Climate change
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Introduction
Peckham Vision’s work over the last 15 years has shown us how the current planning and development process in London is driving unnecessary demolition and redevelopment in the name of ‘regeneration’. Key topics for us in Peckham Vision are:
- recycling and reusing buildings rather than demolishing them as a key response to reducing carbon emissions, and damaging climate change, and also
- the variety of ways in which neighbourhoods can begin to help local people live more sustainably.
We have shown through our work in Central Rye Lane that there is a different way to vibrant and organic locally rooted self regeneration by recycling and reusing existing buildings. The current demolition-led approach to regeneration means that the carbon emissions created in the demolition and the construction of replacement buildings is contributing unnecessarily to climate change.
- We first presented this idea with our evidence at two Community Council meetings in 2019 – on 26 January and on Mar/Apr with a table at the meetings showing our first display posters about recycling and reusing buildings, and brief information about the Hidden benefits of recycling buildings.
- We also presented this evidence to the London Plan Public Hearings - in the Examination in Public at City Hall of the London Plan in January and May 2019.
Since then we have created a series of A1 posters for our community information and education mobile exhibition for community events. These posters are displayed to the right – click to enlarge, to save and to print:
- Recycling buildings: the hidden benefits. This poster summarises the links between demolition and climate change. It also shows the extent of the buildings and businesses, saved by Peckham Vision campaigns, which have been instrumental in self-regeneration of the local economy. This poster is displayed also at the bottom of this page.
- Sustainable Construction. This poster explains the role of the construction industry in creating significant quantities of carbon emissions which contribute significantly to climate change (see 'Carbon emissions from construction' quote to the right). The poster explains why regeneration should be led by reusing buildings with demolition as the last to be considered.
- The Circular Economy This poster explains the ideas behind the Circular Economy which is essential for sustainable economic activities.
In 2019, we began a stream of actions to bring all this to public attention and to work with others on the topic. These actions are summarised below, in date order, latest first.
2021
September 2021 Circular economy
At the annual Peckham Rye Fete community, we launched our third community education poster - on the Circular Economy. See image to the right.
June 2021 Construction & climate change
Since the last Open Studio over a year ago, we have been through the first year of lockdowns in the pandemic and still not sure when all this will end to enable us to meet more normally. In the meantime we have carried on much of the work by zoom meetings. One of our actions has been to continue the development of Peckham Vision community education posters. We have added one on the role of the Construction industry in demolishing buildings and so contributing to the climate emergency. See image to the right. This poster is available here in pdf.
February 2021 Council Scrutiny of Regeneration
The Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee is examining the Council's work on regeneration during 2020-2021. They will publish a report during 2021. They took evidence in February 2021 from Eileen Conn (Peckham Vision).
- This is the link to the session. The item on Regeneration starts at 1.00 into the recording, followed by a few minutes break and then at 1.08 continued introduction and start of Eileen’s presentation. Q/As are from 1.20 to 1.47.
- 'Here is the short paper presented to the Committee.' This argues the case for a shift from a demolition-led regeneration to policy to one led by reuse of buildings
2020
Saturday 14th March Community Open Studio
We followed up the successful January Open Stdio with the same displays. This time we had hand sanitisers as we were in the early stages of what became the pandemic. The Open Studio was attended by a steady stream of people and many useful conversations were held about planning, redevelopment and sustainability. One week later the first lockdown was implemented.
Sunday 19th January Community Open Studio
Peckham Vision's Community Open Studio 12-5pm was open for visitors. Our exhibition about planning and redevelopment & the impact on climate change was on display, along with some sewing and weaving machines and fabrics for applied arts & crafts to explore, with conversations over tea and home made cake. Over 50 people dropped in fr lively and interesting conversations.
2019
Monday 16th December Peckham Vision studio
This was a network meeting of SPN. The main item was the Council’s new policy on Climate Emergency and Planning Policy:
- report to Cabinet from Cllr Richard Livingstone
- report from Cllr Leanne Werner (Environment Scrutiny Commission to Cabinet
There was agreement at the SPN meeting on the need for urgent actions, and to develop efficient liaison between the two independent networks one from SPN and the other Extinction Rebellion Southwark.
Saturday 2nd November Rye Lane Chapel
This meeting was arranged jointly between Peckham Vision/SPN and XR Southwark to discuss the mutual interests in climate change and planning. It was attended by nearly 50 people. Afterwards about 20 came back to Peckham Vision studio for tea and biscuits and to share ideas and enthusiasm for working together.
Saturday 14th September Open Studio Peckham Festival
- During the Peckham Festival we took part in the Bussey Building Open Studios. We launched here the new display poster we have created explaining the links between carbon emissions and climate change and unnecessary demolition and redevelopment.
- We took part in the evening in a session in Copeland Yard 6-8pm arranged by Extinction Rebellion (XR) Southwark about their Climate Change campaigns. We had publicised this in advance to the community groups in Southwark Planning Network (SPN) which were well represented. This helped to establish good links between Peckham Vision/SPN and XR Southwark.
January & March 2019 Recycling buildings
We first presented the idea of the hidden benefits of reusing buildings with our evidence at two Community Council meetings in 2019 – on 26 January and on Mar/Apr with a table at the meetings showing our first display posters about recycling and reusing buildings, and brief information about the Hidden benefits of recycling buildings.