A £1.6 million project, ‘We are Cally’ plans to rejuvenate communal spaces in Caledonian, starting with a community centre and library.
Renovation plans for the Jean Stokes Community Centre and West Library are already underway, with local residents being encouraged to share their ideas and concerns in a series of online workshops on how to improve the accessibility.
The Jean Stokes Community Centre basement has been abandoned for years, but Public Works architect Carlotta Novella hopes to transform it into a coworking space for community and volunteer organisations.
Meanwhile, the first floor of the West Library will become a hub, offering job advice for young people, which Novella said, “will be a very flexible facility” that “provides support to find jobs but also support skills and interests of local young people.”
Director of local youth charity, Copenhagen Youth Project, Stephen Griffith said: “Young people don’t have a good view of job centres, so the council needs to be far more innovative to attract young people.”
“Lots of young people are into entrepreneurialism, film, podcast and social media. They need spaces where they can learn about these creative industries and have access to resources. Hopefully consultations with youth workers and young people will bring about this more radical thinking”, Griffith continued.
Young residents from Caledonian have also been given the chance to work alongside professional architects on the West Library project, where they will receive training and be paid the London living wage. Moving forward, Griffith would “like to see more of that.”
Novella said, “it is important to involve young people in the design decision making process, especially in spaces that will eventually benefit them.”
The ‘We are Cally’ project also has future plans to breathe new life into Bingfield and Barnard parks, redeveloping them for local residents enjoyment.
Becky Pryce, Director of Play at Awesome Adventure Play, said: “[she was] looking forward to the development of [Barnard] park” but it was “a shame that the Adventure playground hasn’t been included in any of the redevelopment plans.”
Vicky Lawson, a local mum, said “I cannot see how myself or my children will benefit from the development if it doesn’t include Barnard Adventure Playground, the one place that means so much to us. My girls have been attending the Adventure for 6 years and I would be lost without it.”
People-friendly streets and better air quality are also high on the agenda, as are affordable workspaces and a Caledonian Road Traders Association to support local businesses.
