Redbridge urged to take a ‘neighbourhood-based approach’

An independent commission has urged the London borough of Redbridge to take a ‘neighbourhood-based approach’ and place the green agenda at the heart of growth.

A report by the Redbridge Growth Commission, which was set up by the council last year, sets out a number of recommendations to help the local authority in its efforts to support residents and make the borough a better place to live and work.

The recommendations include taking a neighbourhood-based approach, and recognising that Redbridge is a diverse collection of people and places, and ensuring growth complements and benefits the existing context.

It also recommends the borough provide opportunities for community collaboration and leadership, which reflect its diverse communities.

And it says the council should place the green agenda at the heart of growth which builds on Redbridge’s much-valued wealth of green spaces and waterways to prioritise use of sustainable and green technologies.

‘We commissioners have been impressed and inspired by what we have seen in Redbridge, and firmly believe that all of the ingredients are already at your fingertips to build on what is special about the borough as a whole, and on the uniqueness and diversity of the people and places within it,’ said commission chair and CEO of Glasshouse Community Design, Sophia de Sousa.

‘We now share recommendations and ideas that have emerged from our conversations with you. They represent a collective contribution from everyone who has engaged with the Growth Commission. How you choose to prioritise and use these recommendations will require ongoing discussion, joint decision-making, and collaborative action from the council, elected members, local businesses, groups, and people, as well as working effectively with external partners and delivery bodies.

‘As the commissioners step away, our hope is that these recommendations plant the seeds for a more engaged, participatory, and collaborative approach to delivering good, green, and sustainable growth in Redbridge that you can nurture,’ she added.

Photo Credit – Pixabay