Shaping Our Future event held at Lambeth Palace

South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us were thrilled to host Shaping Our Future on Wednesday 29 October 2025 at Lambeth Palace. The event brought together local organisations, community groups and businesses for an afternoon of collaboration around our shared ambition for a fairer, greener neighbourhood.

Marking one year since the launch of Sustains Us in October 2024, this annual event was an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved already, and to come together as a community to shape the neighbourhood’s priorities for the next five years to 2030 and beyond.

Local stakeholders joined for an afternoon to explore the neighbourhoods progress, and together identified opportunities for high-impact projects that address shared challenges such as energy systems, air quality, climate resilience and resource efficiency.

The afternoon began with a guided tour of Lambeth Palace, a venue that beautifully combines heritage and sustainability on the edge of the South Bank. Attendees were able to tour the Palace’s recent refurbishments and energy-efficiency initiatives, from its energy centre and solar panels to carefully restored windows. The tour also highlighted the Palace gardens and the food grown from its kitchen garden. You can read more about Lambeth Palace’s refurbishments in the following case study here.

After the tour, guests gathered in the Palace’s Guard Room for an update on the Sustains Us programme. Tom Sleigh, Chair of the South Bank Employers’ Group, and Giles Goddard, Chair of South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us, opened the session with a welcome and reflections on the past year. Sophie Clark, Deputy Director for Lambeth Palace also welcomed attendees, speaking about the Palace’s role in supporting sustainability efforts across the neighbourhood.

“This event marks an important moment for our community. Over the past two years, Sustains Us has brought people together around a shared vision for a fairer, greener South Bank and Waterloo – through projects such as our community fun day and the new green space on Hercules Road. We’re excited to build on what we’ve achieved and to set clear priorities for the next five years that reflect the ambitions of everyone who lives and works here.” – Giles Goddard, Chair of South Bank and Waterloo Sustains Us.

After a presentation sharing an overview of progress made across key areas of the programme – from greening Hercules Road, to the heat network feasibility study – attendees participated in a workshop to identify challenges and opportunities for the neighbourhood, and to shape priorities for the Sustains Us programme’s next five years up to 2030.

Discussions took place across four themes:

• Buildings and Energy: Participants explored the emerging opportunity for a local heat network, which could connect high energy-using buildings to a shared renewable energy source. The conversation highlighted the importance of coordinating discussions between major building owners to deliver value for money and achieve positive environmental outcomes.
• Air Quality and Transport: Attendees discussed using Waterloo Station as a potential freight and delivery consolidation hub, linking into the wider redevelopment of the station, through the Waterloo Station Masterplan. Ideas also included offering free air quality guidance for local businesses to help them reduce their environmental impacts.
• Reducing Waste: Ideas centred on local exchange initiative where businesses could donate usable items, such as furniture and equipment, to residents, reducing disposal costs and supporting the community. There was also interest in tackling food waste and creating neighbourhood-wide composting schemes.
• Greening and Building Climate Resilience: Conversations focused on responding to sea level rise and flood risk from the Thames. Proposals emphasised greening the riverfront, reconnecting communities to the river, and inviting local input on long-term plans. Attendees also discussed how to encourage small-scale doorstep planting and identify key areas that could be converted from grey to green, creating new spaces for nature.

The insights gathered will be developed alongside feedback from residents at the Wonderful Waterloo and South Bank Fun Day, helping to shape the direction of the Sustains Us programme through to 2030.

As the programme moves into its next five years, Sustains Us will continue to bring people together across the neighbourhood to turn shared ambitions into action – building a fairer and greener South Bank and Waterloo for everyone.

If you would like to share your ideas on shaping future priorities for the neighbourhood, please get in touch using the contact form below.