the power of norwood high street
This activity for the London Festival of Architecture was about the potential and power of Norwood High Street as a symbol for many similar London high streets in crisis. We believe Norwood High Street and its surrounds could be re-invented as a creative and cultural link between Brixton and Croydon. There are key sites available for affordable housing and developer-led projects, but we want to ensure the street level remained in use by and for the local people. This means affordable workspace, parks, pop-up venues, ecology walks, cafés, innovation hubs. We needed to ensure the local makers, artists, school-children, freelancers, young families, SMEs and senior citizens have a high street that serves their needs. Working with the local community and in collaboration with Station to Station, the Business Improvement District for Tulse Hill and West Norwood, A Small Studio proposed a radical re-think of the use of this high street.
Type | Digital month-long consultation
Client | London Festival of Architecture
Status | Completed June 2020
Pilot Project | A Co-Working Space
Collaboration | Station to Station, the West Norwood & Tulse Hill Business Improvement District
Publication | High Street Task Force
Click SPACE to see the results from our Roundtable with Landowners, Open Discussion about Temporary Strategies, Workshop for Residents with Learning Difficulties and Activity for Children.
Click ACTIVITIES to see the results from our Poll, the Pecha Kucha and the Roundtable with Lambeth Council.
Click JOURNEY to see the results from a collaboration with urban ecologist Joanna Ferguson with whom we have developed a Bat’s Highway.
Click LANDSCAPE to see the results from our Workshop for Secondary School Children, the Workshop for Residents with Learning Difficulties and the Landscape Webinar.
Who was involved?
Explore the list of contributors to The Power of Norwood High Street below.
-
West Norwood Feast: children’s workshops in the West Norwood monthly community event organised by local volunteers
L’Arche: organization building community with people with learning disabilities
-
Local residents
Norwood High Street Landowners
Small Medium Enterprises (SME)
Shopkeepers of Norwood High Street
-
East Anglia Records: Artist, Landscape Architect Tutor, Designer, Musician
Mark Fairhurst Architects: architecture studio
One Hundred Projects: Ed Wall, Academic Leader Landscape at the University of Greenwich
Prior & Partners: urban planning and design firm
R2 Studio Architects: architecture studio
Untitled Practice: landscape and architecture design office
-
Lambeth Councillors
London Borough of Lambeth: Business, Culture and Investment Team
London Borough of Lambeth: Planning Team
London Borough of Lambeth: Policy Team
London Borough of Lambeth: Regeneration Team
How will we use the results?
The project ‘The Power of Norwood High Street’ will be used to inform the Neighbourhood Plan. The Norwood Planning Assembly (NPA) is currently writing The Norwood Green Town Plan which is the Neighbourhood Plan for Norwood. This is being written by a cohesive committee made up of local community representatives, residents and including a number of built environment professionals. The Norwood Green Town Plan sets out a shared vision and ambitions for our neighbourhood over the next 10-20 years.
Why prepare a neighbourhood plan?
As a community we worry about the cost of living, job security, access to shops, facilities and green space and the impact of air pollution. We worry about what kind of place Norwood will be for our children. We also worry about the nature and impact of new development that takes place within our community. The Plan will set out our ideas for addressing these and other issues to ensure Norwood remains a great place to live, with a prosperous and resilient future. In particular we want to make sure that Norwood does all its can to respond to the global impacts of climate change and the climate emergency that has been declared by organisations worldwide, including the UK Parliament and Lambeth Council. Our vision and policies will be defined to ensure that environmental issues are considered in every aspect of planning, development and regeneration.
What is a neighbourhood plan?
The government’s Localism Act 2011 is intended to give local communities a greater say in planning issues, and to let local people decide upon a vision for their area. Under the Act, towns and parishes can prepare Neighbourhood Plans, which will form part of a district plan. Neighbourhood Plans can cover not only development, but infrastructure needs, like schools, roads, medical provision, water, electricity, gas, waste water disposal, broadband, and economic and social objectives. The Green Town Plan is our neighbourhood plan for Norwood which, once adopted, will help shape the future development of the area. The Plan is being prepared by the Norwood Planning Assembly in collaboration with local community organisations: Norwood Action Group; Norwood Forum; and Station to Station BID.
What does the process involve?
The process involves drafting a plan and engaging with the community in its preparation. The Green Town Plan will then be submitted to an independent assessment to ensure it is consistent with the Lambeth Local Plan and London Plan and national planning policies. If the Plan passes external examination it will then be subject to a referendum in which all residents eligible to vote can express their views. If more than 50% of voters support the plan, then decisions on future planning applications must take the Neighbourhood Plan into account. There are challenges however, particularly from recent changes to government planning policy which aim to free land for building. It s also very important to realise that some change is inevitable. The Plan must comply with local and national planning policies and these require Norwood to accept some new housing and business development. Crucially, the plan must be consistent with Lambeth and London plans and its policies which take priority. The task for NPA is to work within these constraints to serve the needs of the community and preserve the vision for Norwood which local people want. That’s the goal and that’s what we are aiming for.
Norwood Works
West Norwood’s Key Industrial Business Area (KIBA) is the largest industrial area in Lambeth. There is a shared ambition to grow the area’s reputation as an enterprising hub, both for the current industrious community, as well as a welcoming place for future businesses. The unmistakable blue used in the branding is by Mylands; Britain’s oldest family-owned paint manufacturer who are based on the estate. The brand name, along with similarly branded murals and signage coming soon, will put ‘Norwood Works’ firmly on the map as a place of ingenuity, hard work and a place to be proud of.
