URBED recently ran a two-day workshop with the people of South Workington to develop an ‘eco’ plan for their neighbourhood.
Through a series of case studies we examined opportunities for making energy, food, resource use and transport more sustainable at a local scale. We focused on practical projects that are achievable at a neighbourhood level. For example, super-insulating homes and a ‘Community Green Deal’ for household refurbishment, improving cycle and pedestrian routes to encourage reduced car use, and developing a community composting scheme to deal with organic waste and supply fertilizer for local food growing.
SouthWorkington ECO Plan Working together in small teams, local residents, young people and housing association officers mapped out a tailored action plan. These plans were collated at the end of the workshop and have since been drawn up by URBED in a formal report which has been presented to local stakeholders. Further feasibility and design work will be required on some of the suggested projects, but others, such as small scale community food growing on vacant land, can start almost straight away.
This plan is now informing next steps in the development of the area through mechanisms such as local community agreements and housing association asset management plans.
