A crucial part of the BID’s work is looking toward the South Bank of the future – one that is sustainable, inclusive and healthy for all.
Reducing South Bank’s greenhouse gas emissions to Net Zero requires collaboration and partnership across the area. Important work in this area has begun to be done by a number of our local stakeholders, but there’s still a long way to go – thus the BID works with local stakeholders to amplify existing schemes, bring new ones to fruition and facilitate cooperation across South Bank.
South Bank and Waterloo Net Zero Strategy
In 2022, Lambeth Council received funding from the GLA to undertake comprehensive scoping of what action needs to be taken to achieve Net Zero by 2030 in South Bank and Waterloo.
To deliver this, the Council brought together a steering group of local partners, including the BID, to create a detailed Strategy and Action Plan outlining this work.
In the production of the strategy, the BID helped support significant community and business engagement, with the aim of enabling South Bank’s organisations, cultural institutions, and residents to support the transition to a Net-Zero neighbourhood.
The completed strategy was released in early 2023, with the launch taking place in St. John’s Church in May 2023 - the event brought together a wide range of stakeholders from across South Bank and Waterloo to highlight the need for partnership working to deliver the necessary action to reach Net Zero by 2030.
The complete Net Zero Strategy identifies 5 key objectives and areas that need to be tackled in order to deliver this vision:
Retrofitting of homes, commercial and public buildings
Creating a decarbonised, smart and integrated energy system
Improving air quality and creating zero emission zones
Climate adapted, resilient and green neighbourhoods
Zero waste circular economy
DOWNLOAD
Net Zero for Waterloo and South Bank by 2030: Action Plan
Download the action plan for Waterloo and South Bank's Net Zero strategy by 2030.
Partnership Delivery Approach
To deliver the aims and ambitions of the Waterloo and South Bank Net Zero Strategy, the BID collaborates closely with Lambeth Council, WeAreWaterloo (our neighbouring BID), South Bank Employers’ Group, and South Bank and Waterloo Neighbours (the local neighbourhood forum representing both residents and organisations). These stakeholders help drive forward the Net Zero agenda, through sharing resources, expertise, and designing initiatives that benefit residents, organisations, and visitors alike.
The partnership approach extends to financing these ambitions. A co-funding model is employed, where funds allocated by the BID are supplemented by contributions from these partners. This collaborative financial approach strengthens the capacity for local delivery and opens avenues to secure additional funding through grant applications and other funding streams. By leveraging collective resources, the partnership can pursue larger, more impactful projects that are closely coordinated with local stakeholders, and align with regional and national greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
To help deliver and coordinate this ambitious work, the partners have created the position of Net Zero Programme Lead. This role is part of the South Bank Employers’ Group team (the delivery agent for the BID) and works collaboratively with stakeholders across the area to identify opportunities for delivery.
Air Quality Monitors
Working with Breathe London, the BID has invested in 8 Air Quality Monitors, installed at strategic high footfall areas across South Bank. The data captured by this network is crucial in the current landscape: showing which areas are particularly vulnerable allows us to successfully benchmark current and future initiatives to tackle the issue.
This data is also available to all through the Breathe London website and network, to help support cross-London efforts to reduce air pollution.