Creating your community-led project
Begin by assessing the feasibility of your plans, speaking to neighbours to get their input and setting out a basic timeline for the completion of your project.
It may be helpful to generate ideas and build support for the project in your community by coming together as a group and discussing existing local projects, issues and areas for improvement.
It will be important to find out whether other local people share the same ideas as you. Or, there may already be plans to improve the area that you can help to design and deliver.
Resources
- Get in touch with your local assembly coordinator.
- Find out what’s already happening in your neighbourhood.
- Learn about the plans in place to improve your local environment.
- List an event or advertise a public meeting on the Council's website.
- Get support setting up a community garden.
- Learn about mutualising services.
- Explore Lewisham’s arts contacts.
- Contact your local councillor.
- Check Lewisham's Streetscape Guide to find out more about the principals and guidance for street works in Lewisham.
Once you’ve carried out your early investigations and determined what is already happening in your neighbourhood, you’ll need to think about what resources you might need to carry your project forward. This is a good time to put together an initial plan.
When you’ve decided what you want to achieve, consulted with your neighbours and local groups to find out what other work is going on in the area, and thought about resources, timescales and the level of commitment required to complete your project, it may be helpful to get a second opinion on your proposals. Presenting your ideas at a local assembly meeting will allow other people in your area to comment on your outline plans. You might also want to gather opinions through social media, informal meetings or drop-in sessions. You could also exhibit your plans in a local library or community space to reach as many of your neighbours as possible.
If your plans require substantial funding and resources
If you intend to carry out building work or if you’re aiming to influence the redevelopment of a whole area, you’ll need to have early discussions with specialists about the feasibility of your plans.
- Community organisers may be able to help.
- The capacity building organisation Locality may have links and resources you could use.
- Regeneration to enable growth: a toolkit for community-led regeneration is a document from the department of Communities and Local Government you might want to use to inform your ideas.
- The Glass House community capacity organisation and Glass House community led design: making buildings work for your community may also prove useful to assess the feasibility of your plans and to provide further information and assistance.