just collaborate
London
Just Space is an informal alliance of around 80 community groups, campaigns and
concerned independent organisations which was formed to act as a voice for
Londoners at grass-roots level during the formulation of London’s major planning
strategy, particularly the London Plan. Everyone is affected by planning but the
planning process is technical and often daunting for the majority of people,
even though the issues themselves are readily understood: housing, green space,
jobs, transport, pollution, and so on. The aim of Just Space is to improve
public participation in planning, to ensure that policy is fairer towards
communities – in a system dominated by the interests of developers. The Just
Space Network brings together a wide range of groups, some with a London-wide
remit (such as the London Tenants Federation, the London Forum of Civic and
Amenity Societies, Friends of the Earth), others locally based community groups
(such as Latin Elephant and Ward’s Corner Community Coalition). The Network also
has links with some of the Universities in London (e.g. UCL, CASS and LSE) whose
staff and students provide research that the network presents alongside their
own grass roots evidence at London Plan hearings or in other contexts. We work
by supporting our member groups and spreading information further afield. Groups
collaborate and coordinate in making representations to planning authorities,
share learning, research and experience through workshops and publications. As a
result of this engagement people have come to understand how political these
planning documents are and how much they influence many of the key issues that
groups are focused on such as health inequalities, targets for relevant housing,
progress on environmental issues and pitches for gypsies and travellers. Members
of Just Space continue to monitor and expose contradictions in the London Plan,
and other planning policy. Just Space is developing further work with
communities, including people who have not been much engaged before. To join
Just Space and be part of the network, please email richardlee50(at)gmail.com
and explain your interest.
