Greener spaces for Peabody people

Improvement works are due to begin this week on Peabody’s Barnwell House estate in Southwark, the first of three Peabody estates whose tired open spaces are to receive some love from the Green Spaces for People portfolio supported by the Big Lottery Fund.

Further works are due to start from April on North Row Buildings, a historic Victorian estate in Westminster, and later in the year on Clyde Road, an estate in Haringey dating from the 1970s. Improvements will be made to landscaping, surfacing, access, play areas and planting on all three of the Peabody estates.

• Key improvements at Barnwell House will include:
• interactive play features including a stone circle and sculpture
• improved access and designated parking for bicycles and cars
• enhanced landscaping and biodiversity
• improved security.

Peabody Project Manager Sue Forsyth said:

“We’re delighted that work is getting underway at Barnwell House. Residents can look forward to a greener, safer, more enjoyable place to live that inspires pride and a sense of ownership.”

Works on the estate are due to be completed in June 2010, in time for the summer holidays.

Green Spaces for People is an exciting partnership between Places for People, the Riverside Group and Peabody. It has received £15.6 million from the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme and will regenerate over 70 open spaces across England, providing play, sports and youth facilities, community and sensory gardens, community parks and wildlife habitats. Individual projects will range in value from approximately £22,000 to £1 million.

Over the next 10 years Peabody plans to improve the open spaces on a number of its estates across London, enhancing their biodiversity, security and recreational value.

-Ends-

For more information, contact Peabody Media Relations Officer Neil Young on 0207 021 4210 or neil.young@peabody.org.uk.

Peabody

• Peabody was established in 1862 by the philanthropic American banker George Peabody 2 to alleviate poverty in London. With 99 percent of our residents living within six miles of Smithfield Market, our mission for the 21st century is to make London a city of opportunity for all by providing as many people as possible with a good home, a real sense of purpose and a strong feeling of belonging. Peabody has more than 17,500 homes in London, from historic Victorian estates in the heart of the city to pioneering developments such as BedZED and Darwin Court.
• As well as being one of London’s oldest and largest social landlords, we are also a major regeneration agency, providing a wide range of projects to create and support thriving, sustainable communities. These projects include employment and training, specialist housing and activities for older people, support for young people, volunteering, digital and financial inclusion, family support, and health and well-being.

Big Lottery Fund

• The Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme was launched in November 2005 to help communities enjoy and improve their local environments. The programme is funding a range of activities from local food schemes and farmers markets, to education projects teaching people about the environment. Places for People was awarded a £15,669,990 Changing Spaces grant in August 2007 to deliver 75 ‘Green Spaces for People’ projects across the UK.
• The Big Lottery Fund, the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Full details of the work of the Big Lottery Fund, its programmes and awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Places for People

• As well as being one of the UK’s largest property management and development groups, responsible for more than 60,000 homes, Places for People is a major developer and provides a range of social support services including affordable childcare nurseries; elderly care support and financial services such as mortgages and low-cost loans.
• It has over 130,000 customers and provides solutions that focus on making neighbourhoods prosperous, popular and therefore sustainable into the future.
• Its vision for regeneration is not just about delivering housing and community facilities, but also delivering genuine choices and opportunities. This includes choices about whether to rent, buy or have an equity stake, and about the environment, training, employment and childcare provision in a place