Your Future Clapham
There have been a number of ways that local people have had their say in Future Clapham and there are still opportunities for you to get involved:
For more details see below or you can also contact us with your comments or join our mailing list for regular updates by filling in the registration form.
Public launch event - 15 March 2008
Around 300 people attended the public launch event on 15 March held at Mary Seacole House. Visitors were able to see an exhibition showcasing the designs and models of the new development and talk to members of Cathedral, architects, councillors, the borough design champion and the project team.
The launch was the first in a series of engagement events hosted by Cathedral to find out people’s views on the new development. Visitors were able to comment on the proposals and these will be taken into consideration by Cathedral when submitting the planning submission
Visitors were also able to preview the ‘Making it happen in Clapham’ community art exhibition on display outside Mary Seacole House until summer 2008.
'Making it happen in Clapham' - October 2007
During September and October a group of local community artists, Arts4Change, held a series of arts activities in various locations around Clapham.
These included drop-in workshops for postcard making and clay tile sculpting, Matisse-inspired sessions in local primary schools and film making with Lambeth Academy. The events proved very popular.
You'll be able to see the final artwork currently on public display around Mary Seacole House until autumn 2008.
'Meet the bidders event’ – June 2007
On Tuesday 19 June, local people had the chance to meet the three bid teams shortlisted to work with the council on the Future Clapham project. The three teams are Cathedral Group, Community Solutions for Regeneration and Rydon.
This was a drop-in exhibition at Clapham Manor Primary School where visitors could talk with developers, architects, councillors, the borough design champion and project team.
About 40 people came, some representing groups, such as the pottery club and the Clapham society, as well as local residents and business owners.
Visitors were encouraged to comment on what they had seen and heard. People generally welcomed the fact that things could be seen to be happening and hoped we would keep things moving. The project team has included these comments in discussions with bidders to determine how best to develop their proposals.
Clapham Leisure Centre and depot development brief consultation - 9 May and 21 June 2007
The council planning department consulted on a draft development brief for the leisure centre site and adjacent depot on Clapham Manor Street between 9 May and 21 June 2007.
A development brief sets out guidance for developers and this consultation was an opportunity for local people to comment on the draft before the final version is published.
You can find out more about the development brief and the consultation on the planning pages.
Future Clapham community engagement - Feb to March 2007
During February and March 2007 local people were invited to a number of events to discuss the proposals and find out more. The programme was run by independent architectural and consultation company, Fluid, and the Executive Summary of their feedback report outlines the issues raised.
There were a number of ways for people to have their say so that everyone who wanted to, could get involved. The activities were designed to:
- test the requirements outlined in the November Cabinet report
- add detail to what we are asking for in terms of facilities, range of services, design, etc.
- gain an understanding of local people’s priorities to help judge developers’ proposals
- increase understanding of the project.
Comments received during this engagement provided a snapshot of local views and showed that opinions differed on a number of matters with particular interest groups having strong feelings on particular issues, for example the swimming pool. Generally there was support for the improved facilities and range of services that we are trying to achieve, although there was a desire for more information on specific proposals. Some headline feedback and the council's response is given below.
- Swimming was given as the most popular leisure activity on the 'canvass cards' and the second most frequent leisure request was for a ‘new, additional or better swimming pool’. Other requests were for indoor sports courts to play badminton, for example, and dance and yoga classes. We specified a four-court sports hall and two dance studios for the leisure centre.
- Most people seemed to be in favour of a new library and customer centre on the current Mary Seacole House site. Arts and performance space was generally welcomed and people wanted this to be available for local groups to use. We put a performance or exhibition space in the specification for developers.
- The current library is well liked by many local people, although they appear to be more attached to the building than the library service. You told us you want to see the building kept for public use and there is lots of support to use it for exhibitions, education and other cultural uses. A local community group, OCLS4, is working with us to develop a sustainable business plan in response to your views.
All findings were presented to key officers, members and the borough design champion, Cllr Nigel Haselden throughout April 2007. For more information, please email futureclapham@lambeth.gov.uk
Revitalise Clapham consultation, March - April 2006
Between March and April 2006 Revitalise undertook consultation with residents, businesses and visitors seeking views on three development options for Mary Seacole House and a fourth option to refurbish the existing leisure and library facilities. The consultation document 'Have your say on improving council services in Clapham' set out these options. The Revitalise team also held a series of road shows, individual stakeholder meetings, permanent displays, surveys and attended local forum meetings.
By the end of the consultation period, 1030 people had completed the questionnaire. Just under half of the people who responded (48%) expressed a preference for Option 1 - optimum-level community services on the Mary Seacole House site. The majority of those in favour stated this was because of the wide range of services proposed. The other option with a significant level of support (33%) was Option 4 - Refurbishment of existing leisure and library facilities. Although there was a clear indication that more details were needed in order to fully explore and compare this option.
The Clapham consultation feedback summary gives an overview of the comments and opinions received. These have fed into the options appraisal that informed the November 2006 Cabinet report.