4 minute read
British Land
Working with the Southwark Council to create a vibrant, inclusive, mixed-use development at Canada Water
An UPDATE from the Canada Water Masterplan Team
We are now well underway with the enabling works to bring forward the first phase of development on the Canada Water Masterplan and nine months on since the granting of a full planning permission.
At this stage we wanted to share some of the positive stories that are beginning to emerge and how these relate to the wider commitments we have made to the local community.
This includes, we are delighted to say, confirmation that Higher Education provider, TEDI-London, will be coming to Canada Water, the emergence of new job and training opportunities brought about by ongoing local construction works, and news of a new benefits and welfare support service for SE16 residents. These three announcements evidence the active investment we are making to ensure that the Masterplan delivers a range of long-term benefits for those who live, work and visit here, both now and in the future. You can also check back on the full range of commitments we have made by visiting: www.canadawatermasterplan.com.
Bringing Higher Education to Canada Water
We are pleased to announce that in December 2020, Southwark Council granted planning permission for a temporary campus for TEDI-London, a new engineering higher education enterprise, in Canada Water. This marks an exciting moment for the Masterplan and reinstates our commitment to providing a Higher Education presence within the Masterplan. Co-founded by three global universities, King’s College London, Arizona State University and UNSW Sydney, TEDI-London has been set up with the aim of transforming engineering education, including diversifying the range of people studying and entering the profession. There will be a bursary scheme for Southwark residents and TEDI-London will run a programme of local outreach opportunities and more details can be found at: tedi-london.ac.uk.
n Artist’s sketch of the TEDI-London temporary campus
We are on track to deliver this campus on behalf of TEDI-London in time for it to welcome its first full-time cohort of students in September 2021. In the medium-term, British Land plans to provide a permanent higher education cluster within the wider Canada Water Masterplan site, to house TEDI-London alongside other institutions.
New job opportunities in Construction at Canada Water
We want to get local people – those living nearest to the masterplan area and in wider Southwark – into meaningful, sustained employment as part of the Masterplan. We expect over a thousand construction jobs including apprenticeships to be generated by the development throughout the 15 years. During the phase of development alone, we are targeting to get c.160 Southwark residents into construction jobs and c.40 people into apprenticeships or an NVQ qualification. Since preparatory works began in October, we have already advertised eleven separate roles locally to residents who might be interested in employment within the Masterplan. This is in addition to our already established partnership with the Construction Youth Trust, who we are working with to help local young people get the skills and knowledge they need to get on site. A dedicated page on the Canada Water Masterplan website will soon be live and will be regularly updated to show any new opportunities that are posted by us or our partners, and we will also continue to advertise jobs and training opportunities through our regular e-newsletters and via social media.
Providing essential services to the community including benefits and welfare support
Since our last update, we have been working with local charity, Big Local Works, to launch a benefits and welfare support service for SE16 residents. Big Local Works already support a significant number of people facing hardship from Bermondsey and British Land is pleased to be funding a new clinic in Canada Water, especially considering the importance of such a service moving forward. Given current restrictions, the service is currently taking place online and on the phone. Moving forward Big Local Works will also be running regular, face-to-face Benefits Guidance clinics from ‘Thrive’ - the local SE16 community business hub based in Surrey Quays Leisure Park - complementing the existing business support and advice services that Thrive offers. If you think you or anyone you know might benefit from this service, then please submit a request form via the website www.biglocalworks.org.uk or contact Lea-Anne directly on 07526 847770.
