced leadership with an unrivalled track record of success
Partnerships, networks, economies of scale & joint procurement prospects
Opportunities to care & give back to the wider community
Return on investment
A glance at the performance of the Heart of London Area over the past 5 years, versus that of St James’s (without a BID). It reveals why St James’s needs a BID and the difference it could make.
HOLBA Area
ST JAMES'S
4% reduction in crime
30% increase in crime
£42M invested in projects & services
£0 invested in projects & services
£6.6M secured for street & highway improvements
£0 secured for street & highway improvements
£3.1M generated from consumer events & activations
£0 generated from consumer events & activations
£250K savings made by members via waste & recycling scheme
Standard rates paid by businesses
11K tonnes of CO2 emissions saved via our waste management scheme
No reduction in CO2 emissions
2K rough sleepers received help via dedicated service provider
No dedicated service provider
Achievements
A highlight of recent projects delivered for the Heart of London area.
Street improvement plans
Developed a master plan of street improvements for the district, attracting £6.6M investment, including conceptualisation of a new Arts Quarter, establishment of a strategic working group for Piccadilly Circus, development of area improvements for Green Park, St Martin's Lane and construction of landscape improvements on Sackville Street and Vigo Street.
Net Zero Carbon Programme
Developed a Net Zero Carbon Programme, with specific support and inward investment for property owners to retrofit buildings.
Daytime and night-time safety
Provided My Local Bobby 24/7 security, resulting in crime falling by 4%, compared to a rise of 17% in the Core West End area.
Street cleaning
Enhanced street cleaning, including pavement washing-and stains, chewing gum and graffiti removal. With 30,000 street cleaning issues dealt with annually.
Art of London
Created and delivered first-of-their-kind visual art initiatives - Art of London which brought to life Heart of London’s “Cultural Heart of London” strategy. This included the area’s three major art institutions, 20 independent galleries and 16 businesses participating in Art After Dark.
Scenes in the Square
Created and delivered an interactive trail of statues in the heart of Leicester Square. Including 12 statues of best-loved characters and iconic film scenes.
Real Estate Performance Reports
Launched a ground-breaking series of Data & Insight Reports including a Quarterly and an Annual Economic & Real Estate Insights and a Monthly Area Performance Report. These reports provide regular insights into the economics and performance of real estate and consumers across the Heart of London area.
Waste & recycling scheme
Reduced 11,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions via our waste and recycling scheme and saved participating members £250,000.
Outreach programme
More than 2,000 people sleeping on the streets received one-to-one support via our outreach programme.
Cultural recovery fund
During the pandemic, helped to secure the £1.57B Culture Recovery Fund (by presenting the investment case to government), a VAT reduction from 20% to 12.5% for hospitality and tourism businesses, business rates relief for eligible businesses and implementation of alfresco dining on key streets.
HOLBA has been an invaluable partner in making the case for investment in the arts in London's West End and driving forward transformational projects. The next five years will see St Martin's Lane and other key streets in the West End transformed, which would not happen without HOLBA.
Jenny Mollica - Chief Executive Officer
ENO & London Coliseum