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Community spaces and centres are a core principle in curating the masterplan brief for the Royal Albert Dock. They ensure residents in the local and wider area are attracted to the site and play an essential role in establishing a form of regeneration that is community-led and focussed, providing the services, leisure space and employment spaces that the community needs.
Community Foundation
The East End Community Foundation acts as a grant-maker, managing and distributing funds from donors to local charitable causes, targeting funds to those in the community who need it most. They undertake research to better understand the needs of East London, including Newham and know where funding needs to be spent.
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This foundation should be an active member in this community focused regeneration scheme, providing funds and grants towards community facilities and services and to other schemes that they know is needed to ensure the site has a beneficial impact on residents in the whole on Newham and East London
East End Community Foundation event
Meanwhile Uses
For the site to succeed it is essential the use of the ground floor Phase 1 office blocks is considered in order to increase the area's vibrancy and activity.
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Meanwhile uses provide a prime opportunity to activate these vacant spaces early in the redevelopment, as well as establish social and economic benefits to the community through the creation of temporary:
These temporary measures can aid in establishing permanent services and amenities on site as well as host spaces for local business and the community.
Culture Palace in Enfield, London, established a temporary creative hub, performance space, museum, bookshop and cafe in a vacant retail unit. It highlighted the importance of culture in the recovery of the high street.
Culture Palace in Enfield, London, created a temporary performance space, museum, bookshop and cafe in an empty shopping centre unit. This was in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the shift away from physical retail and the desire to occupy vacant space to benefit the community
Pop-up shops hosting local businesses
Issues Addressed
Linking physical and social regeneration
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Ensuring an inclusive community is established by offering services and groups so all, and particularly the most vulnerable residents are supported
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Ensuring an active and vibrant place is created by ensuring ground floors of existing buildings are well used with amenities the community can use
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Opening up high-tech co-working spaces to support new local businesses and help grow the local economy
Pandemic cities
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​Providing co-working space to help people work away from the office to reduce the need to travel
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Create outdoor student study and collaboration spaces so work can be undertaken in a ventilated space