By involving local young people in the planning and development process, we ensure that their views aspirations are reflected in our places while directly benefiting from the new opportunities being created in their area. 

Education fosters skill development, increasing employability and ultimately improving overall life chances. At Canada Water, this approach builds local support and pride of place, strengthening an already thriving community that attracts new residents, customers and visitors. 

Last year, our collaboration with Redriff Primary School empowered local young people to develop foundational research skills and contribute to naming new streets and public spaces at Canada Water. You can learn more about this collaboration here.

This spring term, we continued our partnership to deliver a local Geography curriculum centred around the question, "What makes a good place?" The 5-week initiative included 35 hours of lesson planning and 15 hours of teaching, engaging 60 Year 5 students. Working closely with teachers, the programme explored planning sustainable places that balance social, environmental and economic needs at local, regional and national levels. Together, we assessed the real estate sector from a diverse range of perspectives, including first-time homebuyers, business owners seeking headquarters, visitors with accessibility needs and existing local families within the area.

Through this programme, the young people were equipped with the knowledge and skills to assess whether their neighbourhood is a good place to live, work, and visit for all, deepening their understanding of the changes in their area. Through fieldwork at Canada Dock and interviews with local people, they defined a "good place" as a mixed-use, inclusive, and sustainable. Their vision for "Canada Water in 2035" features natural spaces, retail and leisure, homes, workspaces, and social infrastructure. It strongly resonates with the Canada Water Masterplan being delivered by British Land, AustralianSuper, and Southwark Council and continually shaped through close collaboration with the local community.

This programme serves as a precursor to other impactful educational programmes we are delivering locally, including Urban Plan UK and Construction Youth Trust’s Shaping Southwark’s Future in secondary schools, and related higher education pathways such as Engineering BEng/MEng at TEDI London. Together, these initiatives are supporting a pipeline of industry-relevant skills, equipping individuals to succeed and thrive in the future workforce. Further to this, Canada Water Connect links businesses with great local talent, connecting Southwark residents to life-changing employment, delivering on our commitment to enable thousands of local jobs throughout the project lifecycle.

These initiatives are a key component of British Land's 2030 Sustainability Strategy, reflecting our decade-long commitment to partnering with schools local to Canada Water. By delivering meaningful educational experiences, we aim to create positive, long-lasting social impact in the communities we are fortunate to work with.