- Southwark Land Commission is the first of its kind in London, commissioned by Southwark Council, to explore how more of the land in Southwark could be used for the benefit of all
- Their report Land for Good put forward wide-ranging recommendations following workshops with community organisations
- Now, the council has laid out how they are taking positive action on the results of the report, including two new pilot schemes, a Southwark Land Partnership, and establishing affordable workspace hubs across the borough
Today, Southwark Council formally agreed an action plan that responds to the findings of the Southwark Land Commission (Monday 22 July).
Convened by the council but independent of it, the commission’s members include experts, community representatives and major landowners. It was chaired by Dr Miatta Fahnbulleh, Chief Executive of the New Economics Foundation and newly appointed MP for Peckham.
Their mission was to find ways to “free up more land for public good”. Over the course of six months, the commission held workshops with community organisations, drew on good practice, and debated how best to achieve this aim before publishing their report Land for Good.
In their response to the report, the council has committed to:
- Launch a Southwark Land Partnership – this will bring together the borough’s biggest property stakeholders to work through common issues facing the borough, including decarbonisation of existing property
- Develop a Social Purpose of Land Framework – this tool will help public landowners makes decisions about when selling or buying to ensure that community benefits, as well as financial ones, are assessed
- Widen community participation through two new pilot schemes – the council will test different approaches for engaging under-represented groups at sites on Queens Road and Sandgate Street and further community review panels, building on the success they have had to date with the Old Kent Road Community Review Panel
- Establish affordable workspace hubs across the borough – in certain parts of Southwark, subsidised workspace is still not affordable so the council will use more in lieu payments from developers to set up workspace hubs that smaller businesses can afford
- Bring forward pilot Community Land Trusts (CLT) – these act as long-term stewards of land and the assets on it, run by local people, who build and manage permanently affordable homes
- Set up a Community Empowerment Fund – this will increase the support for local communities to take on and manage land and property
Cllr Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development, said: “We knew we needed a step-change, drawing on expertise from across our community, to maximise the tangible benefits for our residents from land and property in Southwark. We are very grateful to the Commission for all their work to look at how more land can be freed up for the public good.
“Now, for land and property-owners like us, it’s time for action. We each have a responsibility to turn these recommendations into reality as part of collective efforts to deliver social and environmental outcomes for residents using land and property in Southwark.
“We are excited to build on the report with some key commitments that empower local communities, maximise affordability, and vitalise landowners. There’s a real momentum behind this work and I’m delighted that we have a dedicated team at the council driving our action plan forward, working closely with other partners.”