Toy Box
Places not Postcodes
The Toy Box concept has been developed with the Southwyck House Residents’ Association during discussions about both the issues and the opportunities for improving ‘play’ on the Southwyck House estate. The estate has a range of under used spaces within and around the blocks that if given a new purpose would be of real benefit to all residents. The Residents’ Association will provide the platform for residents to lead the next stage of the project and advise on any governance and management issues for the Toy Box.
Spacehive's mission is to make it easy for people to improve their local area. We invest in local people and support their ideas to reinvigorate local places, making them happier, prouder and more prosperous. We are a social enterprise with strong links to the Brixton community, and experience in mobilising community initiatives and providing funding which we will use to support the delivery of the Toy Box project.
ONH, an architecture and planning practice has provided advice on design, planning and delivery issues for Toy Box. Based on our work with neighbourhood plans we have experience in delivering community led projects and steering them through the design and planning process.
Places not Postcodes cooks up ideas around how people can be encouraged to take ownership of spaces around them that they use every day. Places and Postcodes developed the initial Toy Box concept as a way of giving people ownership of spaces through play. Through discussions with the team the concept was developed into a project proposal that can be delivered on the Southwyck House estate.
Places Not Postcodes helped connect these strands, reflecting on shared experiences of living and working in similar environments across the UK and shaping them into a simple, transferable idea.
Throughout the process, we worked across the group to test the concept visually and narratively, sharing draft images, video ideas, and text as we went. This iterative approach helped build buy-in from everyone involved and ensured the final proposal reflects collective insight rather than a single viewpoint.
The result is a proposal that is rooted in lived experience, shaped through dialogue, and designed to be adaptable by communities themselves.
Team
Fabien Piesakowski-O’Neill, Creative Director, Places Not Postcodes
Brendan O’Neill, Architect, ONH
Tom Shakli, Social Entrepreneur, Spacehive
Alexander Burr, User, Residents Association