New service connects Canada Water community to jobs and training New commission to work together to free up more land for Southwark people

A new approach to improving the way land is used in the borough is underway.

Southwark Council is launching Southwark Land Commission, the first of its kind in London, and only the second in England.

It will bring together a panel of experts, community groups and major landowners to work to free up more of Southwark’s land for the benefit of local people.

Canada Water Connect was established in 2022 by British Land, the developer of the 53-acre Masterplan, and ELBA, an organisation with 30 years’ experience in enabling successful partnerships between businesses and the community

To celebrate the official launch of the local service, the Canada Water Connect team held an event on Monday, 20th February at T&T2 in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre. The open drop-in was well attended by residents, schools, businesses, charities and other organisations in the area, using the chance to discuss the many opportunities for local people that are being created by British Land’s development.

The Canada Water Masterplan will create a new town centre with new homes, offices, public spaces, facilities,

Case study: Connecting Riette to a new career

“I felt stuck, as I didn’t think anyone was going to take on a short, middleaged lady on a building site no matter how good her grades, but then I met Ian, who got me an interview with HTC Mechanical. My fantastic now-supervisor, Emmett, gave me a chance, and I’m working really hard to justify the faith put in me.” shops, restaurants and jobs. There will be jobs available at various levels in many sectors, including construction, retail, hospitality, leisure, estate management, and with the many businesses that will be located here. We are working with a number of referral partners including Southwark Works, Construction Youth Trust, the Southwark Construction Skills Centre and many others, to get local people into meaningful, sustained employment.

Ian Walker, a south Londoner born and raised, is the Employment & Skills Manager at Canada Water Connect. He is already hard at work helping local jobseekers find suitable roles on the development and finding people pathways into training to equip them for employment in and around Canada Water.

Dr Miatta Fahnbulleh, who is the chief executive of the New Economics Foundation, has been announced as the chair for the commission.

The first meeting of the commission will take place on Tuesday 28th February.

Cllr James McAsh, cabinet member for the climate emergency and sustainable development, said: “Southwark is blessed with diverse communities, full of talent, history and vibrancy. Over 300,000 of us live alongside one another in just 11 square miles. Having so many people in such a small space is part of what makes our borough such an exciting place to live, work and visit. However, it also means that the land we have is precious. We must use it for the benefit of us all.

“The Southwark Land Commission is an exciting new project to take this forward. Bringing together a panel of experts, community groups and major landowners, the Commission will interrogate how more of our borough’s land can be freed up for the public good. We’ll look at how power to shape land can be radically devolved to the communities who use it.

“The main organisation involved with the Commission is Southwark-based PRD, with support also being provided by We Made That and PMV Planning.”

The Southwark Land Commission is an exciting new project to take this forward. Bringing together a panel of experts, community groups and major landowners, the Commission will interrogate how more of our borough’s land can be freed up for the public good.

Riette, a former set designer who had seen her career grind to a halt because of the pandemic, recently began a new career on the Canada Water development. With help from Canada Water Connect, she pursued her interest in plumbing and was hired to work with McAleer & Rushe on one of the first buildings in the Masterplan (known as Plot K1), which will deliver 79 new homes for Southwark Council.

After Employment and Skills manager Ian helped her with the application and interview process, she is now working towards an NVQ qualification in plumbing while installing bathrooms on site.

To find out more, including the many employment and training opportunities currently available, to list jobs and training opportunities you are offering locally, and to register for updates, visit www.canadawater.co.uk/connect or email connect@canadawater.co.uk

Southwark shops show big appetite for healthier foods

The shelves of Southwark’s shops are being stocked with healthier food thanks to local stores joining a pilot scheme.

The trial included 35 stores in low-income areas in the borough where they stocked 22% more products that are lower in salt, sugar and fat – the equivalent of eight or nine new products per store.

Supported by Southwark Council, the pilot has seen stores reporting that the new healthier products sold better than expected and all said they intend to keep these healthier options available, as well as further growing their range.

The Good Food Wholesale and Retail project launched in 2019.