Children are contributing to Hampstead's Neighbourhood Plan

So, as part of the Neighbourhood Forum’s consultation on revising the Neighbourhood Plan, we thought we should ask them what they wanted.

The area covered by the plan contains eight independent and three state schools, with pupils ranging from year two to aged 16, not to mention all the teachers and support staff. The schools also represent a significant part of Hampstead life in terms of business, transport, housing and general use of the area. It was important that their voices were heard.

A recent mayoral report noted that, “a London that works well for children and young people will be a London that works well for all of us […] we must embrace the potential of London’s urban environment to plan and design spaces that put children and young people first.’

The Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum is consulting the community on revising the Neighbourhood Plan to ensure that it remains up to date. We have already found that there is increased interest in sustainable development and enhancement of the natural environment.

Francesca Agostini has been enlisting children to help with the revised Neighbourhood Plan (Image: Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum)

The forum joined forces with Green School Runs, a local charity, and ran a consultation with approximately 50 primary schoolchildren at three schools to make sure their voices were heard. The schools participating were Christ Church School, UCS Junior Branch and Devonshire House - we thank the schools very much for allowing us to run workshops with their pupils.

While children may not know about town planning, they do have strong views on what they like and dislike about their local area. They enjoy Hampstead’s greenness, with its trees, flowers, and the Heath. They like to walk in nature, and they value Hampstead's sense of community.

They don’t like noise and heavy traffic, especially in Hampstead’s narrow streets. They want it to be safer to cross roads.

Although the majority of children’s negative comments were about the traffic, a significant number also wanted to make our neighbourhood cleaner, with less dog poo and rubbish.

A well planned area can improve children’s independence and ability to travel alone. We will be including some of their comments in our revised Plan. The neighbourhood that they want to see - green, walkable, safe – works very well for adults too.

• Francesca Agostini is an adviser to the Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum (hampsteadforum.org) and a co-founder and trustee of Green School Runs (greenschoolruns.org).