Patmos Area Community Conservation Association

Patmos Area Community Conservation Association (PACCA) aims to bring the community together and encourage the participation of local people in decisions that affect their lives. The group focused on lobbying and fundraising for a community building to replace the existing building. To follow this through, the group needed a deeper knowledge of design as well as the backing of the wider community.

A £105 million Private Finance Initiative (PFI) project was planned to regenerate the Myatt’s Fields Estate situated in the heart of Vassall Ward in Camberwell. Other regeneration projects on the estate included the rebuilding of a local school, an old people’s home and the Myatt’s Fields Health Clinic under a £4m PFI Local Improvement Finance Trust scheme. Vassall Ward was the most deprived ward in Lambeth and the 6th most deprived nationally. It was the most health-deprived ward in Lambeth and the second worst in terms of educational achievement and child poverty.

PACCA is a community group and social enterprise that brings together local people in order to conserve and preserve the features of the community that work well, improve local facilities and encourage the participation of local people in decisions that effect their lives. The Association aims to develop the area into a ‘Healthy Living Area’ and to establish a significant civic building / healthy living centre in Vassall Ward.

The group began their work by piloting the consultation of young children on the community building proposed as part of the redevelopment of Myatt’s North Estate in Lambeth. Their aim was to widen the consultation using the work of local artists to engage children of all ages, their families, and other residents, and to extend the discussion to the whole of the planned development. Their hope was to promote a culture of participation so that children and young people’s involvement and those of their families and local residents, became an integral part of policy and service development.

The purpose of The Glass-House involvement was to help support effective engagement with the consultation process and encourage active engagement and learning for the development of the new community building.

The Glass-House held a Buildings by Design course in the Patmos area. The intensive two-day workshop included an introduction to the design of buildings, a study visit and specific brief and model making relating to their project.

A proactive approach was taken regarding involvement of residents in the project. Existing and trusted local networks e.g. schools, church groups, a youth group and an elderly persons group were used to facilitate community involvement.

Local residents, in particular Black Minority Ethnic groups, lone parents and the elderly have been actively involved in the development of the project from the outset. Locals have been involved in the direction of the project through various planned activities such as visits, events and active participation.

The Workshop brought the community together, introduced them to new design ideas and united them with a common goal. Through the workshop PACCA developed an outline brief, brainstormed ideas for materials and spaces and created a model for a possible building.

Buildings

• Community building within masterplan
• £105 PFI masterplan including new community centre
• Bottom up consultation with mixed age and ethnic groups
• Hands on workshop including study tour

Local Design Workshop

• Community brought together to work towards a common goal.
• Gained knowledge of the design process and inspiration for their own project.

Pru Chiles, Sheffield University