Soho First has been working with residents, businesses and organisations to develop a Community Economic Development Plan for the Ward. Community Economic Development is about communities – residents, businesses, voluntary sector, public sector – taking greater control and actively shaping the local economy. It is about doing economic development ourselves rather than having it done to us; and in ways that we know will really benefit our area, be based on its strengths, adapted to its local conditions, providing goods and services that we need locally.
A draft plan was launched at an event at Soho House Museum on 14th June 2019. Following on from this event community researchers from the USE-IT project based at Birmingham University have been working with us to explore the potential for encouraging local businesses and organisations to purchase and procure materials and services locally, and also the idea of developing a meeting/workshop or maker space locally for use by social enterprises.
This work is now complete, and we are looking to organise another event to share this research and engage more people to take the CEDP a step further. Watch this space for further developments.
Download CEDP plan – Thriving Soho and Jewellery Quarter (PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions
What is the Community Economic Development Plan?
The CEDP is a plan developed by Soho First with residents and businesses to shape the local economy — encouraging local procurement, employment, and the development of social enterprise spaces.
How was the Thriving Soho plan developed?
The plan was launched at Soho House Museum in June 2019 and developed further with community researchers from the USE-IT project at Birmingham University.