The St Jude's Development Pledge.

St Jude's Forum supports responsible, sustainable and community-minded development. Our neighbourhood is changing, and change can be a good thing — new homes, new workspaces and renewed buildings can all add to the life of the area.

This pledge is not anti-development. It is about making sure each development gives something back to the neighbourhood that hosts it. None of it is unreasonable, and most of it simply reflects good practice that thoughtful developers are already moving towards.

We offer it in a constructive spirit: a set of plain commitments any developer can adopt, adapt and build on. Where a clause genuinely isn't feasible, we'd rather have an honest conversation than a closed door.

Developers adopting the pledge commit, where feasible and practical, to the following.

1. Mini-allotment & growing space. Every development should seek to include a small growing space — a planter, raised bed, communal herb garden, mini-allotment or edible planting area — wherever feasible.
2. All-electric development. New development should avoid gas infrastructure and prioritise all-electric heating, hot water and cooking systems where practical.
3. Solar first. Roofs and other suitable surfaces should be assessed for solar PV. Where excess generation is available, developers should explore how it might support communal benefit, local infrastructure, or a community-interest mechanism such as a CIC structure.
4. E-bike & active travel provision. Developments should include secure cycle storage and, where feasible, e-bike charging infrastructure to make active travel the easy choice.
5. Careful treatment of existing planting. Existing trees, shrubs, self-seeded planting and informal greenery should be assessed before works begin. Where planting must be moved, developers should consider careful hand-moving, relocation, reuse or replacement before disposal.
6. Biodiversity & urban greening. Development should improve biodiversity, urban greening, shade, pollinator planting and climate resilience wherever possible.
7. Off-the-shelf, deliverable public realm. Where public realm improvements are proposed, prioritise standard, off-the-shelf, modular, repairable and removable products that can be delivered quickly and maintained easily.
8. Waste, litter & street stewardship. Development should consider bins, refuse, street cleanliness, litter hotspots and practical local stewardship as part of the design — not as an afterthought.
9. Community engagement. Developers should engage respectfully with local residents, businesses and community groups at an early stage. Engagement should be constructive, factual and focused on solutions.
10. Local value. Developments should consider opportunities for local labour, local suppliers, training, apprenticeships, creative work, community gardens, street furniture, public art, or other visible local benefits.

In simple terms, we ask that every development in St Jude's tries to…

• Make a little room to grow something — even a planter or a raised bed.
• Go all-electric and skip the gas where it can.
• Put solar on the roof, and share any spare power for local good.
• Make cycling easy, with somewhere safe to keep (and charge) a bike.
• Look after the trees and greenery that are already here.
• Leave the area greener, shadier and friendlier to wildlife.
• Choose public-realm kit that's simple to deliver, fix and look after.
• Think about bins, litter and keeping the street tidy from the start.
• Talk to neighbours early, honestly and with an open mind.
• Use local people, local skills and local ideas wherever it can.

That's the whole of it: small, sensible things that add up to better development.

The pledge belongs to the neighbourhood, so please treat it as a starting point rather than the last word. We warmly invite developers, residents, local businesses and community groups to adopt it, discuss it, or help us make it better.

If you're planning a scheme and would like to sign up to the pledge — or if you can see a way to strengthen it — we'd love to hear from you.

Start a conversation about the pledge →