During the My Place pilot project, we took our Pioneers on ‘Inspiration days’ - taking them to places in the local area they might not otherwise have an opportunity to visit and speak to decision-makers working within their local area. One of our first visits was to Clapham Park Housing Estate where they got an inside look into the world of development and regeneration. We asked a few of our pioneers to reflect on this visit, here’s what they had to say….
“On Monday, we made our way to Clapham Park Housing Estate to discuss the topics of regeneration, gentrification and development within the Brixton Area.
We met with Kelly Thomas, Tyson Bundby, Emilda Chabata, Wahid Islam, Kheron Miliner from Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association to share what My Place was about and our roles as Pioneers. We then spoke to different staff members regarding gentrification, regeneration, social housing and equity.
Following this discussion, we were given a tour of the new local community centre - a huge £6 million pound investment with the intention of better connecting the community.
The community centre is just one example of the first steps in their regeneration masterplan, which I think will be a very beneficial improvement to the area in comparison to the older developments
Overall I enjoyed the whole experience and the new information I learned.”
By Jason E
“The My Place Pioneers were welcomed into Clapham Park Housing Estate and the organisation spoke about social housing, housing associations etc. Then we were given a tour of the community centre where we continued our discussion about social housing in greater detail.
A key piece of information I took away from this visit is that the organisation has regenerated over 1500 homes and is working on another building as we speak.
During our tour of the community centre, we were told that the cost to build it was £6m, and they intended to take it down in 5 years.
I found this information very surprising as it seems like a waste of money. Money which could have been used to support communities that need it instead of spending it on a temporary building.”
By Alesha
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