Our Future Fairlop

The Council is putting together a long-term vision to help expand Fairlop Waters, adding 250 acres of green space to the much-loved local parkland, and last year launched an engagement exercise to find out what local people would like to see in the park.

Findings from the first engagement phase and plans to develop a masterplan with the community have been approved by Cabinet in February 2021. We have also published the Our Future Fairlop Phase 1 Engagement Report from the three-month period of engagement between September and December 2020. Please find the report here.

We are now launching Phase 2 which will take place from April to July 2021 and consist of a series of steps:

• Development of a Vision for Fairlop Waters: Individuals randomly selected through a sortition process will be contacted and invited to participate in a series of workshops with the aim of finalising with local groups and the council a common vision for Fairlop Waters and design principles/concepts to inform the masterplanning phase. This process has been designed to guarantee diverse democratic participation and will build on what already shared during Phase 1.

Please visit the Sortition Foundation website by 3rd May 2021 if you would like to register and get the chance to be selected.

Please fill the Advisory group EOI form by 3rd May 2021 if you would like to participate as part of an advisory group in light of your knowledge and expertise in a specific area.

Thank you for applying for a place as part of the advisory group. We accept applications on a rolling basis for those still interested, so please complete the form in the EOI forms section and we will get in touch.

• Appointment of a masterplan consultant: the Council will be commissioning consultants to produce a masterplan, a long-term planning document that provides a layout and will guide future development of the park, as well as attracting investment to ensure the park remains financially sustainable. At this stage, we would like to know if you are interested in contributing to the evaluation and selection of the final consultants. Please fill the Volunteer Opportunity for the appointment of the masterplan consultants form by 14th May 2021 if you would like to participate.

Thank you for applying as volunteer to support the masterplan consultant appointment. Applications are now closed.

• Ideas for Fairlop Waters: we have already collected a range of ideas from local residents for events, initiatives and improvements to the park, including history walks, food markets, wild swimming and an inclusive playground. Whilst these will be built into the master planning process, there is an opportunity to start delivering some of these ideas earlier, in anticipation of future changes. Please check our Map tool to suggest your more imminent projects to implement.

We can anticipate there will be other opportunities for those interested and not selected at this stage and everyone will still be able to provide insights and comments through our engagement website Let’s Talk Redbridge.

Since September we’ve had more than 150 face-to-face conversations with people both inside the park and outside, in neighbouring high streets, tube stations, parks, libraries and leisure centres. We’ve also had a huge response to our online survey, interactive map and ideas board which display the deep consideration, passions and interests that many have put into the research.

On Wednesday 16th December at 6 pm, we will be hosting an online event to share what we have learnt through our engagement with people in the local community. Please visit the Eventbrite page to register for this event.

As part of our engagement, we’ve been considering how everyone can continue to be involved beyond our initial engagement as a future vision is created over the next couple of years.

It is imperative that any future vision for the park is created alongside the people who use, visit and appreciate it. We believe that Fairlop Waters should be reflective of the community it represents and must welcome and value the diverse voices, talents and contributions of community members in order to be truly inclusive. This means that our engagement with people in the community must extend beyond now and into the future, as a vision is created and changes are made. It is for these reasons that we have created a second online survey which will be online until 7th January 2021. We hope that through hearing your thoughts we can continue to work with people throughout the evolution of Fairlop Waters in the most meaningful and sustainable way.