Engaging and Empowering the Residents of Woolwich Common Estate

In July 2023, the Royal Borough of Greenwich commissioned Greenwich Cooperative Development Agency (GCDA) a third sector organisation, to develop and deliver a joint pilot community cooperative proof of concept (POC) on the Woolwich Common Estate.

For more than 40 years, GCDA has been helping people reach their full potential through community hubs, free training programmes, enterprise support and food projects, and so were deemed best placed to deliver the POC, with established community contacts and relationships.

Woolwich Common was identified as a location because of the number of anti-social behaviour concerns raised and the need to reengage residents to positively contribute to the care of the environment in and around their estate. GCDA already had a substantial presence on the estate including existing infrastructure and reach, and these resources were utilised to maximise delivery to achieve the outcomes being sought. Like many places, residents within Woolwich Common felt left behind, particularly following COVID-19, and as a community, unloved. The estate is an area which has a higher level of deprivation than others in the borough and suffers higher levels of crime and anti-social behaviour.