Voting is now open for the council’s largest ever Greenwich Neighbourhood Growth Fund with a whopping 150 projects to choose from.
Proposals for the £1million pot we invited people to bid for include:
- Make upgrades to local parks and open spaces
- Enhance local biodiversity and planting
- Invest in local community facilities and buildings
- Kickstart initiatives to boost health and wellbeing
- Improve access to sports coaching
The £1million pot for winning projects will be broken down to £250,000 across four neighbourhood zones:
- Eltham and Kidbrooke (Zone 1)
- Blackheath, Greenwich and Greenwich Peninsula (Zone 2)
- Charlton and Woolwich (Zone 3)
- Abbey Wood, Plumstead and Thamesmead (Zone 4)
Residents can cast up to three votes for projects in their area with voting open until Sunday 8 February. The votes will help to inform the final decision on which projects will be funded – with the successful bids announced in March.
As part of Getting Things Done, the council announced the return of the fund which uses money collected from developers through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to ensure that local people benefit from new housing development and commercial space created in the borough. Local groups had the chance to bid for grants between £2,500 and £35,000.
Cllr Anthony Okereke, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: “There has been a tremendous response to our largest ever Greenwich Neighbourhood Growth Fund and it is fitting that the very people who will feel the benefits of the many projects that will be delivered now have the chance to vote on which should be funded.
“Development should mean more than new houses and flats, so we’re making sure that we put developers’ cash to good use in a way that benefits the whole borough and helps us get things done. That sentiment is at the heart of the Greenwich Neighbourhood Growth Fund which helps to pay for a wide range of projects such as improving parks, revamping community buildings or supporting local sports teams. I encourage residents to vote for the three projects you think will have the biggest impact where you live.”
Since Greenwich Neighbourhood Growth Fund was launched in 2017, over £2.5m has been awarded to 157 projects across the borough. These have included:
- replacing windows at a play centre
- creating a sensory garden for a hospice
- running a digital inclusion programme
- park and school playground improvements across the borough
- walking and cycling infrastructure
- a community crèche