D-P-Q and Ramidus Consulting were appointed by Phoenix Community Housing, the Trust for London and the Greater London Authority (GLA) in June 2019 to understand the local context of Bellingham, the opportunities and constraints in the area and generate ideas for further consideration.

A key focus of the work was to carry out extensive consultation with both local stakeholders and the local community in order to explore how best to support Randlesdown Road and rejuvenate the immediate surroundings.

The strategy was developed in three stages. The first stage was to undertake desktop and on the ground research. This was followed by a second stage of conversations with the local community and local stakeholders. These two elements of research then helped to form proposals to address some of Bellingham’s issues and make the most of its strengths.

We have found Bellingham to have a committed and passionate local community. Many of the ideas put forward in the strategy have come from them and the voices of people we spoke to have been threaded throughout this report.

The ideas and opportunities that emerged from getting to know Bellingham and its people were then drawn together in four themes: Environmental; Socio-economic; Community; Living.

Each opportunity was set out with a list of its objectives and its constraints, as well as options for its funding and delivery and relevant precedents. To understand the scale of the intervention, each opportunity was also identified as Small, Medium, Large or X-Large.

“The ideas put forward range in scale from those that are deliverable in the short term to those that are more ambitious and will therefore require further work in terms of their viability and deliverability. We hope this document will be a helpful framework to inform future potential projects and where possible bring forward the ambitions of the local community.”

Jonathan Dallas
Dallas-Pierce-Quintero

The study was commissioned through the Good Growth Fund, which is a regeneration programme managed by the GLA to support growth and community development in London. The strategy will therefore seek to make recommendations in line with the Good Growth Agenda, i.e. to empower people, to make better places and to grow prosperity. The document will also help to client team in a wider capacity to think about the future of the area and other long term potential funding avenues.

“DPQ worked seamlessly with this complex client team balancing agendas and ambitions to push the boundaries of what seemed immediately possible. Creating a clear narrative and responding to challenging requests, they explored a series of approaches and responded quickly and efficiently to any client feedback. They were pragmatic and clear whilst also being creative and ambitious, which is exactly what the brief required.”

Greater London Authority

Bellingham, Lewisham, London 2019
Client: Greater London Authority & Phoenix Community Housing & Trust for London