Ed The Campervan helping to create a new vision for Islington giving local people a voice in an exciting new regeneration project
Award winning Social Enterprise PLACED will be visiting the Islington area of the city with Ed, their repurposed campervan, to invite local people to share their views about the regeneration of an area described by some as the ‘next big project’. The event, taking place in Monument Place on the 23rd June 12-4pm, will be the second in a series of pop-up workshops delivered as part of the Better Places Together campaign.
Islington is an area of the city with a rich history and real potential, yet recently has been overshadowed, encircled by major developments such as the Knowledge Quarter and the new Royal Hospital. Local stakeholders, led by business owners Suzy Jenions, Jason Abbot and Paul Durose, decided they wanted to change its’ fortunes.
Together, the stakeholders want to ensure Islington can once again meet its’ true potential, and are looking to reimagine the area whilst reflecting on its’ heritage. They hope it will become a thriving, exciting, mixed use destination, where new businesses and startups work alongside long established family businesses, people of all ages live, there is appropriate retail and food provision and a quality environment.
The Stakeholders are in the early stages of developing a Visioning Document for the area – to be known as the Fabric District – and are keen to reach out to the wider local community to invite them to feed into the transformation of the area. The event on the 23rd will invite the wider public to share their views on the ideas they’ve had so far.
Jason Abbott, from the stakeholder group, said:
“We’ve learnt the importance of not just waiting for things to happen, but to stand up and get on with things ourselves. Everyone we speak to wants something to happen in Islington… it is just that until recently, nobody was taking on the position of leading things. We’re really excited that we are now at a point where we can share our ideas to date and invite the public to respond, which will help shape the project as we go forward.’
PLACED Director, Jo Harrop said:
“Following the success of our launch event, we’re really excited to be working with stakeholders in Islington. This is an exciting project, led by local businesses, and with real potential for transformation. It is fantastic to see this bottom-up approach. It’s what our campaign is all about.”
The PLACED team will be delivering a drop-in Better Places Together drop-in event on the 23rd June in Monument Place 12-4pm to ask people their views on the future of the area, what they think priorities should be and gain a better understand how people view the area as it is today. They’ll be delivering creative, interactive activities throughout the afternoon from camper van Ed, based on Monument Square, by TJ Hughes.
Everybody and anybody is invited to drop in to help shape this forgotten area of the city.
