Pupils at St Saviour’s and St Olave’s School were wowed by what is possible through regeneration after seeing images of the Aylesbury plans.
With around 70 pupils from the school living on the estate and many more from the surrounding area, Deputy Headteacher Peter Broughton felt a session looking at the project would help answer some of the questions youngsters have.
A total of 127 youngsters took part in the day, which included an overview of the regeneration and a Q&A where pupils asked more than 40 questions on subjects including rehousing, rents, jobs, open space, parking and design.
Meghan Doyle, Head of Community Investment for the Aylesbury regeneration, said: “We showed the pupils a few current Aylesbury photos, followed by images of the proposed plans. The girls burst into spontaneous applause after each set of before and after photos, with several shouting ‘Wow, that’s good!’ and ‘I’m going to live in that!’.”
This was followed by three lessons exploring “the essential qualities of a good neighbourhood” and “how to design a community project”.
Pupils were also asked to develop creative proposals for a “live project on the Aylesbury” to improve the design and use of the multi-use games area, green space and seating at the end of Thurlow Street.
Each proposed design was then presented to a panel of Meghan, Chris Cotton, Notting Hill Housing Community Connector, and Michelle Ferguson, the other Deputy Headteacher at the school.
The winning proposal was for a nature reserve, to be used by all members of the community, which could be rented out for events to generate income that could go back into running activities on the Aylesbury.
The winners will now have a session working with our architects to share their ideas and get involved in the design for that space.
Meghan added: “I am very impressed with the girls who participated, offering their creative ideas, asking insightful questions and really engaging with the subject. Thank you to the school for inviting us, the teachers for supporting it and the girls for their great contributions.
“This is one of many sessions that will be taking place with schools to engage local children and young people in shaping the future of the Aylesbury.”
