Greener, More Local & Community Centred Public Spaces

Main Points:

• Greening & Public Realm
• Heritage & Local Identity
• Public Art, Youth Space, and Cultural Use
• Sustainability & Green Credentials

Request:

Reimagine Old Kent Road’s identity through local heritage, accessible green space, and sustainable urban design.

What to ask for:

• Continuous street tree planting with native species, prioritising heat islands and commercial zones with low canopy cover.
• Mini pocket parks and greening strips on underused pavements, corners, or lay-bys, including planting beds, benches, and public art.
• Restoration and heritage recognition of key buildings like the Lord Nelson pub, former civic sites, and old signage or ghost signs, with heritage plaques and locally co-designed info boards. The history of this area goes back to Roman times and Old Kent Road is home to many excellent Victorian and Art Deco buildings, these should be restored and celebrated.
• Expand the public art strategy, like the successful Home from Home mural, encourage schools, youth groups, and artists from the area to co-create rotating works along the corridor.
• New multi-use community hub spaces, especially for young people, consider reactivating derelict or underutilised commercial units as temporary or permanent facilities.
• Push for green design standards in new developments, with rooftop solar, green roofs, permeable paving, energy-efficient heating (heat pumps or district heating), and commitments to net-zero emissions.
• Strengthen identity as a cultural corridor: support a "Cultural Mile" concept featuring music venues, food markets, galleries or studios celebrating Old Kent Road’s diverse communities.

Impact:

Improves air quality, reduces noise, and provides social and cultural infrastructure the community can actually use. Revives pride in local heritage. Ensures Old Kent Road doesn’t become just a corridor of glass towers but retains a distinctive character rooted in the people who live there.