In May last year, Hercules Road was a car-dominated, hard-paved street. Today it’s one of the greener, calmer corners of our neighbourhood. It’s what this area can do when it works together – and a lot of that is down to Sustains Us.

So what is Sustains Us? In the words of Nola, who leads the programme: “South Bank and Waterloo Sustains is our shared local vision for a fairer and greener neighbourhood that is working together towards net zero by 2030.” It brings together Southwark and Lambeth Councils, We Are Waterloo and South Bank BIDs, the South Bank & Waterloo Neighbours residents’ forum, and other local stakeholders. A long list – but, as Nola puts it, one that “reflects our all-of-neighbourhood approach to local sustainability.”

That all-of-neighbourhood approach matters because it keeps things real. “By bringing together these groups we can combine local knowledge, share resources, and build collective ownership over the future of our neighbourhood,” says Nola. “Because whether we work, live, study or visit the area we can all play a role in creating a place that sustains us.”

Waterloo is often talked about as a place people pass through. Sustains Us is working to change that story. “Our programme is all about imagining a fairer, greener Waterloo for all the different ways people experience it,” says Nola, “and then taking steps to make it happen. It helps recentre the narrative away from Waterloo being a place people move through to a place people connect with and feel a part of.”

Building on Hercules Road, designs are now underway to introduce greening and raingardens around Cons Street, just off The Cut – bringing the same benefits of cleaner air and improved flood resilience a little closer to your door. These projects are part of a broader long-term strategy to invest in green infrastructure across the whole of South Bank and Waterloo.

For local businesses, there’s something concrete coming soon too. Sustains Us is about to launch a set of resources on local actions to improve air quality, and is coordinating with building owners and organisations on heat network connections. “Climate change and climate action can sometimes feel like an overwhelmingly complex and global issue,” says Nola. “Working with local businesses and residents means we are at a scale where we can localise our efforts, connect people with the right support, and see tangible benefits from our actions. I think this can really help make it feel more visible, accessible and, importantly, achievable.”

During Climate Action Week next week, Sustains Us is co-hosting an event with the British Film Institute and Shade the UK to launch a heat adaptation guide for cultural institutions – exploring how buildings can be adapted and how venues can support more resilient communities. With so many cultural venues in our area, Nola says she’s particularly excited to see it shared.

And looking further ahead? “In five years’ time I want everyone in Waterloo and South Bank to be feeling the benefits of climate action in their day-to-day lives – breathing cleaner air, walking and wheeling through greener, cooler streets, having fossil-free buildings that cost less to run, or using public spaces that cope better with heat and rainfall. A neighbourhood where our sustainability efforts mean the place helps sustain us.”

If this sparks ideas about how your business could get involved, or things you’d like to hear more about, Nola and the team would love to hear from you.

Tomorrow: join the Garden Party

To mark Clean Air Day, Sustains Us is hosting a free Garden Party tomorrow evening to open the Reimagining Emma Cons Gardens summer series – and you’re very welcome.

Public spaces like Emma Cons are, as Nola says, “so important for our neighbourhood – not only a place for people to meet, but spaces that support biodiversity, cool our environment, clean the air, and manage rainfall. And that deserves to be celebrated.”

Thursday 19 June: Activities and workshops from 11am – Garden Party 5-8pm
📍 Emma Cons Gardens, The Cut, SE1 8LN

Some of our very own local business will be there:

• XO Bikes hosting our free Dr Bike session, 11-2pm
• Swapfiets pop-up – try their bikes
• Rooted lunchtime gardening club, 12–1pm
• Free food from Eden Caterers, our sustainable local caterer
• Prosecco bar from The Old Vic

It’s free, it’s local, and it’s this evening. Come along.