Hear from the London Borough of Southwark and their partners about an upcoming visioning exercise and community conversation on the future relationship with the Thames.

A number of key factors are prompting a reassessment of the river in Southwark - the council’s emerging plans to expand and upgrade the council’s South Dock Marina boatyard; the completion of the Thames Tideway ‘Super Sewer’ in 2023 providing a historic opportunity to create a step change in biodiversity and habitat development; the continued shortage of affordable key worker homes and accumulated learning from existing residential moorings; the projected uplift in the population on the Rotherhithe ‘peninsula’ due to follow from the Canada Water masterplan.  Southwark are keen to harness the opportunity presented by developments such as the Canada Water masterplan to create an investment framework of infrastructure projects which could democratise access to and use of the river and kickstart the marine economy. The presentation will set the scene for a discussion on what principles and ideals ought to be followed to create a successful and sustainable river commons, with a particular focus on the Upper and Lower Pool section.