Dr Henry Staples, University of Sheffield
In March 2025, local residents, community groups and planning professionals gathered for two participatory workshops in Brixton to reimagine the future of Windrush Square. Organised by Friends of Windrush Square in partnership with High Trees Community Development Trust and the University of Sheffield, the events mark a bold new chapter in community-led planning for one of London’s most iconic civic spaces.
Windrush Square, named in 1998 to honour the generation of Caribbean migrants who arrived in the UK on the Empire Windrush, has long stood as a symbol of Black British resilience and cultural life. Yet as Ros Griffiths, Chair of Friends of Windrush Square, reminded participants, “It’s iconic, but it’s iconic for all the wrong reasons. We’re here to change that.”
Participatory planning for a contested space
Held at the Black Cultural Archives, the workshops drew together a diverse cross-section of the local community—residents, business owners, activists, council officers, and police representatives. Together, they explored the potential of forming a designated Neighbourhood Forum and drafting a Neighbourhood Plan under the 2011 Localism Act.
Facilitated by Ros Griffiths and Graham Weston from High Trees, with technical input from Annabel Osborne of Locality and Dr. Henry Staples of the University of Sheffield, the sessions focused on defining both the boundaries of a potential Windrush Neighbourhood Area and the community’s priorities for the square and surrounding area.
Participants mapped out key concerns—including anti-social behaviour, poor design, lack of community oversight, and fears of over-policing—and articulated a collective vision: to make Windrush Square a space of safety, heritage, encounter and celebration.
“Radical engagement” in action
Far from a tick-box consultation, the events were designed as spaces for what Griffiths called “radical engagement,” where participants could reflect on the square’s past, envision its future, and build collective ownership. “We want our square to be at the standard of Trafalgar Square or Leicester Square—for all the right reasons,” she said.
Discussion ranged from community safety to the symbolic power of the square, to recent changes and decline. As one resident reflected, “Ever since the pandemic the square isn’t being utilized. It should be for the residents, not for people taking drugs and drinking.”
Many called for greater investment in youth services, public amenities like toilets and seating, and stronger recognition of Black British history through art, events and design. Others highlighted the need for coordinated oversight and improved signage, both to curb misuse and to help the square fulfil its civic potential.
Neighbourhood planning as a tool for change
Through the workshops, attendees learned about the legal mechanisms of neighbourhood planning. Neighbourhood Plans, once adopted through local referendum, form part of the statutory planning framework, enabling communities to shape local development and infrastructure.
Participants debated whether to pursue a narrowly focused plan centred on the square itself or a broader boundary encompassing surrounding streets, businesses and landmarks. Many agreed that the area’s future could not be separated from wider processes of gentrification and regeneration, as well as local government priorities. As Dr Staples explained,
If you end up focusing on a small area... perhaps you can be more focused and strategic. Conversely, if you deal with a larger area... maybe you can align more effectively with the Lambeth Local Plan.
Participatory workshops organiser
Dr. Henry Staples, University of Sheffield
Case studies from across London—including Holbeck and Harlesden—offered inspiration, while a guest speaker from the Just Space network shared insights from successful forums in Waterloo and South Bank.
Next steps
With over 30 participants and growing momentum, the Friends of Windrush Square will now consolidate workshop findings into a proposed constitution and neighbourhood boundary map, with the aim of submitting a formal designation to Lambeth Council. A minimum of 21 members are required to establish a Forum, and participants at the workshops were invited to sign up.
For Griffiths and others, the process is about more than planning policy.
We want to put the love back into the square. That means cultural events, community spaces, and a place people are proud of.
Participatory workshops organiser
Ros Griffiths, Chair of Friends of Windrush Square
Events have moved quickly since the workshops. Ros Griffiths was recently invited by the Prime Minister to attend a reception at Downing Street. Meanwhile, during a House of Commons debate, MPs highlighted the upcoming Big Caribbean Lunch organised by the Friends, taking place on Sunday 22 June.
Windrush Square’s next chapter may well be written not by developers or policymakers, but by those who use and care for it most: the people of Brixton.
