Clapham Common Access For All

The Proposal / Background

Lambeth Council wants to understand the needs of people with disabilities on Clapham Common.  

We are interested to hear from people who have lived experience of visiting the Common, or trying to visit the Common, with physical disabilities, sensory disabilities, and learning disabilities, as well as people with health conditions, including mental illness, and physical illness. This includes people with old age-related conditions, long Covid, and other autoimmune conditions. We are also interested to hear from parents and carers of these.  

We are doing this because we would like as many people as possible to have an enjoyable day out on the Common, and to benefit from the health-giving properties of nature and exercise.  

Clapham Common is one of London's largest and oldest open spaces. It offers wide grassland, level paths, avenues of trees, ponds, small woods, a bandstand, cafes, toilets, children's play, and pitches for football, tennis, basketball and other sports.

This consultation is part of a wider project aimed at improving accessibility to and within Clapham Common as part of the current Clapham Common Masterplan. This project is overseen by the masterplan steering group which includes Clapham Common Management Advisory Committee (CCMAC), a community-led group working in partnership with Lambeth Council on the management of Clapham Common. CCMAC represents various groups active within the Common, including Friends of Clapham Common and Bandstand Beds Association offering food growing activities for all.  

Recent improvements to the water play have included accessible toilets, and our new children’s playground was awarded a PIPA Gold standard for accessibility by Plan Inclusive Play Areas. We have recently carried out an architect’s physical survey of access and know we have some physical changes to implement.  We are keen to build on this and seek your help, experience, and opinions to guide investment priorities on the Common.  

We have recently carried out an architect’s physical survey of access and know we have some physical changes to implement.  We are keen to build on this and seek your help, experience, and opinions to guide investment priorities on the Common.  

We are working with Disability Advice Service Lambeth (DASL), and Jean Hewitt of Burro Happold consultants to carry out this programme.  

After consultation closes, we will put together a full report. It is likely we will use this to seek additional funding.  

Useful information links:

Clapham Common Management Advisory Committee

About Clapham Common 

Bandstand Beds Association - Food Growing

Plan Inclusive play Areas (PIPA) Award 

Disability Advice Service Lambeth 

Jean Hewitt - Buro Happold Consultants