Statement of Community Involvement - Southwark Council Planning ...

Employment, Business and Retail Liaison Group meeting one, August 2011Thematic workshopsAs the consultation process progressed, itbecame clear that there was a need for specificthematic workshops to cover key topics thatwere not covered in the either of the threeLiaison Groups, of cross group interest, or aretoo large a topic to cover within a Liaison Groupmeeting.The themes of these workshops were identifiedas:• Interim uses• Sustainability• Housing – affordable housing and designstandardsMore details about the outcomes of theseworkshops can be found in Chapter 9 of thisreport.Walk and talk‘Walk and talk’ are events where local residents,community members and businesses take thedesign team around their neighbourhood,describing what works and what does not,aspects they value or don’t value and expressingideas that they think may be of use to themasterplanning approach. Feedback can includesuggestions for good design ideas or precedentsacross a range of elements such as openspace, transport, architecture, horticulture orbiodiversity.The information helps to build up a strongsense of a place in use, highlighting all elementsrelevant to quality of life, from the serviceprovision standards and location of health centresand schools to traffic and personal safety, frompublic transport accessibility to parking standardsand from environmental pollution to aspects oflocal history. A thorough understanding of theseissues is essential to any masterplanning processthat hopes to address wider social benefits andregeneration opportunities.Information is collected at ‘walk and talk’ eventsthrough the use of preprinted maps and proformasfor note taking. The maps set out a basicroute to follow, but the group can and do takedetours to visit places of particular interest toany of the participants. The event is documentedusing photographs and note taking.The Heygate Masterplan Elephant and Castle Outline Planning Application March 201219