Resident-Led Gardening at Roupell Park Estate

Placemaking
Written By SL

Following our community design and implementation project near Roupell Park Community Centre — and insights from surveys during the 2022 Permaculture Design Course — we spent summer 2023 supporting residents to create their own garden beds, plant pollinator-friendly flowers, and grow vegetables right on their doorstep. Since then, we’ve loved seeing the joy these planters continue to bring, as shared through residents’ photos and stories.

It’s easy to see how gardening and connection to place can work their quiet magic — bringing neighbours together across generations, creating a sense of belonging, offering food education, and enhancing both safety and biodiversity across the estate.

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Resident-Led Gardening at Roupell Park Estate
Resident-Led Gardening at Roupell Park Estate

Following our community design and implementation project near Roupell Park Community Centre — and insights from surveys during the 2022 Permaculture Design Course — we spent summer 2023 supporting residents to create their own garden beds, plant pollinator-friendly flowers, and grow vegetables right on their doorstep.

Way of Nature Permaculture Design Course at the Brixton Remakery
Way of Nature Permaculture Design Course at the Brixton Remakery

The Winter Permaculture Design Course explored topics of sustainable drainage, localised food production and community on Paulet Road Estate in Brixton, London.

A Permaculture Design Course report for Roupell Park Estate
A Permaculture Design Course report for Roupell Park Estate

We held our 2022 Permaculture Design Course at Roupell Park Estate community Centre on Brixton Hill, London. The course participants worked in groups to create designs for different areas of the estate. The following slides present a summary of the outcomes.

Treadgold House Retrofit
Treadgold House Retrofit

We were asked by BowTie Construction to engage the residents in a re-design of the greenspaces surrounding Treadgold House, which is undergoing a retrofit and will become the UK’s first zero carbon multi-unit.

Monestevole's Permaculture Design Course 2018
Monestevole's Permaculture Design Course 2018

On our return to Tribewanted Monestevole we had 10 people attend our Permaculture Design Course.

Here are some photos and testimonials from participants.

2018 Creating Resilient Communities Permaculture Design Course at Loughborough Farm
2018 Creating Resilient Communities Permaculture Design Course at Loughborough Farm

16 designers graduated with a Permaculture Design Certificate on the 2018 Permaculture Design Course at Loughborough Farm. We also visited venues such as Hazel Hill Woods, the Remakery, the Meadow Orchard Project and were grateful to have had guest teachers such as Linda Royles and Sam. The course was led by Michel Thill and assisted by Tish Vail and previous course participants Naomi Allen and Dre Ferdinand.

Community Design at Roupell Park Estate
Community Design at Roupell Park Estate

Social Landscapes worked with The Community Education Foundation, the Roupell Park Resident Management Cooperative and the Roupell Park residents themselves to come up with a design proposal for an disused green space on the estate.

Farm to Table Permaculture Design Course at Monestevole
Farm to Table Permaculture Design Course at Monestevole

Organising a Permaculture Design Course (PDC) is generally a great opportunity for a project or a community to integrate more of the Permaculture principles into their workings. This was the purpose of our full Permaculture Design Course at Tribewanted Monestevole.

2017 Creating Resilient Communities Permaculture Design Course
2017 Creating Resilient Communities Permaculture Design Course

16 designers graduated with a Permaculture Design Certificate on the 2017 Permaculture Design Course at Treadwell. We visited venues such as Sutton Community Farm, Hazel Hill Woods, the Remakery, the Meadow Orchard Project and were blessed with guest teachers such as Duncan Law, Linda Royles and Kathie Bishop.

Landor Road Open Orchard & Kitchen Garden Planting
Landor Road Open Orchard & Kitchen Garden Planting

On Wednesday 19th of October we planted a kitchen garden on Fenwick Estate in Clapham. The event started at 4 pm and by 6.30 a group of around 20 had planted 90 herb plants, including lavender, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, yarrow and more.

The event and the plants were funded by This Is Clapham Business Improvement District.

The Challenge on Egham Road
The Challenge on Egham Road

Michel supported residents on Egham Road to make a more beautiful, safer and useful space. The job was a big challenge, building a 25 m long planter, shifting 12 tonnes of soil and planting 60 plants along the pavement to create a border between the grass and play area and road. With a large group of corporate volunteers and residents, the job got done in a day and brought out the neighbourhood.

2016 Creating Resilient Communities - Full Permaculture Design Certificate Course
2016 Creating Resilient Communities - Full Permaculture Design Certificate Course

In 2016, we took another 12 people on an empowerment journey through a 84h Permaculture Design Curriculum exploring cutting edge design solutions relating to our most fundamental human needs, such as food, water, shelter and energy, companionship and community, livelihood and purpose.

Wilton Square Community Day
Wilton Square Community Day

Social Landscapes collaborated with St Martins of Tours to design an event aiming to bring together two diverse and disparate community groups located around Wilton Square, Islington. The event created included gardening and painting activities to spruce up the area, food and non-alcoholic drinks as well as live music. 

Storytelling & Gardening at the Rookery
Storytelling & Gardening at the Rookery

Social Landscapes was contracted by SCCoop (Streatham Common Cooperative) to run an event to increase membership and involvement of the pubic in the activities at the Rookery. After organising a series of pop-up events in the area, we concluded with a well attended afternoon filled with storytelling, a tour of the Rookery and gardening activities.

Permaculture in Action at Paula's Peace Garden
Permaculture in Action at Paula's Peace Garden

Together with Social Landscapes, Paula opens her 1 acre garden in Streatham Hill to vulunteers and ex-addicts, who she supports in their recovery. We joined up with the Permablitz London team to run an event that transformed the kitchen garden into an abundant Permaculture growing space.

Men in Green Sheds
Men in Green Sheds

In 2015 we put together a concept for Advance 360 using a tiny space at Woodlawns, Streatham Hill. The idea came from the original Men in Sheds idea, to create space for elderly men to get together and share skills with each other and others. The shed was designed to have a green roof with a skylight and a small growing space with hops growing up the walls.

Community Orchard & Food Growing in Hillside Gardens Park
Community Orchard & Food Growing in Hillside Gardens Park

Social Landscapes has brought the community together to plant a community orchard of 15 fruit trees, build vegetable planters and reinvigorate the community allotment in Hillside Gardens Park. There have been 55 volunteers involved in planting and volunteering sessions in the park.

2014 Creating Resilient Urban Communities - Full Permaculture Design Certificate Course
2014 Creating Resilient Urban Communities - Full Permaculture Design Certificate Course

This Permaculture Design Course is a 72h training accredited by the UK Permaculture Association. !0 participants learned about practical design solutions that make our cities and communities more resilient, can bring about transformation and abundance.

Sprucing up the Sunken Garden on Cale Street
Sprucing up the Sunken Garden on Cale Street

The sunken garden on Cale Street had been neglected for over a dozen years. Michel supported residents from the estates in sprucing up the space, planting wildflowers along the edges and in the middle, building new benches and planters for food growing, planting a soft fruit area and painting the railings.

SL
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Way of Nature Permaculture Design Course at the Brixton Remakery